Been A while since I have been here and have a Question?

[Don "Ho"]

I was just starting to get serious on my mead making, when life got in the way. Well things have gotten back where I can start again.

I was getting into the closet that I used to clean it out and discovered two(2) gallons of mead. The airlocks are dry. :smack:

I have no idea how long they have been that way, but I did mark the bottles as when I racked them and both have been in the bottle since 2009.

My question is what should I do with them? Throw out or try to do something them?

Thanks

 

[fatbloke]

Taste and see.......

 

[MarshmallowBlue]

/\ That

 

[Kdog22]

Give it a try for sure.

 

[botigol]

I'll give a different answer...smell and then taste :0) Seriously, despite the dry airlocks they could be really good at this point. There should be enough alcohol, unless you made them low abv, to kill a wide variety of the things that could have gotten in over the years.

 

[Descender]

As long as it hasn't turned to vinegar, should be golden

 

[skadalajara]

Even if it has turned to vinegar it could still be good.

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[Don "Ho"]

Smelled good and did a taste test.

Both are cloudy, one more so. Both have the alcohol bite.

Neither had any real flavor that I would describe as good or interesting.

I have thought about re-racking and maybe try some clearing agent, but not sure. Not sure if the cloudiness may be causing the flavor issues.

Looking for everyone's ideas / suggestions.

Don "Ho"

 

[MarshmallowBlue]

Higher levels of yeast in suspension can throw some off flavors. If it has no other flavor after 5 years, you may want to think about adding some spices or fruits, and after that clarify (if it's not clear after that long it likely needs some love).

 

[Don "Ho"]

Measured the Gravity today and it read 1.017 after correcting for temp.
I also mesured the PH with strips that measue no lower than 4.5
I am guessing I dont have the right test strips as there was no change in color.
(On a side note, I have a ph testing kit for my fresh water aquarium, any know if I can use that to test my mead?)

I am thinking to using sparkoloid to clear up the mead. When that has finished to rack onto a mixture of vanilla beans and Cinnamon.

Can the PH be to low and if so what can I do to increase the PH at this time?

Thanks

 

[Complete_Amateur]

Measured the Gravity today and it read 1.017 after correcting for temp.
I also mesured the PH with strips that measue no lower than 4.5
I am guessing I dont have the right test strips as there was no change in color.
(On a side note, I have a ph testing kit for my fresh water aquarium, any know if I can use that to test my mead?)

I am thinking to using sparkoloid to clear up the mead. When that has finished to rack onto a mixture of vanilla beans and Cinnamon.

Can the PH be to low and if so what can I do to increase the PH at this time?

Thanks

Acceptable ph is around 3.5 - 4.5, so it could very well be fine, and below your strips range. But that is usually in regards to keeping your yeast happy. Are you planning on restarting the fermentation?

 

[Don "Ho"]

Hadn't thought about. Are you suggesting that I try that? I am a complete novice at this.

 

[Complete_Amateur]

Hadn't thought about. Are you suggesting that I try that? I am a complete novice at this.

It's a coin toss. Fermenting it further would also require further aging though fruit and or honey with a secondary fermentation may help the flavor. If I were going to go through that trouble, and since there was a long period of storage/aging with (even if very slightly) possibility of oxidation and/or VOC off-gassing (which could be where all the flavor went) I would make this one tasty enough to enjoy through flavorings/acidity/sweetening, and start another batch.

More to the point of my asking, I wouldn't worry about ph unless you are planning on fermenting it further. If you are just going to flavor and continue aging it, taste/mouthfeel/aroma are more or less all that matter.