Good afternoon everyone,
A month ago I started a batch of traditional mead with raw Acacia blossom honey. This stuff fermented down to bone dry in 10 days flat, and I racked. Obviously I have to sample it, and it was TERRIBLE. Strange smell, maybe some H2S but ultimately just smells weird and burns the nose(not so much from the booze). I initially was thinking maybe I accidentally ruined it with too much nutrient, but I’m not so convinced that is the case. I will explain my process briefly.
I used 3 lbs of raw acacia honey
Lalvin ec-1118 yeast
Spring water
1 Tsp Fermax.
Room temp mixed and pitched.
Fermented at a constant 64 degrees.
So where I initially thought I screwed the pooch was by performing SNA, because it was my first time doing the method and I mistakingly used 1 Tsp per feeding(so 3 times if you include the initial), as opposed to breaking up the 1 tsp over 3 additions. That being said, this mead is a month old now, and aside from the alcohol taste there is just a really really bad bitter harsh taste on the back end, and it’s crystal clear. Almost the color of water even. Boozey and disgustingly bitter. I considered racking onto potassium sorbate and backsweetening, but does anyone have a clue as to why this bitter chemical taste is present? I appreciate the feedback.
A month ago I started a batch of traditional mead with raw Acacia blossom honey. This stuff fermented down to bone dry in 10 days flat, and I racked. Obviously I have to sample it, and it was TERRIBLE. Strange smell, maybe some H2S but ultimately just smells weird and burns the nose(not so much from the booze). I initially was thinking maybe I accidentally ruined it with too much nutrient, but I’m not so convinced that is the case. I will explain my process briefly.
I used 3 lbs of raw acacia honey
Lalvin ec-1118 yeast
Spring water
1 Tsp Fermax.
Room temp mixed and pitched.
Fermented at a constant 64 degrees.
So where I initially thought I screwed the pooch was by performing SNA, because it was my first time doing the method and I mistakingly used 1 Tsp per feeding(so 3 times if you include the initial), as opposed to breaking up the 1 tsp over 3 additions. That being said, this mead is a month old now, and aside from the alcohol taste there is just a really really bad bitter harsh taste on the back end, and it’s crystal clear. Almost the color of water even. Boozey and disgustingly bitter. I considered racking onto potassium sorbate and backsweetening, but does anyone have a clue as to why this bitter chemical taste is present? I appreciate the feedback.