Tastes like gasoline. Ugh.

[TeeJo]

Was given a couple bottles of "the neighbor's" mead.

Was warned at the time that I was essentially being given 3 bottles to empty and re-use.

So, a year and a bit later, they were sitting there, and I pulled the cork on one.

Have not had a taste like that, without it being from siphoning gas, ever before.

I think I gotta find a pack of breath mints to leave beside the other bottles if I ever taste them! <spit>

Pretty nasty. Dunno what it 'should' have tasted like, but really cannot fathom that taste being considered as worth aiming for. Dunno if he used a super high test yeast and way too much honey, or if the ferment was done on top his furnace plenum, but it came out pretty much a fine example of 'how not to'.

Meanwhile, a batch of nearly-JOAM sits on the shelf, slowly approaching a month there, and it still smells pretty nice.

TeeJo

 

[MarshmallowBlue]

Yeah it was likely loaded with fusel alcohols. They age out to a degree but too much and they just stick around.

 

[Sharkman20]

I'm fermenting a couple of batches of mead at the moment that are almost done. One with pure orange blossom honey, the other with raspberry honey. I threw them in my keezer and set the temp for 61 degrees. They'll both be 13% + so it will be interesting to see how the meads turn out with temp control to prevent fusels.

 

[Beernik]

I feel your pain.

I was given a bottle of homemade wine once that smelled heavily of rotten fruit. The taste was fine, but the smell was difficult to get past.

My wife wouldn't kiss me for two days after I drank it.

 

[GDP]

So have you ever tasted mead before? Dont worry it usually doesnt taste anything like that. Although if you can I suggest finding a bottle of traditional mead to get a baseline. The most common is chaucers which is pretty sweet. Some like it some dont. It does smell a little funny though.

 

[MarshmallowBlue]

So have you ever tasted mead before? Dont worry it usually doesnt taste anything like that. Although if you can I suggest finding a bottle of traditional mead to get a baseline. The most common is chaucers which is pretty sweet. Some like it some dont. It does smell a little funny though.

It also comes with a mulling spice pack, that is very tasty and you should do it.

 

[fuelish]

I have a bottle of the Chaucers in the house that one local wine store happened to have.....haven't opened it yet, but am expecting it to taste like what folks "expect" mead to taste like, and I doubt it tastes anything like mine

 

[Sharkman20]

Chaucers is kind of middle of the road. It's probably the most common mead you'll find that doesn't taste horrible. If you see any Redstone mead, pick that up. Slightly more expensive but ten times better.

 

[GDP]

I have a bottle of the Chaucers in the house that one local wine store happened to have.....haven't opened it yet, but am expecting it to taste like what folks "expect" mead to taste like, and I doubt it tastes anything like mine

I remember before I had tasted any meads I had this idea in my head of what it would taste like. I'm still searching for it.

Closest so far is either b. Nektar cinnamon and vanilla or Danske mjod viking blod. But actually I really enjoy Chaucers. IMO it has an almost perfect level of sweetness.

But the biggest thing about mead is everyone has their favorite you just have to find it.

 

[TeeJo]

Tried my nearly-JOAM tonight, pretty much poured a glass from the gallon jug it has been in for the past weeks.

Passable drink.

The fruit shows no signs of settling out and there is still a wee bit of pressure building in the jug over time, so it is nowhere near done fermenting, but other than tasting a little warm, it's not unpleasant.

Certainly does not taste like the stuff I was given! Good thing, too!

TeeJo