Smells rancid and taste sour

[Linkultra13]

Hi I've been making a mead for about a month now I figured I try it since the bubble in the airlock has stopped immensely and mead looks like it's cleared but I tried it and it smells alot like vinegar and taste very sour. Not sure to keep fermenting for a while more or to back sweetened and how since I'm doing half gallons. Should I try all the others as well first or should I tranfer into another bottle and age for a while then try it again later. I need he'll I don't want to ruin my mead . Tried one of the traditional meads. I think it should be around 9%-13% alcohol

 

[JohnSand]

I haven't made mead, but rancid and sour sound pretty bad.

 

[Linkultra13]

I haven't made mead, but rancid and sour sound pretty bad.

I've looked it up apparently I can either wait it out and let it heal itself or add more honey as the yeast still active or something or make vinegar of it. Idk I'm gonna wait another week and then add honey maybe after siphoning into another bottle. I've only tried one not all

 

[Jack_0106]

Vinegar qualities is usually a tell tale sign that your brew has come into contact with bacteria and too much oxygen. Have you had them open for extended periods of time?

The bacteria is probably acetobacter, which will metabolize the alcohol, producing acetic acid (vinegar)

 

[Linkultra13]

Vinegar qualities is usually a tell tale sign that your brew has come into contact with bacteria and too much oxygen. Have you had them open for extended periods of time?

probably the bacteria is acetobacter, which will metabolize the alcohol, producing acetic acid (vinegar)

No I didn't only the first week when I added the fermaid o and I'm not sure it does taste vinegary but I've seen that people say it might need just more sugar or to back sweetened or give it time as it's still fermenting

 

[Jack_0106]

No I didn't only the first week when I added the fermaid o and I'm not sure it does taste vinegary but I've seen that people say it might need just more sugar or to back sweetened or give it time as it's still fermenting

So you left it open for a week?

It shouldn't really have any vinegar notes that wouldn't resemble those of a normal white wine. Sometimes some people can say get hints of vinegar from store bought white wine.

I made an orange blossom mead and at the 3 week mark I tasted it. There was a funk to it. Almost a metallic taste. Mellowed out after another 3 weeks to a very enjoyable mead.

 

[Linkultra13]

So you left it open for a week?

It shouldn't really have any vinegar notes that wouldn't resemble those of a normal white wine. Sometimes some people can say get hints of vinegar from store bought white wine.

I made an orange blossom mead and at the 3 week mark I tasted it. There was a funk to it. Almost a metallic taste. Mellowed out after another 3 weeks to a very enjoyable mead.

No I opened it every two days to put fermaid o other than that never opened it. And maybe need more time? Or more honey?

 

[Jack_0106]

No I opened it every two days to put fermaid o other than that never opened it. And maybe need more time? Or more honey?

I would set it away and with an airlock and give it another few weeks. I've never used fermaid O because we cant get it in Ireland but you could have used too much nutrient which the yeast hasn't eaten up yet.

Whats your OG and current gravity reading?

 

[Linkultra13]

I would set it away and with an airlock and give it another few weeks. I've never used fermaid O because we cant get it in Ireland but you could have used too much nutrient which the yeast hasn't eaten up yet.

Whats your OG and current gravity reading?

Oh yeah I think I added waaay too much yeast nutrient. I didn't measure it and well before bottling cause I did it in a 5 gallon bucket I got 1.6 i think I'm not sure what they are now I haven't measured

 

[Jack_0106]

Oh yeah I think I added waaay too much yeast nutrient. I didn't measure it and well before bottling cause I did it in a 5 gallon bucket I got 1.6 i think I'm not sure what they are now I haven't measured

Too much nutrient is the culprit if you've done everything else right.

I did the same thing with mine . I was pretty sure the metalic taste was from the nutrients so I dipped my finger in the powder to taste it (insert Escobar reference here) and it matched the profile of the mead. It mellowed out after a couple of weeks and turned out great. Don't add anymore honey and let it sit for 2 or 3 weeks

 

[Linkultra13]

Too much nutrient is the culprit if you've done everything else right.

I did the same thing with mine . I was pretty sure the metalic taste was from the nutrients so I dipped my finger in the powder to taste it (insert Escobar reference here) and it matched the profile of the mead. It mellowed out after a couple of weeks and turned out great. Don't add anymore honey and let it sit for 2 or 3 weeks

Yeah when I was adding it I just cut a hole on the corner and poured some on each bottle every two days guessing it was gonna be ok and awesome so I just wait longer. Should I test taste the others and measure obv?

 

[Jack_0106]

Yeah when I was adding it I just cut a hole on the corner and poured some on each bottle every two days guessing it was gonna be ok and awesome so I just wait longer. Should I test taste the others and measure obv?

By all means, you could taste them all. Personally, I'd just leave all of them. You only need something like 2 to 3 grams per serving of nutrient in a gallon. I usually go with half a teaspoon upfront when making the must and then quarter teaspoons on day 3 and day 5 and then leave it ride by itself until fermentation is done.

 

[Linkultra13]

By all means, you could taste them all. Personally, I'd just leave all of them. You only need something like 2 to 3 grams per serving of nutrient in a gallon. I usually go with half a teaspoon upfront when making the must and then quarter teaspoons on day 3 and day 5 and then leave it ride by itself until fermentation is done.

Oh yeah I think I'll wait and I used around maybe 10grams on 6 half gallons unevenly spread and each time put I swirled the bottle for oxidation and the week after I also swirled the bottle maybe two more times. Hopefully it's not a lost cause

 

[Maylar]

Invest in one of these:

MAXIMUS Precision Scale

 

[Linkultra13]

Invest in one of these:

MAXIMUS Precision Scale

I have one just was kinda lazy and rushed to make the mead as it was late lol and yeah just pretty much lazyness

 

[bernardsmith]

The thing about yeast and nutrients , is that yeast cannot uptake any nutrient in the presence of about 9% alcohol in solution. Typically, we add nutrients either over the second, third and fourth days of fermentation (so not before the first 24 hours after you pitched the yeast), And when you use that protocol you are adding 1/3 of the TOTAL load each day - not three times the load, OR you might add the total load 24 hours after you have pitched the yeast.
After there is 9% alcohol in solution, that nutrient is left for bacteria, fungi and other organisms and will off-flavor your mead.
Why do we wait 24 hours before adding nutrient? In part, I think, because, if you are using lab cultured yeast, the lab has provided some nutrients for the yeast and so your addition is not likely to be taken up by the yeast - and again, is a haven for volunteer microbes and fungi. And in part, because, if you are using dried yeast, the nutrients we typically add (say, Fermaid O or K and the like) are toxic for yeast as they are rehydrating. There are special formulations of nutrients designed for rehydrating yeast - Go-Ferm, for example. or Fermstart.

 

[amber-ale]

if it smells like vinegar, you have vinegar.
let it sit and enjoy your new vinegars in saladas etc

then throw out or sterilize your jars/bubblers and try again. or your next batch will turn into vinegar too.

and don't store your next batch in the same place as your vinegar batch

did you disinfect the fruit you put into your mead?

what recipe did you use? how much of what did you use?

 

[Linkultra13]

The thing about yeast and nutrients , is that yeast cannot uptake any nutrient in the presence of about 9% alcohol in solution. Typically, we add nutrients either over the second, third and fourth days of fermentation (so not before the first 24 hours after you pitched the yeast), And when you use that protocol you are adding 1/3 of the TOTAL load each day - not three times the load, OR you might add the total load 24 hours after you have pitched the yeast.
After there is 9% alcohol in solution, that nutrient is left for bacteria, fungi and other organisms and will off-flavor your mead.
Why do we wait 24 hours before adding nutrient? In part, I think, because, if you are using lab cultured yeast, the lab has provided some nutrients for the yeast and so your addition is not likely to be taken up by the yeast - and again, is a haven for volunteer microbes and fungi. And in part, because, if you are using dried yeast, the nutrients we typically add (say, Fermaid O or K and the like) are toxic for yeast as they are rehydrating. There are special formulations of nutrients designed for rehydrating yeast - Go-Ferm, for example. or Fermstart.

I get the general idea of what your saying I added the nutrients a day or two after the first yeast. My main yeast is red star premier rogue about 3.5 grams of that in 2g of water and 5lb of honey. Didn't add the nutrients.

 

[Linkultra13]

if it smells like vinegar, you have vinegar.
let it sit and enjoy your new vinegars in saladas etc

then throw out or sterilize your jars/bubblers and try again. or your next batch will turn into vinegar too.

and don't store your next batch in the same place as your vinegar batch

did you disinfect the fruit you put into your mead?

what recipe did you use? how much of what did you use?

I don't think I sterilized the fruit

 

[Linkultra13]

if it smells like vinegar, you have vinegar.
let it sit and enjoy your new vinegars in saladas etc

then throw out or sterilize your jars/bubblers and try again. or your next batch will turn into vinegar too.

and don't store your next batch in the same place as your vinegar batch

did you disinfect the fruit you put into your mead?

what recipe did you use? how much of what did you use?

I just opened all of them again to smell and only one smells like vinegar the rest like alcohol maybe they are just not ready. Im gonna let them sit maybe they aren't ready