Made this about a year ago and it has been aging pretty well. About 12% ABV. I think it still has a slight off-flavour, but that's probably due to not using the best honey.
Peach Strawberry Dry Mead
Made this about a year ago and it has been aging pretty well. About 12% ABV. I think it still has a slight off-flavour, but that's probably due to not using the best honey.
9 Comments
baconeater@lemm.ee · 4 pts · 3y
It looks good at least! How would you describe the off flavor? Hot, as in fusel alcohol or solvent? Acidic? Meaty (for lack of a better word, could be described as umami)?
HorriblePerson@feddit.nl · 3 pts · 3y
I find it hard to describe, perhaps as slightly chemical floral flavour and a bit of harshness. Honestly, it's pretty minor and I'm happy with the result overall. I personally think it might be the result of using cheapish honey and maybe some oxidation. I'm a bit lax when it comes to oxidation because I only make small batches and don't have the right equipement to properly avoid it.
AwkwardTurtle@beehaw.org · 2 pts · 3y
When in doubt, age it out!
Alternatively you could consider back sweetening, or oaking, to add some extra flavor that might counterbalance it some.
baconeater@lemm.ee · 3 pts · 3y
Agreed. I always try to think of balancing mead like a 3-legged stool where the 3 legs you can make longer or shorter (the metaphor kind of falls apart here) as pH, sweetness/dryness and tannic balance. Age helps smooth everything out!
HorriblePerson@feddit.nl · 2 pts · 3y
It's pretty well balanced compared to my previous meads. I used a cider yeast which resulted in a slight residual sweetness and the acid from the peaches and strawberries balances it pretty well. I also added some pepper corns in secondary, though not much of that made it through.
baconeater@lemm.ee · 2 pts · 3y
Sounds tasty! Stash a few bottles away somewhere cool and forget about them for a while!
spamfaux@infosec.pub · 1 pts · 3y
I’ve read that it’s hard to carry through the peach flavor. How’d you do it for your brew?
HorriblePerson@feddit.nl · 1 pts · 3y
By adding half the peaches in secondary. The peach flavour is subtle but it is definitely present. I also used a cider yeast, so it was nearly at its ABV limit when the peaches were added, maybe that helped slow down the fermentation as well.
spamfaux@infosec.pub · 2 pts · 3y
Nice. Good note. I’ll keep that in mind. Peach is on my list to try and brew with. I’ve also read that apricot juice is a good substitute to carry a stronger peach flavor but I’ve not had a chance to confirm that yet.