I just started my first batch of mead on January 24th, and I'm started to get a little worried about the smell coming from the carboy. Its like a stale alcohol smell, kind of like the smell of a red wine left open too long, and nothing I've read tells me if its good or bad. I used a guide I download, and it went like this:
13 pounds generic honey (not a good choice I know)
The juice from 1 lemon (rind was discarded)
Spring water
Yeast starter:
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon generic nutrient (the white crystals)
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
Lavlin EC1118 yeast
After sterilizing I mixed the mixed the honey and added water until I had an SG of 1.095. I then added the lemon juice and aerated the must with a spoon for a few minutes. After letting the yeast starter grow for a couple of hours I pitched the yeast and put the lid on my mixing bucket. I siphoned into the carboy on Jan 31, and watched it bubble away. I measured the SG this morning at 1.050, but noticed the smell when I had the airlock off. Am I good now, or should I be taking steps to correct this before it ruins the batch?
13 pounds generic honey (not a good choice I know)
The juice from 1 lemon (rind was discarded)
Spring water
Yeast starter:
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon generic nutrient (the white crystals)
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
Lavlin EC1118 yeast
After sterilizing I mixed the mixed the honey and added water until I had an SG of 1.095. I then added the lemon juice and aerated the must with a spoon for a few minutes. After letting the yeast starter grow for a couple of hours I pitched the yeast and put the lid on my mixing bucket. I siphoned into the carboy on Jan 31, and watched it bubble away. I measured the SG this morning at 1.050, but noticed the smell when I had the airlock off. Am I good now, or should I be taking steps to correct this before it ruins the batch?