ok so i made about 3 batches of mead a few months ago, and they all taste horrible, like the yeast never did its thing or something. Basically i made 1 gallon batches by simply boiling the honey and the water together, cooling it as quickly as possible, then adding an entire packet of wine yeast to this mixture along with a pinch of some yeast activator or something. I then let this sit in my basement in some very clean, very sterile one gallon garbage buckets from the dollar tree, covered with cleaned shower caps. this sit for awhile(2 weeks i think) then was put into bottles where it is now, no idea how or when to cork so there are still just balloons capping the bottles. but yeah, the mead itself tastes horrible, though the aftertaste is what it should be. can i save this or is it just not worth it?
i think someone told me wrong...
- Thread starter BoXx
- Start date
-
Love Gotmead and want to see it grow? Then consider supporting the site and becoming a Patron! If you're logged in, click on your username to the right of the menu to see how as little as $30/year can get you access to the patron areas and the patron Facebook group and to support Gotmead!
-
We now have a Patron-exclusive Facebook group! Patrons my join at The Gotmead Patron Group. You MUST answer the questions, providing your Patron membership, when you request to join so I can verify your Patron membership. If the questions aren't answered, the request will be turned down.
Hi Boxx, I'm just going to jump in real quick to tell you, the guys are going to want a lot more details in order to help you. Things like the exact reciepe. Everything you put in it and when. What are the quantities, even what kind of yeast. The guys on this site are really good, but they need that info in order to help you the best.
Paul
Paul
thanks friend
many thanks for letting me know they like details
ok so basically i used 2 pounds of honey (wildflower i think), put that into about a gallon (not exact, but basically a gallon jug) of fresh spring water from a local spring, brought this to a boil for about 5 to 10 min (its been months so i dont remember exactly, long enough to where the foamy yellow stuff quit popping up) then i put this in the freezer to cool it down which took around a 30 min. then i put it into the buckets, added an entire packet of white wine yeast, i dont remember the brand but i think the numbers are 71B-1122, and then put in 1/2 tsp. of diammonium phosphate...all three batches were made basically this same way, the second one i put in the phosphate while it was still warm and let it dissolve. im really hoping that this can still be salvaged, i love mead but you cant buy it in alabama
many thanks for letting me know they like details
ok so basically i used 2 pounds of honey (wildflower i think), put that into about a gallon (not exact, but basically a gallon jug) of fresh spring water from a local spring, brought this to a boil for about 5 to 10 min (its been months so i dont remember exactly, long enough to where the foamy yellow stuff quit popping up) then i put this in the freezer to cool it down which took around a 30 min. then i put it into the buckets, added an entire packet of white wine yeast, i dont remember the brand but i think the numbers are 71B-1122, and then put in 1/2 tsp. of diammonium phosphate...all three batches were made basically this same way, the second one i put in the phosphate while it was still warm and let it dissolve. im really hoping that this can still be salvaged, i love mead but you cant buy it in alabama
Umm.... yeah. What he said. Without specifics we can't do much more than... :dontknow:
How much honey, what do you mean by "very clean, very sterile one gallon garbage buckets from the dollar tree", what kind of sanitizing agent did you use, did you rack to secondary, what type of yeast, why did you boil ??? , what type of yeast, etc...
The more detailed you can be the better.
How much honey, what do you mean by "very clean, very sterile one gallon garbage buckets from the dollar tree", what kind of sanitizing agent did you use, did you rack to secondary, what type of yeast, why did you boil ??? , what type of yeast, etc...
The more detailed you can be the better.
Welcome to GotMead?!
Can you describe the taste any better? What is "horrible"? Young mead often isn't good so I'm not sure what you mean. Does it taste like something dead? Like Listerine? You said it tastes like the yeast didn’t do their thing. Does that mean it tastes like honey water with no alcohol at all? Are there any scents coming off this? Does it taste hot/nasty like straight vodka? Do you have a hydrometer? Can you get a reading?
You might need to cut your losses and start over. (This is my opinion only.) It will take a lot of work to figure this out. I'm not sure if the experts can, especially without a brewlog. As is, it sounds like you used poor management techniques so you'll probably end up with something inferior anyway.
Read the newbee guide. Perhaps start over with a JAO. The good news is using the advice you find here will improve your brews!
Can you describe the taste any better? What is "horrible"? Young mead often isn't good so I'm not sure what you mean. Does it taste like something dead? Like Listerine? You said it tastes like the yeast didn’t do their thing. Does that mean it tastes like honey water with no alcohol at all? Are there any scents coming off this? Does it taste hot/nasty like straight vodka? Do you have a hydrometer? Can you get a reading?
You might need to cut your losses and start over. (This is my opinion only.) It will take a lot of work to figure this out. I'm not sure if the experts can, especially without a brewlog. As is, it sounds like you used poor management techniques so you'll probably end up with something inferior anyway.
Read the newbee guide. Perhaps start over with a JAO. The good news is using the advice you find here will improve your brews!
Looks like your basic process is OK though there is definately room for improvement. However as mentioned you will need to provide a little more detail about the flavors and sanitizer to help diagnose the problem.
Some easy things to improve up on next time.
Get a 1 gal glass jug, drilled stopper and airlock. Use this as a secondary once the primary fermentation is done (3-4 weeks). Leave the mead in the secondary for 6months to a year before bottling with caps or corks.
Write down the recipe steps and times for your batch. This will allow you to recreate successes, avoid failures and get better help. Also measure and record the SG using a hydrometer at various stages of the mead so you can know what is happening.
Follow the Staggered Nutrient Additions suggested in the guides.
Don't boil the mead. Its not necessary and decreases the aroma and flavor components from the honey in the mead.
Rehydrate the yeast with GoFerm, following the instructions.
I think the secondary is necessary for good mead, the other suggestions will help you make better mead. Ofcourse we still don't know what if anything is wrong with your current batch. It may just be young mead and will need a few more months to mature.
There is lots of additional information on this site to help you make the best mead possible.
Craig
Some easy things to improve up on next time.
Get a 1 gal glass jug, drilled stopper and airlock. Use this as a secondary once the primary fermentation is done (3-4 weeks). Leave the mead in the secondary for 6months to a year before bottling with caps or corks.
Write down the recipe steps and times for your batch. This will allow you to recreate successes, avoid failures and get better help. Also measure and record the SG using a hydrometer at various stages of the mead so you can know what is happening.
Follow the Staggered Nutrient Additions suggested in the guides.
Don't boil the mead. Its not necessary and decreases the aroma and flavor components from the honey in the mead.
Rehydrate the yeast with GoFerm, following the instructions.
I think the secondary is necessary for good mead, the other suggestions will help you make better mead. Ofcourse we still don't know what if anything is wrong with your current batch. It may just be young mead and will need a few more months to mature.
There is lots of additional information on this site to help you make the best mead possible.
Craig
Last edited:
thanks
the taste is still prodominately yeast, dont remember which kind at all, and i live 4 hours away from the brewstore so i dunno...and i used clorox to sanitize my buckets, they are rectangular in shape, starting small at the bottom and get larger at the top, though not a big difference from top to bottom. i boiled because i was told this was the best way to do it...really i think im just screwed and should cut my losses and make something easier or something that doesnt take a year to make, it just takes to long to figure out you did something wrong with mead it seems like, and i was told it would be easy, i really dont know though. i just want mead, and its illegal here. thanks for all the replys guys...ill come here first before i make another batch so i dont screw it up again
the taste is still prodominately yeast, dont remember which kind at all, and i live 4 hours away from the brewstore so i dunno...and i used clorox to sanitize my buckets, they are rectangular in shape, starting small at the bottom and get larger at the top, though not a big difference from top to bottom. i boiled because i was told this was the best way to do it...really i think im just screwed and should cut my losses and make something easier or something that doesnt take a year to make, it just takes to long to figure out you did something wrong with mead it seems like, and i was told it would be easy, i really dont know though. i just want mead, and its illegal here. thanks for all the replys guys...ill come here first before i make another batch so i dont screw it up again
BoXx, I recomend you try the Joe's Ancient Orange recipe found here in the forums. It only takes 2 months and is designed as an easy fool proof low tech system. Don't get discouraged! You will get there. The reason we are here is that we enjoy the journey as much as the destination.
Paul
Paul
I agree with huntfishtrap. Everything you need for JAO is at the grocery store, even the yeast variety! If you reuse the containers and airlocks, the ingredients will cost you all of $10 and you can drink it in 2-3 months.
awesome! thanks guys...its is a bit discouraging to wait for months to get something good and have it fall through, but i am far from giving up, the process is quite fun, and im gonna try to brew some beer too...so yeah, thanks again for all your help, and i will definately try that recipie! you guys rock!
Don't get too discouraged. If you have the room, you could always try to rack this off the lees and put it away awile. Time might help. But I still think you'll be happy with the JAO.
Last edited:
The beer brewing is a good idea. It gives you something tasty to imbibe while you wait on the mead to age. While there are a few quick mead recipes, even those tend to improve given time. With traditional meads, the aging needed for them to really shine may be 1-2 years in many cases.
One way to avoid discouraging outcomes is to pick a good recipe. The Joe's Ancient Orange is a great recipe for a new Mazer. When you want to expand into other areas, my suggestion would be to pick one of the GotMead Certified recipes, or some of the Patron's proven recipes. If you post any questions about the recipe, folks can help you with them. These may take time to age, but if you follow them correctly, you will get a good result - one worth the wait.
Medsen
