Is backsweetening the way to go?

[LudovicoManin]

I have some peppermint mead that I racked today since the sediment was really building up. Tasted it when I racked it, and it is... bad. Not like it went bad, but all the sweetness is gone. It tastes like alcoholic minty black tea. The recipe I used said backsweeten with two pounds honey.... I am assuming this is why? Two more pounds will bring it back to life?

 

[CKuhns]

Yes, additional sugars of any kind can cause it to referment.

Many use those chemicals to inhibit the yeast when they sweeten their mead. I prefer to pasteurize or filter so cant comment on what they are or how they should be used.

What you described sounds like either its young and needs to age or your yeast were stressed during fermentation. If you havent used nutrients you may want to look up the various Total Organic Stagered Nutrient Protocols available out there and consider the temperature your yeast dobthe best at.

A young "hot and dry" mead with age months to years will transform itself. The mint may be subdued, the honey will come through and the "hot" alcohol will mellow. But be prepared it may take 1 to 3 years.

I apologize in advance if you already know this.

 

[LudovicoManin]

So, I havent been in this position before. My mead started out incredibly cloudy and there was a TON of sugar in there between the candy canes and the honey. Over the past 48 hours, the mead has clarified *a lot*, my bubbler shows no activity (I know.... dont use it as a reading) and the flavor notes are whhat I said earlier.

I have never had to backsweeten.... have no idea what the process is. If this is the route I need to take, are there some resources I can read specifically as it pertains to backsweetening? Or do I just let it ride to mellow out?

Sorry for the questions... new to the game and VERY new to this aspect of the game.

 

[Lampy]

I've tried backsweetening a number of ways:
1) Add sugar and heat pasteurize to kill yeast.
2) Chemically stabilize then sweeten.
3) Just add a bit of simple syrup to my glass before pouring.
I like 3 the best - I can vary sweetness to suit my current mood and don't have to fiddle w/ heat or chemicals.
Another option (I haven't used) is non-fermentable sweetener.

 

[DBhomebrew]

Or do I just let it ride to mellow out?

Yep. Up to 6-12 months in bulk. Then you can taste and get a true idea of what you really have.

 

[bernardsmith]

Most country wines - and that includes mead, typically require back sweetening to help bring forward the flavors that the alcohol tends to mask. To back sweeten effectively, the amount of sweetener a wine needs depends on several factors, including, your preference, the acidity (TA), the ABV, the viscosity (mouthfeel), the richness of the flavor desired and the level of sweetness wanted. The best way to determine the amount of sweetener to be added is to bench test. You bench test by taking a known sample size ( could be 1 oz or 25 ml or whatever) and adding known specific amounts of sweetener drop by drop and tasting after each measured drop. When the amount of sweetener you added hits the sweet spot (sic) you are looking for, you then know EXACTLY the amount of sweetener to add to the TOTAL volume (divide the total volume by the sample size and multiply that number by the amount of sweetener that was needed to hit that sweet spot). You WILL HAVE stabilized the mead or wine earlier by adding the appropriate amount of K-Sorbate AND K-Meta (based on the TOTAL volume) and so you will now rack the mead or wine and THEN add the sweetener (it's more dense than the mead or wine, so it will tend to sink through the mead or wine) and THOROUGHLY mix in the sweetener to completely disperse it throughout the wine or mead. I would allow the mead or wine to stand for two or three days before bottling.

 

[LudovicoManin]

Yep. Up to 6-12 months in bulk. Then you can taste and get a true idea of what you really have.

But letting it age will mellow the flavors only, not sweeten it back up, right?

 

[DBhomebrew]

Mead is magical.

 

[Dan O]

Mead is magical.

Fact!

 

[DBhomebrew]

But letting it age will mellow the flavors only, not sweeten it back up, right?

In all seriousness, you don't know what you have right now. The yeastiness, the off-flavors, the ethanol, it's all masking the true flavor of the mead underneath. Maybe time won't add sweetness, but it will smooth and mellow out the extraneous noise. With time, you may find the subtle flavors of the honey come back all by themselves. Maybe not, but you'll know what you truly have and can backsweeten accordingly.