Re: First batch on a Full Moon night......
Well, here it is....the results are in on this first batch of mine. I pulled that one gallon carboy out from it's dark place of resting and decided to go ahead and bottle it up. Everything came out very easily with a modified wire hanger! I cleaned and sanitized four average sized wine bottles with those easy to fit in corks with the plastic tops. (Newbie I know) The mead appeared to be completely clear. The smell was strong of honey and the orange note was there but not overpowering. You could get the hint of the cinnamon but nothing major and there was only a slight smell of "alcohol or hotness" to the nose. Almost like smelling a port or cream sherry when it is fresh out of the bottle. Now for the taste.....I have never tasted mead before and so I had to read a lot on the flaovor profile that I should expect from this. Well, when you first take a sip, there is the obvious taste of the honey. Not strong like raw honey, but, more like a very, very thinned out and watered down version of the raw. I did notice the orange/cinnamon flavor, but, it was not very strong. There was only a slight "hotness" to the mouth and on the way down. My concern is this...the aftertaste seemed off to me. When I say off I mean, it seemed to have an orange rind flavor and an almost oily presence. Could this be because I did not clean the orange as well as it should have been (scrubbed the poor thing with very hot water and soap and then rinsed well) or is it because it was not an "organic" orange and any number of things could have contributed to the flavor? All in all, if the aftertaste was not there, I would consider this first batch to be a great success! The addiction has grown over the last eight weeks and already I am buying the ingredients for another batch. This next batch shall recieve that same only without the orange rind......I shall keep all "posted"! :cheers:
Well, here it is....the results are in on this first batch of mine. I pulled that one gallon carboy out from it's dark place of resting and decided to go ahead and bottle it up. Everything came out very easily with a modified wire hanger! I cleaned and sanitized four average sized wine bottles with those easy to fit in corks with the plastic tops. (Newbie I know) The mead appeared to be completely clear. The smell was strong of honey and the orange note was there but not overpowering. You could get the hint of the cinnamon but nothing major and there was only a slight smell of "alcohol or hotness" to the nose. Almost like smelling a port or cream sherry when it is fresh out of the bottle. Now for the taste.....I have never tasted mead before and so I had to read a lot on the flaovor profile that I should expect from this. Well, when you first take a sip, there is the obvious taste of the honey. Not strong like raw honey, but, more like a very, very thinned out and watered down version of the raw. I did notice the orange/cinnamon flavor, but, it was not very strong. There was only a slight "hotness" to the mouth and on the way down. My concern is this...the aftertaste seemed off to me. When I say off I mean, it seemed to have an orange rind flavor and an almost oily presence. Could this be because I did not clean the orange as well as it should have been (scrubbed the poor thing with very hot water and soap and then rinsed well) or is it because it was not an "organic" orange and any number of things could have contributed to the flavor? All in all, if the aftertaste was not there, I would consider this first batch to be a great success! The addiction has grown over the last eight weeks and already I am buying the ingredients for another batch. This next batch shall recieve that same only without the orange rind......I shall keep all "posted"! :cheers:
