Can I use old Mead?

[savanah21music]

Hi everyone! I am taking over a family Meade brewing business and have acquired 6 gallons of sealed - air -tight Meade containers. They have been stored in a lodge kitchen so not necessarily temp. controlled - does anyone have a protocol for what to do or if it is usable? Thanks in advance!

 

[Mossman]

It has been my experience, limited though it is, that mead is like wine and only gets better with age. So long as it has remained sealed, it is likely to still be good. I didn't see anyone else reply. So thought I'd throw that out. I see that it was posted in June so I am curious as to what happened.

 

[pvtpublic]

Ive done meads for 11 years and Im with Mossman, keep it and cherish it. It's most likely 6 gallons of gold.

 

[Raptor99]

It has been my experience, limited though it is, that mead is like wine and only gets better with age.

Wines benefit from some aging, but most wines reach their peak after a certain amount of time and then go downhill from there. It depends on many factors such as the nature and quality of the fruit, tannin level, pH, alcohol level, as well as the temperature and other conditions during aging. So I suspect that it is the same with mead. Some meads stored under the right conditions might continue to improve for many years. Others will reach their peak and then begin to go downhill.

Here is an article for further reading: Aging of wine - Wikipedia
Notable quote from the above:

Experts vary on precise numbers, but typically state that only 5–10% of wine improves after 1 year, and only 1% improves after 5–10 years.

EDIT: Also helpful: Aging Potential: Understanding the lifespan of your wine - WineMakerMag.com

 

[Kickass]

The nihilist in me say “it’s beautifully fine”.

On a side note, 6 gallons as a family business seems like production needs to be ramped up or it’s time to find a bigger target market.

 

[SimPilot]

is the obvious question not asked? Taste it?