patrick767
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(sorry for the length, just being thorough. This was my first attempt with fruit added other than JOAM and it didn't go well.)
Last fall I started three one gallon batches of mead/metheglin. I racked them as needed but other only just recently got around to bottling.
All three batches used the same locally purchased batch of honey (I had a gallon of it).
All three batches used the same yeast, White Lab Sweet Mead.
All were started on Sept 1, 2009.
Batch 1 is a plain mead w/ 3 pounds of honey. It was racked on 9/27 then left alone. It absolutely refused to clarify completely. Some very fine yeast particles continued to be suspended even into May of this year. I added some Bentonite and it cleared up. Bottled. It's simple, but sweet and good. Nice honey flavor. Definitely ready to drink as is.
Batch 2 - Started with 3 pounds of honey but on 9/27 I racked it onto 2 pounds of strawberries. The berries were fresh from the store, rinsed off, and put in the freezer for a couple hours, then mashed a bit and added directly to the mead.
Batch 3 - 2.5 lbs of honey and 2 lb of strawberries in primary. These would have been a different batch of strawberries than those added to secondary in batch 2. Bought at different times. Same prep for the strawberries. On 9/27 I racked it only another pound of strawberries.
Even during fermentation the one with strawberries in primary (batch 3) had me concerned about a rubbery, sort of band aid aroma coming off of it, but I hoped that would clear up in time. Also both batches were a nightmare to clarify and some strawberry remains are still visible even after repeated racking, etc. I give up on that. I've lost too much of the batches already.
I have a glass of batch 2 in front of me now. It's nearly 9 months since these were first started. It still smells like some sort of rubbery or band aid type aroma. There's no strawberry smell and really no honey smell. It's not very sweet as though that sweet mead yeast ate up far more of the sugars than it did in the plain mead batch did, but it's not hot. It just tastes and smells bad. Basically it's crap. Drain pour material.
Batch 3 smells the same way, so I highly doubt it's any better.
What happened here? All equipment was carefully sterilized even though I know the risk of infection is low given honey's natural sterility. Both batches that got strawberries though, no matter when they were added (primary or secondary) came out lousy. Very disappointing. I love strawberries but am in no hurry to try to brew with them again. That off smell from fermentation never did go away, but the good flavors of honey and strawberry did.
Last fall I started three one gallon batches of mead/metheglin. I racked them as needed but other only just recently got around to bottling.
All three batches used the same locally purchased batch of honey (I had a gallon of it).
All three batches used the same yeast, White Lab Sweet Mead.
All were started on Sept 1, 2009.
Batch 1 is a plain mead w/ 3 pounds of honey. It was racked on 9/27 then left alone. It absolutely refused to clarify completely. Some very fine yeast particles continued to be suspended even into May of this year. I added some Bentonite and it cleared up. Bottled. It's simple, but sweet and good. Nice honey flavor. Definitely ready to drink as is.
Batch 2 - Started with 3 pounds of honey but on 9/27 I racked it onto 2 pounds of strawberries. The berries were fresh from the store, rinsed off, and put in the freezer for a couple hours, then mashed a bit and added directly to the mead.
Batch 3 - 2.5 lbs of honey and 2 lb of strawberries in primary. These would have been a different batch of strawberries than those added to secondary in batch 2. Bought at different times. Same prep for the strawberries. On 9/27 I racked it only another pound of strawberries.
Even during fermentation the one with strawberries in primary (batch 3) had me concerned about a rubbery, sort of band aid aroma coming off of it, but I hoped that would clear up in time. Also both batches were a nightmare to clarify and some strawberry remains are still visible even after repeated racking, etc. I give up on that. I've lost too much of the batches already.
I have a glass of batch 2 in front of me now. It's nearly 9 months since these were first started. It still smells like some sort of rubbery or band aid type aroma. There's no strawberry smell and really no honey smell. It's not very sweet as though that sweet mead yeast ate up far more of the sugars than it did in the plain mead batch did, but it's not hot. It just tastes and smells bad. Basically it's crap. Drain pour material.
Batch 3 smells the same way, so I highly doubt it's any better.
What happened here? All equipment was carefully sterilized even though I know the risk of infection is low given honey's natural sterility. Both batches that got strawberries though, no matter when they were added (primary or secondary) came out lousy. Very disappointing. I love strawberries but am in no hurry to try to brew with them again. That off smell from fermentation never did go away, but the good flavors of honey and strawberry did.