keeping mead fresh
- Thread starter fuzzyman
- Start date
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..Keeping mead good depends on many factors, but usually treat it like a bottle of red wine the sooner you get to it the better (3 days or less for red wine). If you can recork it, it'll usually be about a week before you'll start noticing changes. Higher Alcohol meads may last longer. Also if you can blanket the mead with CO2 or a wine preservative that will help extend it out further. The Colder the fridge the better too. Some of my high alcohol meads (18%) intended for aging have survived quite well on the counter for a couple of weeks without being unpleasant when reopened, others such as Cysers tend to turn bad fairly quick so if possible avoid having any left over.
Cheers,
Jered Talbot
(Wrathwilde)
..Keeping mead good depends on many factors, but usually treat it like a bottle of red wine the sooner you get to it the better (3 days or less for red wine). If you can recork it, it'll usually be about a week before you'll start noticing changes. Higher Alcohol meads may last longer. Also if you can blanket the mead with CO2 or a wine preservative that will help extend it out further. The Colder the fridge the better too. Some of my high alcohol meads (18%) intended for aging have survived quite well on the counter for a couple of weeks without being unpleasant when reopened, others such as Cysers tend to turn bad fairly quick so if possible avoid having any left over.
Cheers,
Jered Talbot
(Wrathwilde)
Last edited:
I've got one of those vacuum stopper things. They work well for wine and mead and can stretch out the time they last from 2-3 days to about a week (with variations depending on contents).
That might be a difficult question on a forum devoted to mead lovers. I can't see a bottle of mead staying in the fridge long enough to find out!
I don't think you're going to get a specific figure on this -- mead characteristics, including how long it can last once opened, will vary according to varietal honey. A range will probably work better, covering traditional meads from light to dark honeys, melomels, etc.
Take a look at red wines -- some do well and improve when they're allowed to "breathe" before serving, others show no change at all when this is done. White wines are even less responsive, because of the lower tannin content.
My guess would be a couple of days in the fridge, maybe a week, before you notice changes. Again, much depends on the type of varietal honey/s used, and the style of mead.
Previous thread that has discussed this:
http://www.gotmead.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7043&highlight=silly+question
http://www.gotmead.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7043&highlight=silly+question
I have been working on a bottle of starfruit mead made with OB honey for about three weeks. In between glasses I have used inert gas flushes (Private Preserve) and I've kept it in the fridge. After three weeks it still has a nice fruit aroma and no overt signs of oxidation. I have not seen any grape wine survive that long without fading badly.
