How do people like their metheglins?

[karamonde]

Heya again,

this time I'd like to get a few opinions on how people like their metheglins in order to get a feel on what would work better for me (I like spices and I don't like wine at all). Every opinion is welcome.

Do people like them dry, sweet, medium, spicy or mild?

After reading more and trying a few commercial meads that taste like sweet white wine I think my tastes are more towards metheglins and melomels, but as it takes so long I think it'd be better to have a few different types ageing.

 

[fatbloke]

Heya again,

this time I'd like to get a few opinions on how people like their metheglins in order to get a feel on what would work better for me (I like spices and I don't like wine at all). Every opinion is welcome.

Do people like them dry, sweet, medium, spicy or mild?

After reading more and trying a few commercial meads that taste like sweet white wine I think my tastes are more towards metheglins and melomels, but as it takes so long I think it'd be better to have a few different types ageing.

Well all of the commercial meads I've tasted here (4 at current count) have been like slightly watery honey i.e. overly sweet, cloyingly so.

Whereas dry meads are more "wine like", so really it's hard to say which ones you'll enjoy the most.

I've worked out that I like my traditionals, at about 1.010 to 1.015 for sweetness, which seems to make them sweet enough so they honey taste comes through but not too dry so that they taste like rather unusual white wine.

Also, it's worth remembering the words of Joe Mattioli in the JAO recipe instructions. Where he alludes to being careful with the spices, particularly cloves. The flavour is extracted by the alcohol during the ferment, and too many cloves makes the taste over powering (think of the taste of "oil of cloves" for tooth ache and you'll know the problem).

It might also be relevant to mention that the type of sweetness, or the actual flavour of the sweetness, depending on what's in the recipe. For example, a cyser that's been made using typical "apple spices", like cinnamon etc. Well you'd want an "appley sweetness" so it might mean that you make the batch and then have to add some apple juice or similar to get the fruit taste level correct and then add the spices afterwards too taste....

 

[TimV]

I agree with fatbloke. I put in just a few leaves of lavender and some anise seed in a 5 gallon batch and frankly ruined it. It's just not drinkable. I'm also puzzled as to answer the question, since if you don't like wine or honey you'll almost have to mask the taste, and it would seem counter productive to make mead.

 

[karamonde]

I agree with fatbloke. I put in just a few leaves of lavender and some anise seed in a 5 gallon batch and frankly ruined it. It's just not drinkable. I'm also puzzled as to answer the question, since if you don't like wine or honey you'll almost have to mask the taste, and it would seem counter productive to make mead.

I like honey, especially the darker, herb-derived honeys you get from Greece which is where I'm from - like thyme honey for instance. But I as I said I am not a fan of wine at all, maybe a fruity medium white (and chilled to boot) or sweet fortified wines like port, or mulled wine. So anything getting to these tastes, with enough alcohol but with a honey flavour/aftertaste coming through would be perfect. So naturally it points to metheglins and melomels.

I love akvavit too!

cheers for the answers

 

[sweaterman]

I agree with fatbloke. I put in just a few leaves of lavender and some anise seed in a 5 gallon batch and frankly ruined it. It's just not drinkable. I'm also puzzled as to answer the question, since if you don't like wine or honey you'll almost have to mask the taste, and it would seem counter productive to make mead.

How much lavender did you add? I'm making a mead right now and planned on adding some lavender and rosehips to it. Also, what type of lavender did you add? I guess there are two different grades: grosso and something else. The former is better for using in foods and extracting - or that is what I have heard.

 

[TimV]

Don't know what kind. I added about a fourth of a cup chopped. It's been three years and I tried a bottle a few months ago and it's poison :-(

 

[sweaterman]

Try Grosso Lavendar flowers added in the secondary. I made a honey lavender beer which was good but the lavender overpowered . . . because I used way too much. I would say about 7 Tbsps crushed at secondary and leave it at that.

Edit: That's for five gals.