Questions about Strawberry Peppercorn Mead

[Monosword]

I made the following batch exactly one week ago:

Water to 2.5 gallon
6 lb Walmart honey
6lb strawberry - cut and boiled
2tsp crushed pepper corn
2tsp yeast nut
1 packet primeier blanc champagne yeast

Og 1.110

I have it several good shakes over the last week, and yesterday the airlock stopped bubbling. I cracked it today and all the fruit had fallen out, and the gravity appears to have dropped to point 99ish. Taste leaves almost no sweetness, good strawberry flavor, but none of the pepper.

Two questions.
Does it make sense that this would have fermented so quick?

I want more pepper flavor. I am thinking about using a tea bag with some in secondary, but I don't want to make it undrinkable. Any recommendations on amounts?

Thanks!

 

[csantoni]

I have no advice as I’ve only ever made a JAOM and it’s still in the fermenter, but I wanted to tell you that recipe sounds AMAZING.

 

[LBussy]

Does it make sense that this would have fermented so quick?

Yep. Most of my wines and meads ferment out almost completely in that time. You are using strong yeast, and nutrients, which helps.

I want more pepper flavor. I am thinking about using a tea bag with some in secondary, but I don't want to make it undrinkable. Any recommendations on amounts?

Depending on what you want - you might try to back sweeten a sample and see if you get it back. Sometimes a flavor like that needs some sweetness to play off of.