How long in the bottle?

[Tritonal]

I've read people aging their mead in the bottle for 6 mo to a year before opening it but I kinda forgot about my mead in the primary....for 2-3 years...I tasted before going on deployment and it tasted amazing albeit very sweet. Granted I used I think it was 5 lbs of honey and a few handfuls of raisins for a 1 gallon batch. So my plan is when I get back it'll be almost right at 3 years. I am going to bottle it just wonder how long I should wait before I crack her open. Since it's aged for so long would I benefit in leaving it in the bottle for a month or so? Also is there anything I can do to clarify it now that its aged a bit?
Final question. I made an experimental pumpkin mead that tastes incredibly flat. You can taste some of the all spice but for the most part it's just kinda bland. It's aged for 2 years on halloween. Can I back sweeten it? Or maybe rack it onto something to reinforce that pumpkin flavor for about a week before aging a month or so in the bottle?

 

[valverij]

It's not so much that it needs to remain in the bottle, as it is that it needs to be aged in general. In fact, many recommend bulk aging (aging the entire batch in one vessel) over bottle aging, as it means the entire batch will age more uniformly. Lack of storage space and spare carboys generally leads to bottling earlier, though.

That said, many would still advise against leaving it in primary on the gross lees for so long, though. Of course, that also depends on the yeast you used. For example, while Lalvin 71B is known for throwing tons of off flavors if left on the lees for extended periods of time, D47 is generally OK, and often used for aging sur lie ("on lees"). If it tastes fine to you, though, that's all that really matters.

As for the pumpkin mead, if it tastes flat, try adding a little acid blend to perk it up. A lot of times, the flavors are there, but seem flat, like something's missing, a little acid addition can brighten it up and add a bit more complexity. You can also back sweeten it if it is too dry.

 

[Tritonal]

By acid blend you mean like some orange peels or lemon zest? Would I transfer it into a secondary onto the acid blend for a week or so?

 

[valverij]

No, I mean acid blend. It's basically a powdered blend of different types of food/fruit acids (citric, malic, and tartaric acids), and is available at most homebrew shops and online. The effects are immediate, and it's easy to overdo, so if you use it, I'd suggest taking a sample and sprinkling a little (seriously, just a little) into the sample to see if that perks it up. From there, if it works, you could dissolve a bit in some water, gently stir it into the batch, sample, and repeat until it reaches your desired acidity (or "close to," if you've been doing a lot of tasting - palate fatigue can happen).

Alternatively, you could use lemon juice (not zest), but I'm not sure how acidic it actually is in comparison. It's also going to swing much more on the citric acid side (different acids have different flavors).

 

[Tritonal]

Man I never knew about that! Thanks I'll give it a try when I'm home!