Some type of lactic fermentation

[beekind]

So, last fall I had bit of an "oops" kind of thing.
I made a cyser, in fact the one that's Ken's book. I don't usually make other people's recipes, because it's just too fun to experiment but a friend of mine made it two years ago and it was fantastic.

Okay, I'm making a short story long.
So, I threw together the batch--no readings or anything, just stuck to the recipe, D47 and everything. Anyway, after everything was said and done I bottled it and had a wee bit left over for a quick taste. Yikes! It was sourery weirdness.

I decided to let it sit for a bit to see what would happen, and lo and behold, it's not too bad. Both my wife and I actually like it. It's quite dry and sour, with a lovely apple, date, raisin smell.

Now to the question:
How long should I let this thing age for? I'm just wondering if a lactic fermentation should be drunk quickly and not aged for several years, or if I can sit on it for a bit. What changes in the flavor profile might I experience over time?

Thanks, everyone.

 

[Oskaar]

So, last fall I had bit of an "oops" kind of thing.
I made a cyser, in fact the one that's Ken's book. I don't usually make other people's recipes, because it's just too fun to experiment but a friend of mine made it two years ago and it was fantastic.

Okay, I'm making a short story long.
So, I threw together the batch--no readings or anything, just stuck to the recipe, D47 and everything. Anyway, after everything was said and done I bottled it and had a wee bit left over for a quick taste. Yikes! It was sourery weirdness.

I decided to let it sit for a bit to see what would happen, and lo and behold, it's not too bad. Both my wife and I actually like it. It's quite dry and sour, with a lovely apple, date, raisin smell.

Now to the question:
How long should I let this thing age for? I'm just wondering if a lactic fermentation should be drunk quickly and not aged for several years, or if I can sit on it for a bit. What changes in the flavor profile might I experience over time?

Thanks, everyone.

It would be really helpful if we knew what your version of the recipe was, and if you aerated and used a staggered nutrient addition regimen. Any additional information you can provide will be helpful, otherwise we're just shooting in the dark.

I make a version of that recipe and one of the things you have to be aware of is the sulfur aromas that the cider will generate during different parts of the fermentation lifecycle. Also, be sure that you rack off the fruit and be sure that the mead has cleared.

So if you have any additional information it would be helpful.

Cheers,

Oskaar

 

[YogiBearMead726]

It would be really helpful if we knew what your version of the recipe was...<snip>...

So if you have any additional information it would be helpful.

Cheers,

Oskaar

My initial thought after reading is that the apple juice used was a bit sour to begin with. I haven't looked at the recipe in Ken's book since I read it, so I'm not sure if a specific apple juice is called for.

 

[beekind]

The recipe is pretty much just as it is written in his book, except that I did thow in some DAP--I don't remember how much, since I didn't write anything down for this one. I wanted to be true to form and throw it together like in the recipe (which is not normal for me--I am a copious note-taker, usually). Otherwise, I used yeast energizer and nutrient (LDCarlson, I believe) that I had sitting around from my early meadmaking projects. To answer more fully, I didn't do a real measured out SNA; I just put in DAP as odor dictated.

The apple cider was fine when I put this together; it's from a local farm with no sulfites, though it was pasteurized. My thought was that something hitchhiked on the dates and raisins (I did a quick boil with them to sanitize them, but maybe too quick).

Last night, my wife and opened a bottle and her comment was spot on, "either this is really good...or it's...not."