From perusing the forum, I have gathered that it is very common to add any flavorings to the secondary after fermentation is complete. I was wondering if it is possible to experiment with recipes by buying a bottle of unflavored mead at the store and making additions to it. It seems that this would be a good way to pin down a recipe without committing to a full batch and waiting a year to see if it worked or not. Would this work?
idea for testing recipes
- Thread starter chormang
- Start date
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I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work to try it, but it will be an expensive proposition to buy retail mead. To make 1 gallon you are going to need about 6 bottles (to have some for topping up). At $10 per bottle (how much does it cost) that would be $60.
For $60, you can make a whole bunch of mead to experiment with.
In addition, if you add flavoring, you will need to give those flavors time to integrate with the mead, and that will probably take a few months, so I don't think you'll save too much time either.
If cost is no object, then give it a go and let us know if the approach gives you results that you can then use for planning your recipes.
Medsen
And Welcome to GotMead? !!!
For $60, you can make a whole bunch of mead to experiment with.
In addition, if you add flavoring, you will need to give those flavors time to integrate with the mead, and that will probably take a few months, so I don't think you'll save too much time either.
If cost is no object, then give it a go and let us know if the approach gives you results that you can then use for planning your recipes.
Medsen
And Welcome to GotMead? !!!
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Well, I was thinking of just adding to a single bottle and then scaling the amount up to a full batch, so I don't think the cost would be that big of a deal. However, your point about the time needed for the flavors to be extracted is well taken. I didn't realize it would take so long, and that does sort of diminish the point of doing this. Thanks for the help.
it could work but scaling up recipes doesn't always work out the way you think. but it might be a good way to decide whether or not you like a certian flavor in your mead, especially strange flavors you've never tried. the big difference would be you are adding things to an aged bottle of mead. like Medsen Fey said if you did this at home you would be adding your fruit, spices etc before you age the mead and you could end up with a totally different flavor profile. it's still worth trying, just a thought.
it sounds like it would work better for trying out spices and extracts rather than anything that's going to start your fermentation up again.
it sounds like it would work better for trying out spices and extracts rather than anything that's going to start your fermentation up again.
It sounds like a great way to find an inspiration which is the most important ingredient in any recipe. I would agree with Medsen on creating a middle of the road traditional to tinker with. It is always nice to have a destination in mind before you begin a journey.
G'luck -Xixist
G'luck -Xixist
