I am actually using the Wyeast sweet mead yeast at the moment on a cyser.. primary at 1.13 (yeeehaw) and it seems to be be working away (lots of activity, seems to be clearing nicely).. LHBS guy recommended I try it over D47 or 1118.
Well he was probably talking "from where the sun don't shine".....
It's fair to point out, that some have had good results, but a quick search would also throw up plenty of people, myself included, who have tried it, only to have fermentation problems, like non-starters, stuck ferments, etc etc.
Of the yeasts marketed as "mead yeast", it's the one that seems the hardest work.
Plus the very naming of it is complete bollocks, because while there's plenty of historic recipes out there, they're all rather short on any useful detail, especially the yeast type, let alone some of the other ingredients...
He was spot on about D47 and EC-1118 though. D47 needs to be fermented carefully, below about 70F. Failure to keep the temps down on it, cause quite a fair amount of fusel production - that takes a very long time, if ever, to mellow out. Medsen Fey's analogy is good....... paint thinner.
EC-1118 is, like D47, inasfaras, good meads can be made with it. Personally I find that it just blows the aromatics straight out the airlock, along with some of the more subtle flavouring elements. Yes, if you're making a dry, higher strength, sparkling mead then it "does what it says on the tin" (metaphorically), but for just using it to make traditionals and similar, there's better to be had, and it seems that it's best left in the brewing cupboard for champagne/sparkling lighter brews and restarting stuck ferments IMO.
There's the additional issue with HBS advice as well. Most of the haven't got a clue about meads and just offer generic advice, based on their flawed understanding of honeys etc. A sort of "Champagne yeast and loads of nutrients will do the trick" type advice. When it's plainly obvious that it's not as simple as that.
It's easy to make meads, mediocre meads that is, but not quite so easy to make good meads.......
YMMV
Yeah the more I read the more I'm thinking the French Saison for the first batch. Might do a split and try 2 yeasts. I'm liking the Saison/belgian strains idea as I will be in Texas when I start this.
Not sure of the relevance of being in Texas when you start it, but most yeasts either beer or wine can indeed be used on mead batches. Just look to some of the published data on them, to try and get some idea of the likely results....... well also ingredients like honey quantity in respect of gravity levels for predicted alcohol content, nutrients etc.
Was also thinking about what a lagered/sudo-lagered Braggot would taste like.
