Swap/Tasting

[Chilkat]

I listened to a podcast about tastings and rating as if in competitions. I liked that idea a lot - and as well, maybe some swapping backwards as well. Those that can make great meads maybe share with those of us that aren't that great at making meads yet. I'm new and I'm about to make my fourth batch, which I'm very excited about.

I've never tasted any other meads than another guy in town that like his bone dry. They taste good but he also step feeds it until the yeast is totally done so its especially dry.

I'd like to see if this is something that can happen. I have no idea what flaws taste like, esters, fusels, etc., so it'd be nice.

 

[Stasis]

Step feeding honey only increases the abv. You can step feed honey until after the yeast give up and that leaves you with residual sweetness and high abv mead, or you can stop feeding as soon before they give up and you end up with a dry and high abv mead. Step feeding honey can increase the perception of dryness because a young, dry high abv mead tastes drier than a low, dry mead. When that bone dry high abv mead is aged extensively it will taste quite sweeter though.
High abv meads can taste "dry" to the untrained mazer because of fusels. Fusels are those harsher alcohols which burn the nose or throat when you sniff/taste them much like cheap vodka. As you get used to tasting fusels and you make smoother and more aged meads you will detect fusels even before it reaches those cheap vodka levels.

Step feeding nutrients until the end is absolutely wrong and there is no benefit to it. You can make bone dry meads and only feed nutrients until the 1/3 sugar break or until the 1/2 sugar break if your mead is high abv.

I use tosna 2.0 (which feeds until the 1/3 sugar break) which means I use the feeding protocol with the least amount of nutrients needed (without actually underfeeding) and my meads are consistently bone dry i.e. the Fg often goes down to about 0.996

About the swap: I'm sorry, I'd really like to do a swap but I'm rather low on mead, will not be making more until another 6 months, and I haven't swapped with other members on here who offered to swap a while ago.

 

[Chilkat]

Step feeding honey only increases the abv. You can step feed honey until after the yeast give up and that leaves you with residual sweetness and high abv mead, or you can stop feeding as soon before they give up and you end up with a dry and high abv mead. Step feeding honey can increase the perception of dryness because a young, dry high abv mead tastes drier than a low, dry mead. When that bone dry high abv mead is aged extensively it will taste quite sweeter though.
High abv meads can taste "dry" to the untrained mazer because of fusels. Fusels are those harsher alcohols which burn the nose or throat when you sniff/taste them much like cheap vodka. As you get used to tasting fusels and you make smoother and more aged meads you will detect fusels even before it reaches those cheap vodka levels.

Step feeding nutrients until the end is absolutely wrong and there is no benefit to it. You can make bone dry meads and only feed nutrients until the 1/3 sugar break or until the 1/2 sugar break if your mead is high abv.

I use tosna 2.0 (which feeds until the 1/3 sugar break) which means I use the feeding protocol with the least amount of nutrients needed (without actually underfeeding) and my meads are consistently bone dry i.e. the Fg often goes down to about 0.996

About the swap: I'm sorry, I'd really like to do a swap but I'm rather low on mead, will not be making more until another 6 months, and I haven't swapped with other members on here who offered to swap a while ago.

I guess he's blasting it a ton. The mouthfeel I get from his mead is my mouth is stripped of saliva. If I have two drinks from his bottle, I get this super dry feel. It's got this absolutely dry sensation. Super sour. We drank a wine bottle of it together and I swear my mouth was blistered the next day.

 

[The Ghost of Thom Jones]

I feel like the one finished mead I have bottled is still a bit young for tasting. Once I have some stock I can be proud of though, I'd gladly share.