Sesame seed smelling mead

[hodir]

Hi all,

I've lurked here a while and decided to go brew up some mead after lots of reading. I first made some "mead on the cheap" using bread yeast which turned out remarkably well (I added peach tea bags in a 1 gal batch), but when I made a 1 gal cyser and tried to emulate my peach infused mead in a 5gal scale it didn't turn out anywhere nearly as good.

After primary fermentation (using D-47 yeast) I cant help but notice that all the fruit are brown and has the distinct smell of sesame seeds. I racked it into a secondary fermenter bucket and added more fruit and and about 1-2lbs of honey. I don't know if this just me having more luck with bread yeast or not, but my cheap mead tasted reasonably well after my first rack, and that was with half assed sanitation and ballons as airlocks. I have the sneaking suspicion I put too much metabisulfate in (followed the box instructions of a teaspoon per gal) and might cause the taste and smell.

I put in a bunch of rasins, currants, and orange peelings/juice to my big batch, but rather than anything pleasant to taste, it's like battery acid with a hint of sesame

I have all the supplies to make another 5 gal batch of mead and was thinking of making straight mead and just make 5 different kinds in the secondary stage. Should I use bread yeast or the D47. I really don't know which way is best to proceed

 

[odinsgift]

I have had a similar situation, yet with a passion fruit or guava smell out of my juniper, hawthorne and birch bark mead with 1111B.

 

[hodir]

On second thought, it smells/tastes more like leather than sesame seeds. I read somewhere that it could be because there are too many tanins in the brew. Any way to lower it. What does infected mead smell like?

 

[odinsgift]

Is it sour?

 

[hodir]

Yes it was sour, almost a lemon level sourness

 

[odinsgift]

Someone else might know which yeast strain, but I had a similar problem once before, and was prescribed a yeast which consumes malic acid as well as sugar, and did remedy the situation. How far along is the fermentation?

 

[hodir]

I'd say about 2 weeks since I started. I just racked it into another fermenting bucket yesterday and added a bunch of nectarines to the batch. I really hope I don't need to dump this batch, I'm at close to $60 as far as cost

 

[hodir]

I just emailed the guy from storm the castle and he told me to just dump it. I opened up the lid and had the pleasent odor of vomit wash my face, so down the toilet it went. I'm going to try one more time with straight mead, if that too fails then that's it for me, I'll try something easier. Is beer this terrible to brew, or is it easier?

 

[odinsgift]

Could've been a good vinegar.

 

[Insomniac]

I would stick to just water, yeast, honey and nutrient, everything extra you add is something else that could go bad, I woykd keep it simple to start. Make doubly sure to sanitise everything perfectly and use an airlock if you weren't already. Also, mead after 2 weeks tastes horrible, like paint thinner, you really mustn't judge it until 4 months or so. And if your using D47 you want to try and keep it cool, under 70f really. As for beer, extract brewing is similar to mead but once you start boiling things and using grains it gets harder quickely.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

+ 1 on keeping D-47 ferments cool, that strain tends to throw a lot of fusels at higher temps; and actual must temps can be as much as 10* higher than ambient air temps.
And I'd avoid the bread yeast.
Regards, GF.