21 year mead

[draiiinage]

DAMN! If that's a small beer to you, i'd be curious what a normal one is!

Ha yes well RELATIVELY smaller

 

[shermoney]

So, what's the best way to keep mead for longer periods like this? I have been doing mead for years and anything I try to keep for longer than a year starts to turn a little....funky? It's not quite vinegar, but it's almost reminiscent of a balsamic maybe? Not in the acid, but it tastes like someone opened a bottle of balsamic across the room, real light and noticeable in difference to how it was freshly bottled. I do everything to keep oxidation to a minimum but im assuming it's something to do with that.

 

[Yooper]

So, what's the best way to keep mead for longer periods like this? I have been doing mead for years and anything I try to keep for longer than a year starts to turn a little....funky? It's not quite vinegar, but it's almost reminiscent of a balsamic maybe? Not in the acid, but it tastes like someone opened a bottle of balsamic across the room, real light and noticeable in difference to how it was freshly bottled. I do everything to keep oxidation to a minimum but im assuming it's something to do with that.

Are you using sulfites or sorbate or both when stabilizing and bottling?

 

[Jayjay1976]

We have bottles that are 6+ years old and no vinegar funk. Something's not right if you're getting that at 1 year.

 

[DBhomebrew]

Agreed. 3yo+ in my cellar. No stabilizing. Clean and clear of vinegar, funk, and oxidation.

 

[shermoney]

Are you using sulfites or sorbate or both when stabilizing and bottling?

I thought I replied to this but I guess not lol. so it's been the better part of a decade since I tried to age anything, and I don't think I used either. i have never used sorbate, and only used sulfites on a few things. most of the mead I make now if good right after fermentation so it doesn't last. that said, if I can age properly I would make a bigger batch to forget about.

 

[T Murph]

I thought I replied to this but I guess not lol. so it's been the better part of a decade since I tried to age anything, and I don't think I used either. i have never used sorbate, and only used sulfites on a few things. most of the mead I make now if good right after fermentation so it doesn't last. that said, if I can age properly I would make a bigger batch to forget about.

With proper sanitation practices you don't have to use either. I have one now that is 4 yrs old. When it comes to aging anything, sanitation is of the upmost importance. But oxidation is another enemy. Avoid oxygenating at all cost.

 

[MxWhiskey]

My son was born about 2 and a half months ago. I'm absolutely going to do this, but I'm going to make a Great Mead, or a Sack Mead and oak age it for a while. I'm considering getting a barrel for the aging, but we will see. Super excited I'm seeing this so I can do this too.

 

[bernardsmith]

Eau de contraire @bernardsmith I have made meads that were NFT (not f___ing tasty) up to 6 months before they began maturing into pleasant drinkable meads. And everyone of them continued to improve until they were gone. I currently have 3 melomels that are 19 months old that were NFT when young that would probably bring home ribbons now if I would enter them in a competition, but I ain't doing that. I make them to enjoy with friends not folks I probably don't know. Plus I simply do not bottle anything anymore. Of course most are good by the time fermentation is complete. I almost agree with your sceptism about 21 yrs. Then again my nephew has a 17 yr old prickly pear melomel that is remarkable. Trouble with that is he won't let me drink it. He is aging it 20 yrs. Just saying.

Anecdotes are always fun to read but anecdotes are often atypical. Most neophyte wine or mead makers have already begun oxidation before they pitch the yeast and like with most cars, a tiny scratch 10 years ago is more than likely to result in rust (AKA oxidation) today. So, sure I have no question about the delightful nature of your nephew's melomel , nor do I have any question about you being able to nicely age a well-made mead that may need a year or five to fully mature. But a mead that is poorly made or made with poor ingredients or is made with an untested recipe is unlikely to age well. It'll get older but that's not what is meant by "aging".