first glass of my first batch tonight

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phreebyrd

NewBee
Registered Member
Sep 17, 2009
56
0
0
College Station, TX
8) i am drinking my first glass of my first batch tonight it has taken me a little over 6 months to do it i chose 15 lbs of honey to 4 gallons of water with some yeast in a vile, sweat mead additive pack from the lhbs and i think it came out decent. i have about 7 different batches going now and a small library now including an empty bee hive that i found on some property that i bought. it has a watered down apple juice look very clear, my glass keeps getting sticky,when i taste it its sweet first then ( im a whiskey an beer drinker so bear with me) it gets almost spicy on my tongue by my molers, and has an almost bitter taste going down my throat. all in all i think i like mead. can anybody tell me if this batch sounds close to what mead is supposed to taste like? i have had a few taste along the last few months and at one point in time it tasted like a think alcoholic cough syrup, ive never tasted mead or known anybody who drank it but i have fallen in love with making it!! look forward to hearing your consructive criticism..... i can aprecciate brutal honesty as long as it helps me get a better quality mead thanks
 
Congratulations on finishing up your first batch! I wouldn't say there's any way mead "should" taste. If you enjoy it then that's all that really counts! :)
 
Welcome to GotMead phreebyrd!

Without exact details of your recipe and gravity readings and such, it is difficult to make any specific suggestions. Some bitterness in the finish can be characteristic of some types of honey (heather, some wildflower) though often it fades over time. Sticky sweet is okay if you enjoy it that way - I usually only like it that sweet if there is plenty of acidity to balance it. It is very normal to see the flavor change over time, especially over the first year. When you taste it at the 1 year mark, it may surprise you with how it matures.

As you taste more and different batches, you'll get a good idea of how the flavor can vary.
 
the gravity reading started at 90 and went down to 10 i got the honey from the lhbs and thats about all the specifics i did add some bentonite..... would plastic bottles have an effect on the taste? i used coke bottles untill i found 1 gallon juice bottles at HEB for 7 bucks