Young/green mead with slight plastic taste - will it go away?

[Brian66]

Yesterday at 2:17 PM I have a blackberry mead that I brewed in April. Fermented it for 2-3 weeks then transferred to secondary. I just put the mead into a Keg and it's currently carbonating. Took a taste and it's got a touch of a plastic taste to it. The mead is only about 2 1/2 months old. The honey is just raw wild honey that my cousin harvests (from western PA). Any chance that the plastic taste goes away? Could it just be a green flavor from wild honey that could go away as it ages? Or could/is it some type of infection?

 

[Maylar]

"Plastic" isn't a common wine fault that can easily be traced to process issues. In the beer realm it's often associated with keg lines. Since you're kegging your mead maybe that's your issue.

 

[Brian66]

The taste was before kegging. My son thought it was more of an alcohol taste but that's not what I got. It's about 9.5%

 

[Kickass]

I get a little bit of a rough herbal and slightly menthol thing from young mead. I haven’t had “plastic” but I can say with certainty, even using TOSNA, mead is not pleasant when young. I have dropped my ABV to 11-13% and my aging to 1+ year. This has changed unenjoyable mead into a pleasant drinking experience.

 

[Brian66]

I get a little bit of a rough herbal and slightly menthol thing from young mead. I haven’t had “plastic” but I can say with certainty, even using TOSNA, mead is not pleasant when young. I have dropped my ABV to 11-13% and my aging to 1+ year. This has changed unenjoyable mead into a pleasant drinking experience.

Thanks - this is encouraging.

 

[MightyMosin]

My understanding is that a phenolic fault is more common in a beer wort.
Some have experienced it when fermenting strawberries; the fault typically being attributed to the seeds themselves.

Chlorine in water can also contribute to that. I can't add much more than that.

 

[Snuffy]

Vikings probably paid extra for that. Lean into it.

Seriously tho... I've only had commercial mead and I thought it was supposed to taste like it was aged in an enema bag.

 

[Kickass]

taste like it was aged in an enema bag

Only the good ones.

I’ve never had commercial mead. I started making my own having no mental model for what it should taste like. I’ve been really pleased with what I’ve been able to ferment. We’ll have to get @Snuffy a good example of a non-enema bag aged mead.

 

[Brian66]

I think what I'm getting is a characteristic of the honey - maybe a herbal/floral taste the comes across to me as slightly like plastic. I say this because I made a cyser this weekend with the honey and the smell I got while incorporating the honey into the apple juice was a floral smell that reminded me of the taste I was getting in the mead.

 

[Maylar]

I think what I'm getting is a characteristic of the honey - maybe a herbal/floral taste the comes across to me as slightly like plastic. I say this because I made a cyser this weekend with the honey and the smell I got while incorporating the honey into the apple juice was a floral smell that reminded me of the taste I was getting in the mead.

One of the perks of being a Mazer is that we get to eat honey... what's it taste like from the jar?

 

[MightyMosin]

what's it taste like from the jar?

That is one of those key items, right there.
The sugar is going to ferment, but when that sweetness goes away what else is left there that is providing flavor?

Some honeys have delicate flavors and others will have a bold or very distinct flavor. What are you trying to keep from that honey flavor?

Raspberry Blossom (Oregon sourced) has a delicate flavor after fermentation and I might not use that in something that will use a lot of extra ingredients in secondary like cinnamon or heavy fruit additions as it will likely just stomp over the delicate flavors. In a mead that will use additions that I want to hi-light, I use my least expensive honey, typically a Wildflower.

Something like Trader Joe's Mostly Mesquite has a bold, almost medicinal flavor, that hold up well to fermentation and I have used that to punch through a Cabernet Sauvignon pyment.

As @Maylar asked, what does it taste like from the jar? Maybe it's just what that honey tastes like after you get rid of the sweetness.

 

[Snuffy]

Only the good ones.

I’ve never had commercial mead. I started making my own having no mental model for what it should taste like. I’ve been really pleased with what I’ve been able to ferment. We’ll have to get @Snuffy a good example of a non-enema bag aged mead.

I could go for that! I bet a flavored mead would be pretty good. The straight stuff I've had was just overpowered by the alcohol taste. Are there any other commercial ones that taste good? I don't know anyone who makes mead.

 

[Maylar]

Are there any other commercial ones that taste good? I don't know anyone who makes mead.

Where are you located? What's available depends very much on where you live.

 

[Rish]

I could go for that! I bet a flavored mead would be pretty good. The straight stuff I've had was just overpowered by the alcohol taste. Are there any other commercial ones that taste good? I don't know anyone who makes mead.

You know me! But now I live 4 hours farther south!

 

[Rish]

commercial ones that taste good?

I've had some tasty ones from Queen's Reward in Tupelo, MS. If you get over that way you might try them out. They do tasting flights.

https://queensreward.com/

 

[Snuffy]

You know me! But now I live 4 hours farther south!

Ahhh. So meeting at the Lowe's is not as convenient now... I did not know you made mead. Cool beans.

I see the Queen's Reward Mead is sold at Hop City. I'm going to pick some up and see if it changes my tune.

 

[Brewer dad]

Besides the previous input you got, what was the FG of this mead? What yeast did you use? In comparison to your previous meads did this one happen to finish drier?

I intermittently make mead, but I have found to me dry mead has a flavor I don’t particularly care for. I wouldn’t call it plastic but it is hard to articulate, kinda vermouth-y. Have you tried back sweetening at all?

 

[Raptor99]

The straight stuff I've had was just overpowered by the alcohol taste.

I think that traditional mead, without other flavor additions, tastes best at ABV around 11-12%. Any higher and the alcohol overpowers the honey, as you say.

 

[Snuffy]

Ok. So I bought some mead. Is it better cold or room temp like a red wine? “Apple mead with cherry added. Aged in rye whiskey barrels for 9 months”

 

[Maylar]

Red wine temp.

 

[Rish]

Haven't seen that one before. Hope you enjoy it.
I like mine 45-50*F. Maybe chill it then check taste as it warms up to see what you prefer.

 

[Brian66]

Besides the previous input you got, what was the FG of this mead? What yeast did you use? In comparison to your previous meads did this one happen to finish drier?

I intermittently make mead, but I have found to me dry mead has a flavor I don’t particularly care for. I wouldn’t call it plastic but it is hard to articulate, kinda vermouth-y. Have you tried back sweetening at all?

OG was 1.072 and final 1.003 so around 9%. The yeast was Lallemand - Lalvin ICV D-47
This is the first mead I've made. The one time I tried mead (commercial) I didn't really care for it but I have a lot of raw honey so I thought I'd try one with fruit.

Tasting the honey I think I do detect a similar flavor - although it's hard to tell. So I'm thinking it is from the honey.

 

[Brewer dad]

OG was 1.072 and final 1.003 so around 9%. The yeast was Lallemand - Lalvin ICV D-47
This is the first mead I've made. The one time I tried mead (commercial) I didn't really care for it but I have a lot of raw honey so I thought I'd try one with fruit.

Tasting the honey I think I do detect a similar flavor - although it's hard to tell. So I'm thinking it is from the honey.

My understanding of D47 also is that if temp gets too high it can throw off flavors, maybe someone with experience in it can chime in.

I am in similar boat as you in re availability of honey. Maybe try a glass and add some honey to it to sweeten up and see if you like it better.

 

[Maylar]

My understanding of D47 also is that if temp gets too high it can throw off flavors, maybe someone with experience in it can chime in.

Very true. It makes fusel alcohols above 67 degrees F.

 

[Brian66]

Very true. It makes fusel alcohols above 67 degrees F.

The Lalvin web site lists fermentation range 59F-86F. The room temperature was approx 68-70F so fermentation temp would be higher since I wasn't using a fermentation chamber.

 

[Maylar]

The Lalvin web site lists fermentation range 59F-86F

Unfortunately the specs don't tell you everything. Fusel alcohols are a positive thing in some wines, so they don't list that characteristic as a fault.

 

[WyoHunt]

I could go for that! I bet a flavored mead would be pretty good. The straight stuff I've had was just overpowered by the alcohol taste. Are there any other commercial ones that taste good? I don't know anyone who makes mead.

Big Lost Mead. Check their website HERE.