Still hot @ 11 Mos?

[BWRIGHT]

Tasted my strawberry mead tonight at 11 months and the alcohol seems hotter than it should be at this point.
RECIPE:
17 lbs honey
23 lbs frozen strawberries (5 in secondary)
KV-1116 (rehydrated w/ GoFerm)
SNA
Was at 2/3 break in 4 days and down to 1.00 in a week. Topped off 3/4 G water in secondary taking it from 16.5 to maybe 15? It tastes clean. A bit bitter from the berries and ive not backsweetened yet. It just seems like 11 months of aging would have mellowed the alcohol bite out more than what it is. Just looking for a possible reason for this. I should have stabilized and backsweetened when it went into tertiary but.....im concerned. More than $100 in it.

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[BWRIGHT]

Also, it fermented at 68 and has been bulk aging right at 70. SG - 1.132. Aerated and degaseed until 1/2 break.

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[fatbloke]

If the SG was 1.132 and finished was 1.000 the its like 18% give or take a fraction.

Because you "think" it should be better now, after 11 months means the mead doesn't agree with you....

keep it aging or look into masking with sweetening and maybe some acid ?

 

[BWRIGHT]

I'm definitely not throwing it out, that's for sure. I'm not saying it's not drinkable I just thought that after 11 months, the alcohol would have mellowed by now. I've improved my process quite a bit in those 11 months and would definitely do things differently now. I'm not sure what you mean by it not agreeing with me? I suppose you mean I should STFU and wait another 6 months? Which along with backsweetening is my only real course of action. I thought maybe the quick fermentation could have played a role? 1.132 to below 1 in under a week is by far the quickest I've seen.

 

[clone63]

Yeah, at 18% and dry it is going to be pretty rough for over a year. 5+ to actually start to be good. Just backsweeten.. or even dilute as well.

That's a quick fermentation, and probably isn't helping but that ABV, even done perfectly, is high.

 

[fatbloke]

I'm definitely not throwing it out, that's for sure. I'm not saying it's not drinkable I just thought that after 11 months, the alcohol would have mellowed by now. I've improved my process quite a bit in those 11 months and would definitely do things differently now. I'm not sure what you mean by it not agreeing with me? I suppose you mean I should STFU and wait another 6 months? Which along with backsweetening is my only real course of action. I thought maybe the quick fermentation could have played a role? 1.132 to below 1 in under a week is by far the quickest I've seen.

No, I would suggest I'm inferring that at all....... hell I know I can be a bit blunt/direct in my replies but.........

Just that you've made a batch, probably tasted young to find that its not.good. A little research suggests ageing, which you've done some of, to find its still a bit "alcohol hot".

I'd just say either leave it longer - after all, it does seem that the stronger a batch is, the longer it takes to age........

if you dont feel you've got the patience to give it a further year, think of masking with sweetening or acid or tannin/oaking etc.....

 

[IJesusChrist]

You have 18% alcohol dry and you're complaining cause its hot

 

[BWRIGHT]

Yeah, didn't think this through fully a year ago. But, it was only my second attempt. If I could do it over I'd probably start with about 3 or 4 lbs more, honey, use 71B, and aim for a final gravity of around 1.020-1.030. Backsweeten, bottle, wait another year. Not a problem, I've got plenty others in the works.

 

[IJesusChrist]

1.02-1.03 would be pretty sweet, I doubt you'd want to back sweeten, but thats personal preference.

 

[BWRIGHT]

Nah i meant backsweeten and bottle this dry batch.

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[fatbloke]

Nah i meant backsweeten and bottle this dry batch.

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Home Brew mobile app

Before I started my usual "sweeten before clearing" method (which is what I do now as honey can be a **** for hazing up an already clear batch an I just clear the once now), I did the first few batches in small increments of no more than 5 points at a time, because we will all appreciate relatively different number levels as either sweet, too sweet or not sweet enough.

hence if you do it a little at a time, then taste, you get a handle on your own preference, which is what I aim toward. If I like it then hopefully others will at that level too.

I aim for 1.010 to 1.015 which gives me about what I like. Most of the ones I've tasted above that have been too sweet for my taste, with the exception of Moniack mead, which is commercial but also seems to have a high acid level (the one I measured, metered at 2.6pH finished).....