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So as I've mentioned before, I tried a basic mead recipe that my mother found in a book called "The Gales Honey Book" (well thats what she's written on the recipe).
When I made the first batch from it, I just blindly followed the recipe, the only variation being that I used "High Alcohol/Dessert Wine" yeast - a youngs product I think.
It tasted the best of my efforts immediately post fermentation at the time.
Ok thinks me, so I'll try the same recipe but using different yeast, as apparently, it's considered better to try small modifications to vary flavour etc rather than the big sweeping changes that I probably would have tried without advice.
So, with that in mind, I made a 3 gallon batch, which was split into 3 separate demijohns (1 gallon) and just pitched 3 different yeasts.
I've just racked it off (prompted by someone elses comments about not leaving the mix on the yeast for too long, otherwise "off" flavours can result - sorry to the someone, I can't remember who posted that wisdom!).
The results? To me, they are rather surprising/incredible.
The mix made with Lalvin K1V-1116 yeast (on the packet it says "Montpelier" I think, also I've seen this described as a "general purpose" yeast), well it has an "alcoholly" (read that as "medicinal"/mouthwash) sort of flavour, which having read this in the "Compleat Meadmaker" by Ken Schramm, isn't a surprise. With not much residual sugar evident - also not much residual honey flavour.
In the race, I'd say it came 3rd. Not too bad, but I'm thinking it'll need a good 12 months ageing (in bulk) to mellow it some.
Next, the mix that was fermented using Lalvin EC-1118 yeast (which I understand is a "champagne" yeast). It still retained a fair amount of the "alcoholly" taste, but given what I've read, isn't surprising as it's apparently quite resistant, though for reasons I don't quite follow, retained more of the residual honey flavour and seemed more palatable than the K1V-1116 mix. I shall probably still give this a good 12 months ageing - again, in bulk.
2nd in the race.
The champ, which when I think of what I read about it seemed to me, rather astounding, was the mix fermented with the Lalvin 71B-1122 Noveau/Narbonne. Not so "alcoholly", though that might be because it doesn't ferment out quite as much of the sugar element. It also had quite a distinct residual honey flavour. To the point that while I will age it, I could have quite happily drunk the whole lot straight away. Much more like some of the "commercial" type meads I've tasted.
I didn't (for reasons that I don't understand or remember) think that this one would "do much". How wrong I was.
My next batch of "straight" mead will be made with this and it means (too me) that I can concentrate on doing things properly i.e. measuring starting and finishing OG. Proper calculation of %ABV etc etc.
I mean, hell I can then carry on experimenting with other yeasts, different honeys etc etc, but I now have a "bench mark" that I'm happy with.
regards
fatbloke
When I made the first batch from it, I just blindly followed the recipe, the only variation being that I used "High Alcohol/Dessert Wine" yeast - a youngs product I think.
It tasted the best of my efforts immediately post fermentation at the time.
Ok thinks me, so I'll try the same recipe but using different yeast, as apparently, it's considered better to try small modifications to vary flavour etc rather than the big sweeping changes that I probably would have tried without advice.
So, with that in mind, I made a 3 gallon batch, which was split into 3 separate demijohns (1 gallon) and just pitched 3 different yeasts.
I've just racked it off (prompted by someone elses comments about not leaving the mix on the yeast for too long, otherwise "off" flavours can result - sorry to the someone, I can't remember who posted that wisdom!).
The results? To me, they are rather surprising/incredible.
The mix made with Lalvin K1V-1116 yeast (on the packet it says "Montpelier" I think, also I've seen this described as a "general purpose" yeast), well it has an "alcoholly" (read that as "medicinal"/mouthwash) sort of flavour, which having read this in the "Compleat Meadmaker" by Ken Schramm, isn't a surprise. With not much residual sugar evident - also not much residual honey flavour.
In the race, I'd say it came 3rd. Not too bad, but I'm thinking it'll need a good 12 months ageing (in bulk) to mellow it some.
Next, the mix that was fermented using Lalvin EC-1118 yeast (which I understand is a "champagne" yeast). It still retained a fair amount of the "alcoholly" taste, but given what I've read, isn't surprising as it's apparently quite resistant, though for reasons I don't quite follow, retained more of the residual honey flavour and seemed more palatable than the K1V-1116 mix. I shall probably still give this a good 12 months ageing - again, in bulk.
2nd in the race.
The champ, which when I think of what I read about it seemed to me, rather astounding, was the mix fermented with the Lalvin 71B-1122 Noveau/Narbonne. Not so "alcoholly", though that might be because it doesn't ferment out quite as much of the sugar element. It also had quite a distinct residual honey flavour. To the point that while I will age it, I could have quite happily drunk the whole lot straight away. Much more like some of the "commercial" type meads I've tasted.
I didn't (for reasons that I don't understand or remember) think that this one would "do much". How wrong I was.
My next batch of "straight" mead will be made with this and it means (too me) that I can concentrate on doing things properly i.e. measuring starting and finishing OG. Proper calculation of %ABV etc etc.
I mean, hell I can then carry on experimenting with other yeasts, different honeys etc etc, but I now have a "bench mark" that I'm happy with.
regards
fatbloke
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