Mead not for Me!!

[dkolts21]

I just had my first Mead. It was a Necromangocon. I didn't really enjoy. It was like drink a white wine but a little better. Is that just the one I true or are they all kinda the same? It is the one on the left

 

[dios_es_un_tortuga]

There is definitely a lot of variety in meads, but they do taste more like wine than beer. I think you should try more than one of anything before making a final decision. There are methyglins which taste of various spices and melomels which have fruit character. They may be more to your liking.

 

[dan6310]

Mead definitely taste like a wine.
Check out moonlightmeadery.com as they make many different types of meads. The site gives a description of each type they make. There may be one style that you prefer over another. They are even experimenting with hops in their mead.

 

[WVMJ]

There are many types of mead, you can make mead beer style, light in honey, carbed, like you just drank, its like saying you dont like beer if you only tried a Miller, I am sure you tried many beers before you found a style you liked, meads are the same way. WVMJ

 

[loveofrose]

None of my meads taste like wine. Mead is really its own beverage. There are a few things to consider though.

1. I've NEVER had a commercial mead as good as homemade. I don't know if they blend the honey too much or just don't age it enough, but I will put my mead against any commercial mead and win every time.

2. Trying one mead and saying you don't like it is like trying a Pinot grigio, disliking it, and saying you don't like ALL wine... Red, white, or otherwise. For example, my wife tried an orange blossom mead and said she didn't like mead. A year later I gave her a tupelo mead and had to triple my production!
Just no accounting for personal taste.

The best commercial representation of a traditional mead I've found is Redstone Meadery's Traditional Mead, but even that one has some notes I'm not in love with.

 

[JustinCider]

Necromangocon blows IMO. I'm a fan of Bnekter but that is by far their worst. Its a pity that was the first one you had to try. The black pepper in it leaves a horrible after taste.

 

[iadknet]

The first time I had mead, it was awful. We bought a couple of bottles from the local cider bar (I forget the brand) and they were horribly yeasty. We ended up pouring both bottles down the drain and the whole house smelled like raw bread dough for several hours. That pretty much turned the wife and I off of ever trying mead again.

After getting into brewing recently, and reading lots of non-yeasty descriptions of mead, I decided to give it another try... in case those first two bottles were an aberration. A couple of weeks ago I tried amazing commercial cyser, with no hint of yeast, and a wonderfully complex combination flavors that convinced me to try brewing a couple of batches of my own mead and cyser.

 

[ostensibly]

Agreed, I'm not a fan of the Necromangocon. IDK where you are or what's available in your area but if you can get the mango then you may be able to get their Orange Blossom, which is more of a traditional.

 

[Matrix4b]

The first time I had mead, it was awful. We bought a couple of bottles from the local cider bar (I forget the brand) and they were horribly yeasty. We ended up pouring both bottles down the drain and the whole house smelled like raw bread dough for several hours. That pretty much turned the wife and I off of ever trying mead again.

After getting into brewing recently, and reading lots of non-yeasty descriptions of mead, I decided to give it another try... in case those first two bottles were an aberration. A couple of weeks ago I tried amazing commercial cyser, with no hint of yeast, and a wonderfully complex combination flavors that convinced me to try brewing a couple of batches of my own mead and cyser.

It sounds like the mead that you tried was not done. And possibly used bread yeast. Not a good combination. The thing about mead is you need to let it clear and then either bulk age it or bottle it and age it. The aging needs to be at least 6 months, if not longer. I would recomend a full year and for those meads that have a high oil content, such as a chocolate or a coffee mead, need around 2 years aging. This aging time turns most people off from brewing it but having the patients is well worth it. Occasionally you will get a good recipie that just sings at 6-8 months but not always. I got a great mead at 6 months with my raspberry thyme and a lemon lime hydromel that I did. I also got great response from my Mojito (a Lime Vanilla Mint mead) that was ready early. But those examples are not typical. For those that are impatient, I recomend the JAOM style mead, just let it age at least 5 months. And use a clarifying agent.

But Mead has so many styles and sweetness levels and you can do so much with it that you can suit anyone's tastes.

Matrix

 

[carton132]

Since you have access to B. Nektar distribution, try their Zombie Killer. It has apple cider, tart cherries and star thistle honey. Very tasty stuff. Peppercorn can be a hit or miss in any kind of drink, so I'd definitely say try another before writing them off.

 

[noblesquirrel]

None of my meads taste like wine. Mead is really its own beverage. There are a few things to consider though.

1. I've NEVER had a commercial mead as good as homemade. I don't know if they blend the honey too much or just don't age it enough, but I will put my mead against any commercial mead and win every time.

2. Trying one mead and saying you don't like it is like trying a Pinot grigio, disliking it, and saying you don't like ALL wine... Red, white, or otherwise. For example, my wife tried an orange blossom mead and said she didn't like mead. A year later I gave her a tupelo mead and had to triple my production!
Just no accounting for personal taste.

The best commercial representation of a traditional mead I've found is Redstone Meadery's Traditional Mead, but even that one has some notes I'm not in love with.

Sounds like personal preference. I've had a number of commercial meads that are as good as home mead, but on the whole, home mead is better because cost is less of an issue. Of course, I've also had some horrendous home mead.

 

[Hello]

I have three Necromangocon in the fridge and now I'm worried.

I would definitely try another mead before fully writing it off. I went years hating beer before I figured out I just had not found one I liked. There's something about giving something another chance that just works.

 

[ostensibly]

Hello, you inspired me to dig out one I had saved and taste it. Unfortunately I couldn't find it, so I started tasting some batches sitting around aging. Try it, if you like it then it's money well spent!