ktm250, that's really great!
So for all of us trying to learn more about mead aging, can you give us some more details?
What kind of mead was this? Honey type? Sweetness? ABV? Yeast used?
Was it in a bottle that was corked (what type) or was it capped?
What was the storage temperature?
Did you use sulfites?
The information could really be useful for other mead makers wanting to make something that can last for several years.
Medsen
Well, first of all I will say that this was a pleasant surprise, more of an accident than any real effort to make a aged mead. Unfortunately, this was the first alcohol of any sort that I made, so my record keeping was less than stellar (in fact I have no records of this). Nevertheless, I will try to provide some info.
This was just a basic mead. I cant remember the OG or FG, but I do remember that the ABV was around high 13%. It never was really sweet, in fact it was kind of astringent when I first tasted it around mid 2006.
Honey used was a local wildflower honey that I got a good deal on. Yeast was a Lalvin champaign yeast, I cant remember what exactly.
The bottles are all corked, but I used the cheapest wine corks never expecting to age it for six years.
This has been stored first in my extra room, then under a desk in my dining room in two different houses, in the cardboard box the bottles were shipped in. Temps probably ranged anywhere from 80's down to low 60's (never have had air conditioning in either house, and the first house was a converted garage with no insulation, this is also where I made the mead). No sulfites were used. I did not boil the must, but did heat the water to mid 160's to dissolve the honey faster. My water was from my private well from rural ohio (pretty high iron content).
This is about all I can provide, but I mostly attribute this to blind luck rather than any skill on my part.
