21 year mead

[SKBugs]

Looks like a couple of years since any of the main players have posted so I'd say either not going well or it went great [emoji6]. It's a great thread tho.

 

[emac813]

6 more years!

 

[PGWolfe]

I stumbled upon this thread which started in 2007. I see people looking for updates. If I was the person who made mead and shelved it for 21 years, the only update I could provide is how many bottles were left! I’d keep drinking them but hopefully have two left when the person hits 21 years old! Haha

 

[Jayjay1976]

Yeah but, do 21 year olds even like mead? If not, you'll look weird standing around sipping on a dusty bottle of ancient hooch while everyone else enjoys a neon purple spacebeer.

If I had a time machine, I'd go back and brew myself some Natty Light or Zima for my 21st.

 

[PGWolfe]

I was thinking the same thing. What if they don’t like mead?!? I would go for Natty but instead something darker. When so many of us turned 21 we didn’t have the variety of beers available to us. I started drinking my dad’s beer (Rolling Rock) haha

 

[bracconiere]

till 2028 then! the OP was last seen 2012 though. hopefully in 7 years, if i'm still making a nuisance of myself here, i get an alert!

 

[Ty520]

While this is a very heartfelt idea, From most of what I've heard, most meads start to go downhill after 7-10 years.

 

[Padj]

My mead is about 1.5 years old at this point. I have around 15 bottles. Gonna try one every two years. Problem I had is mine was on the lower end of the abv so I'm not confident with it holding. We will see.

 

[draiiinage]

In continuation of this very old thread... what are people using for long term aging of such brews? Wine bottles? What type of corks? Any other special considerations for making such a long lasting mead? My daughter is due in September, so I'm considering doing something like this as well.

 

[T Murph]

@draiinage I only keg all home brews. Kegs are available in sizes from I gal up. By far the best containers for meads, beers etc.

 

[draiiinage]

@draiinage I only keg all home brews. Kegs are available in sizes from I gal up. By far the best containers for meads, beers etc.

Thanks, @Murph4231 ! That seems like a great idea. I've been kegging home brew for about 10 years now, but never done any significant aging in them.

How long have you aged in kegs? If we're talking about a 21 year aging period I would be worried about O rings drying out, etc.

 

[Jayjay1976]

I don't wanna crap on this whole thread, but unless you know what you're doing, a 21 year-old mead is likely going to be a huge disappointment. Distilling a craft beverage and putting that up for a few decades is a much safer bet.

 

[T Murph]

Draiiiage I have two now that are almost two yrs old. However my nephew has a prickly pear melomel that is 17 yrs old. It's delicious and he wants to keep it till it's 20 before finishing it off. In my experience meads need a year or more to fully develop. Not saying they aren't drinkable younger just they get better and better if you can wait for them to mature.

 

[draiiinage]

@Murph4231 yes I have been making mead for awhile now. I agree that it’s better after a couple years, but never have aged it beyond that.

@Jayjay1976 I think the intent of this thread was specifically to learn about long term aging of mead. I’m no professional by any means, but I’m pretty happy with my process for meads out to two years or so. I’ve never distilled and I don’t have the equipment, so it probably isn’t a good place to start for a 21 year beverage.

My question was more directed at anyone who’s doing long term aging of mead who might have recommendations for certain types of corks, brands of bottles etc. Maybe different honeys have held up over the years better than others?

Have any of the original group posting in this thread started breaking into their long term meads?

 

[Dan O]

In my experience meads need a year or more to fully develop. Not saying they aren't drinkable younger just they get better and better if you can wait for them to mature.

I totally agree. I had some of my Berry Death BOMM last night that I made 8/8/21, the flavors are way more complex now, the honey made a comeback, just a totally amazing drink now. Not that it wasn't @ 6 months old, but, there's a noticeable change for the better since that last bottle was consumed.

 

[bernardsmith]

Aging can make a really good mead or wine into a great one, but a mead that is only just drinkable a few months after you pitched the yeast will not age any better than most film stars age these days. And rank amateur mead makers intending for a mead (or wine) to be drinkable after 21 years may have more luck finding a unicorn in their back yard. And certainly, mead does not oxidize with the same rapidity as country wines... but it can still oxidize. Twenty one years is about a quarter of a lifetime... Just sayin'. Just sayin'.

 

[T Murph]

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.

 

[bracconiere]

i so hope the OP posts back!

 

[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.

I won't argue with you but declining to ask qualified judges to attest to the claims you make independent of the fact that you are sharing your mead with friends and not strangers and free anything is often less open to critique, makes your assertion about how good a NFT mead can become a little... um ... dubious... If it's wonderful , then it's wonderful. Facts are facts..and I never argue with facts but opinions are um... vested.

 

[draiiinage]

Aging can make a really good mead or wine into a great one, but a mead that is only just drinkable a few months after you pitched the yeast will not age any better than most film stars age these days. And rank amateur mead makers intending for a mead (or wine) to be drinkable after 21 years may have more luck finding a unicorn in their back yard. And certainly, mead does not oxidize with the same rapidity as country wines... but it can still oxidize. Twenty one years is about a quarter of a lifetime... Just sayin'. Just sayin'.

Please find attached the picture of the unicorn I found for my daughter's birthday last weekend. It wasn't in my backyard, but pretty close!

Seriously, though... I think the intent of this forum is specifically for amateurs (rank or otherwise) to give and receive help. Admittedly I have only been making mead for about 8 years (and with not a heavy frequency), but none of mine have lasted more than 2 years (due to consumption, rather than oxidation).

I found these corks on Amazon, specifically listed for "long aging"... not sure if anyone has experience with these, or others that work well for long term storage?

Long term corks?

 

[bracconiere]

I think the intent of this forum is specifically for amateurs (rank or otherwise) to give and receive help.

i'm pretty sure you're right? but there is a drunken section, and general chit-chat also....(and rank, is why i don't often venture out of there! )

but none of mine have lasted more than 2 years

.i have a bottle of brandy from 2008 still 3/4 gallon, aging on valley oak...

alcohol is easy enough to make and keep the pipe line fluid, not really that hard to long term age stuff....

 

[draiiinage]

i'm pretty sure you're right? but there is a drunken section, and general chit-chat also....(and rank, is why i don't often venture out of there! )



.i have a bottle of brandy from 2008 still 3/4 gallon, aging on valley oak...

alcohol is easy enough to make and keep the pipe line fluid, not really that hard to long term age stuff....

Distilling is definitely something that interests me... but I just bought a Spike trio system, so with the added costs of another baby I'm pretty sure I need to hold off on more equipment purchases for the time being haha

 

[bracconiere]

but I just bought a Spike trio system

damn! i thought my new rubber roof was expensive!

 

[jrgtr42]

I just saw this thread, and I'm wondering about it. I did a mead a while back that was 3 pounds of honey in a 1 gallon batch. 25 pounds is probably more honey than water - I wouldn't think it would get thin enough to drink. Maybe pour like syrup...
25 pounds in 5 gallons, maybe, from most of the recipes I've read.

 

[bwible]

I found these corks on Amazon, specifically listed for "long aging"... not sure if anyone has experience with these, or others that work well for long term storage?

Long term corks?

I used to own a homebrew shop. Back in the day we had 2 mfrs of synthetic corks we used to recommend as superior for long term. There were Neocorks or Nomacorks. I’m having a hard time finding either with a search. But I was always a fan of the synthetic corks for mead. Whatever brand they make today.

 

[draiiinage]

damn! i thought my new rubber roof was expensive!

Haha yes… they say something like cry once… it’s a pretty good system so far. Brewing my second batch now- a big Russian imperial stout. Will see how it handles this big of a grain bill

 

[bracconiere]

Haha yes… they say something like cry once… it’s a pretty good system so far. Brewing my second batch now- a big Russian imperial stout. Will see how it handles this big of a grain bill

there was a thread "what do you see through your beer" or something like that...i can't find it, but you could post a pic in it. if you do, call it a pain killer for sticker shock, with your 'double imperial stout' blocking some of the view! imperial in more ways then one!

 

[draiiinage]

there was a thread "what do you see through your beer" or something like that...i can't find it, but you could post a pic in it. if you do, call it a pain killer for sticker shock, with your 'double imperial stout' blocking some of the view! imperial in more ways then one!

Ha I like it! I wound up having so much grain in there that I hit my 1.1 OG on the RIS and still was able to make a 1.045 small beer with the second runnings. Now for the wait….

 

[Brew_Dude41]

Please find attached the picture of the unicorn I found for my daughter's birthday last weekend. It wasn't in my backyard, but pretty close!

View attachment 776650

Brilliant!!!

With my daughters 8th b-day coming up in a month and a half I better not let her (or my wife) see that pic!

 

[bracconiere]

and still was able to make a 1.045 small beer

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