Aroma concern

[thechemister]

I just started my first mead ever yesterday, and it's not really a simple recipe at all. It's got a lot of flavors.

It seems to be fermenting beautifully, so I think it will turn out great. Though, before I set it aside to ferment I took a whiff to see what I was dealing with, and I wasn't really smelling any of those complex smells. The ingredients are here https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f80/christmas-y-mead-will-accept-suggestions-446617/

I expected to smell the cinnamon and juniper berries, but really all I could smell was the honey and a little bit of vanilla. I'm not really worried because I could easily put more in the secondary. But I'm just curious and don't wanna wait a month to satisfy my curiosity.

Will the flavors and aromas amplify as the fermentation continues? As of now I'm assuming the honey smell will die down significantly as it gets eaten up by the yeast and other flavors will get stronger as they get a chance to dissolve.

 

[aiptasia]

Yes, as meads are dominated by honey as a fermentation (food) source for the yeast, the honey smell is dominating the mead at the moment. Don't worry. Like you said, you can "back flavor" your meads with adjunct ingredients a little later down the road. Right now, just let it ferment a good long while and begin the process of racking the mead for clarity. You might end up racking it two or three times in the next six months or so. It might even take the mead a year or more to be ready for drinking depending on what you're trying to achieve.

 

[Zaffo]

I made a carrot blossom honey mead that honestly smelled like barf in the primary.

The finished product is delicious, almost fruity.

That said, based on posts I've read here, there are some smells to pay attention to, as they are a sign of over stressed yeast. (I haven't experienced that sulphur smell yet)

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[fatbloke]

All spices excluding black pepper have flavour and aroma based on the oils contained in the plant material.

Most spices extract in the presence of alcohol. Hence when you smell dry spices theres not so much of a smell but once they've been processed some (whether in alcohol or heated to melt the oils etc), the volatile aromatics become much more obvious.

Time is your friend......

You don't want to smell hydrogen sulphide/H2S/rotten eggs or stong vinegar.....

 

[thechemister]

Ah. Is it alright if I crack open my mead in the primary to smell it, then? Or can I assume if I can't smell anything with it closed it should be fine?

 

[fatbloke]

Ah. Is it alright if I crack open my mead in the primary to smell it, then? Or can I assume if I can't smell anything with it closed it should be fine?

Opening the primary to stir, measure, sniff or even watch the tiny bubbles for 5 or 10 minutes isn't an issue........