# Barrel fermenting for break-in...Mead?



## the_rayway

Hi all,
I'm getting a 20L vadai barrel for Christmas, and so have been doing all of my reading up while I wait (and wait, and wait).

I've been reading about barrel fermenting a white for breaking in the barrel - my only issue with that is that I detest Chardonnays. At least every one that I've tried just tastes like yuck to me.

Soooo, what I'm wondering is: could I ferment a mead in the barrel? I'll be doing up a 15G batch of plain mead, which I plan to oak a bit. I'm thinking that if I ferment 5G's in the barrel, I can then mix it into the the other 10G's to disperse the oak flavour a bit before deciding if I want to cycle the rest through there before the reds start going in for ageing.

Anyone have any insight on this? Ideally the barrel will be for my fresh grape and kit reds (dry) once it's gone through the initial white ferment.


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## Pumpkinman

I don't see why you couldn't ferment in the barrel. I didn't break in my barrels, I put my red wine in it and tasted after a week, than a month, and I actually have a brunello in the barrel just under 6 months that I'll be rotating out today.


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## the_rayway

Thanks Pumpkin! I'm just trying to get all of my information and research put together


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## Pumpkinman

Perfect! Research and Info are the two best tools you can get!


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## west_end

So did you ferment a mead in the new barrel? How did it work out. 

Why do you think is was necessary to break in a new barrel this way? 

Thanks


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## the_rayway

west_end said:


> So did you ferment a mead in the new barrel? How did it work out.
> 
> Why do you think is was necessary to break in a new barrel this way?
> 
> Thanks



Hey West end: I'm getting the barrel for this Christmas, so haven't gotten my paws on it yet. 

When I was doing my research in the barrels and oak forum, I noticed that quite a few people barrel fermented a white (chardonnay or sauv blanc) in the barrel first in order to 'blow off' that first-round, too-intense oak taste instead of putting a finished red in there and potentially over-oaking it within a couple of days.

I was wondering about fermenting a mead because I don't like chards/sauv blancs and neither does anyone I know. I do, however, like mead and had a 15 gallon batch planned for this year. I figured if I barrel fermented 5 gals and it got over-oaked I could just blend with the other 10 to balance it out.

The jury is still out on what I'm going to do. I've got three reds lined up to put in there, and am still debating: a) ferment a mead, b) ferment a red, or c) just put the first red in there and watch it like a hawk.

What are your thoughts?


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## west_end

the_rayway said:


> Hey West end: I'm getting the barrel for this Christmas, so haven't gotten my paws on it yet.
> 
> When I was doing my research in the barrels and oak forum, I noticed that quite a few people barrel fermented a white (chardonnay or sauv blanc) in the barrel first in order to 'blow off' that first-round, too-intense oak taste instead of putting a finished red in there and potentially over-oaking it within a couple of days.
> 
> I was wondering about fermenting a mead because I don't like chards/sauv blancs and neither does anyone I know. I do, however, like mead and had a 15 gallon batch planned for this year. I figured if I barrel fermented 5 gals and it got over-oaked I could just blend with the other 10 to balance it out.
> 
> The jury is still out on what I'm going to do. I've got three reds lined up to put in there, and am still debating: a) ferment a mead, b) ferment a red, or c) just put the first red in there and watch it like a hawk.
> 
> What are your thoughts?




What kind of mead are you thinking of using? I have a carboy of a honey/ginger and a very nice, high octane honey/raspberry mead. I do not think either would benefit from Oak. Are you thinking of fermenting in the new barrel because it would knock down the oak the most? It seems like fermenting in the barrel would make it hard to clean and sanitize.

Also what do you think of skipping the oak during the fermentation process? From what I have been reading there are a lot of benefits of having oak in the primary fermenter. 

My plan right now is to have two or three carboys cleared and ready to go for the new barrel and watch them like a hawk. I was talking with someone today and they said there first wine was in their new barrel for 4 days before it needed to rotate out.


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## Boatboy24

I'm not a big Chardonnay drinker, but the first thing I did with my second barrel is ferment a Chardonnay in it. I'm glad I did and wish I had done something similar with the first. So for those thinking about getting a barrel, give thought to fermenting something in it before you start rotating wines through. Especially if you plan to use it for reds. Once that first red goes through, it's all red from there.


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## the_rayway

If I go with a barrel fermented mead, it will be a traditional (to start). And yes, exactly, to knock down the oak. I do have concerns about cleaning the barrel afterwards, which is why I'm still tossing the idea around instead of having made a final decision 

It seems most people go for a 2-4-6, or 4-6-8 week schedule to break in a barrel and fermenting apparently knocks the first number (either 2 or 4 weeks) off that schedule.

I've used oak chips/sticks in several of my meads so far and they have really done good things for them: a Blackberry, a Raspberry, and an Orange Creamsicle. Mead and oak seem to be a really good match!


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## Boatboy24

With both of mine, I did the break in process as written, then let the barrel sit for 4 or 5 days filled with a sulphite solution, just to be sure it didn't spring any leaks. After that, the first had a Super Tuscan in it for 5 weeks. The second had it's first wine for only three weeks, but that's only because it was in the older barrel for 8 weeks prior to that. Having said that, it is better to take the wine out too early, than too late. I know a few people here will put their first wine through for a few weeks, then run it back through again in a few months, when they can leave it longer. 

Bottom line: a person's preferred level of oak is what should determine the time in the barrel. So be sure to have at least a couple batches ready when you first start.


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## knockabout

Boatboy24 said:


> I'm not a big Chardonnay drinker, but the first thing I did with my second barrel is ferment a Chardonnay in it. I'm glad I did and wish I had done something similar with the first. So for those thinking about getting a barrel, give thought to fermenting something in it before you start rotating wines through. Especially if you plan to use it for reds. Once that first red goes through, it's all red from there.



Why do you wish you had dne t his with both? I have a 23l vadai I love, we had planned to run a white through first knowing it was the only shot, but we went right to reds, we tasted once a week and rotate our reds through shorter time than most folks in the beginning, but I love what the barrel does for the wine. We liken it to eating your cake batter vs. eating the baked cake I'd love to get another vadai and wonder if boatboy thinks a white first changes what your barrel will impart to the next red coming thru or just wishes he had a barrel aged white? Thanks!


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## WVMountaineerJack

Ray, I dont have a barrel but like your idea. Brother Adam who bread Buckfast bees used to ferment his meads and age them in oak barrels. We do put some oak staves in our meads and it goes very well with the meads, we also oak melomels and it turns out very nice. Since you must like oak I know you are going to like oaked mead. You will probably like it so much you will get another barrel just for oaking meads and forget about wasting your time with red wines We went to a meadery in Maryland, Orchid Cellars, that makes Polish meads, they age their meads in oak barrels, man the wonderful smells in their barrel room, of oak, and mead, and fresh honey fermenting was unbeleivable. Running a mead through your new barrel is going to be a good thing. Why would you have concerns about cleaning your barrel, there wont be any sticky honey left in it, you just rinse out the yeast and fill it back up with something else right?

WVMJ


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## Boatboy24

knockabout said:


> Why do you wish you had dne t his with both?



Mostly just because it would be another chance to barrel ferment. No reason you couldn't do it on a red though. Without a grape pack. I do think the barrel that was fermented in imparts a more mellow oak flavor. I don't know if that's just because of the fermentation, or simply that it's a different barrel.


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## the_rayway

WVMJ - I've been lightly oaking my meads so far and they are awesome (med toast oak chips mostly). And that is exactly what I'm thinking about for my next barrel - either a small 10L for meads, or a 1-2 litre for 'specialty' things like vanilla, fruit port, etc.

The visual you gave from Orchid Cellars just made my mouth water. Oh my. If we're out that way ever, I'm totally checking it out!


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## seth8530

Nice to hear from another mazer. What kind of honey do you plan on using for your mead?


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## the_rayway

Hey Seth!
Last year's batches were made from: clover, sunflower, wildflower, and alfalfa. All too young to tell much, but I have been pleased with what I've tasted so far. Got them all from a local apiary just outside of town.

This fall I ordered 60 Lbs of Canola honey from a guy I know, but he STILL hasn't shown up with it. I may go back to the lady I ordered from last year to get whatever she has left. Even picked up a demijohn to make this year's batch. Total bummer.

Thinking of biting the bullet and ordering some Orange blossom and Tupelo from somewhere. Then I'd like to do 1 Gallon side-by-sides with traditionals and see what's best to my taste.

How about you? What honey are you using? How long have you been making mead? I assume you're on GotMead? I am as well, screen name rayway. I mostly look around there though, not much in the way of posts from me  I'd love to hear what you're up to!


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## seth8530

Yeah, it seems to be the norm for mead to take quite a bit of time to get ready. My advice for you is to stay patient and avoid sweetening them ( I managed to ruin a year old batch of mead this way... my fault). I would certinally not be a happy camper if some guy shorted me out on 30kg of honey.... Also, I declare you are fortunate that you are able to get varietal honey in your local area. 

BTW, would you mind defining your definition of traditional? Some people use traditional and show mead in a flip flopped interchangeable manner sometimes.

In the past I have made a mutt strawberry mead which used some farmers honey.. Which I subsequently ruined after one year of aging by adding too much honey back. I currently have a 6 gallon batch of carrotblossom/meadowfoam that I think I used french oak on that is around 13 months old right now. I also have a 6 gallon batch of carrotblossom/meadowfoam that I added 1.5 gallons of pure cranberry juice to. I plan on sweetening that guy a bit and getting him ready to bottle today. Also, from this year I made a 12 gallon batch of White Sage "rose" that I made by chucking this years pressed pinot noir skins into a mead must. So that should be a fun one I believe.

So, I have a decent bit of experience making my own mead.. Just not much getting to enjoy the final product yet.

I am a patron level member on the gotmead forums, but I have since dropped my membership to the forum. It seems that the gotmead forum has lots of useful information on it but it just feels like the whole place is on deaths door. However, on the gotmead forum my screen name is seth8530.


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## SouthernChemist

seth8530 said:


> My advice for you is to stay patient and avoid sweetening them ( I managed to ruin a year old batch of mead this way... my fault).



I completely agree. I've had commercial meads that were so backsweetened that they were undrinkable. There is a local meadery near here that does make an off-dry traditional mead. It was better than their semi-sweet version, but I think it would be even better if it were closer to dryness. Course, it really does depend on your honey quality. Lower quality seems to stick out like a sore thumb when its dry, which is maybe why people I've met will drastically sweeten it.

A barrel fermented mead would be pretty interesting to try.


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## the_rayway

Hey Seth,
I was actually reading your Rose Pyment the other day. Good stuff!

Traditional Mead to me is made simply with honey, yeast, water, and any additives you might need. Show mead is only honey, yeast and water - nothing else. Is this your definition as well?

I also made the mistake of too much sweetning in my first mead (Rhubarb Berry). It's very much a dessert wine now. And I made a full 5 gal recipe. Ugh. I'm doing better with my others (Blackberry, Raspberry, Orange Creamsicle, Pear, Lilac, etc.)

You guys are lucky that you can get things like carrotblossom, OB, and tupelo. They just aren't available up here! I'm soo ready to try OB or Tupelo. 

Southern Chemist - I'll let you all know how it goes! I think I may get some sunflower honey to break it in. The jury's still out on that though.


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## seth8530

SouthernChemist said:


> I completely agree. I've had commercial meads that were so backsweetened that they were undrinkable. There is a local meadery near here that does make an off-dry traditional mead. It was better than their semi-sweet version, but I think it would be even better if it were closer to dryness. Course, it really does depend on your honey quality. Lower quality seems to stick out like a sore thumb when its dry, which is maybe why people I've met will drastically sweeten it.
> 
> A barrel fermented mead would be pretty interesting to try.



Yeah, looks we are on the same page. Infact, one of the reasons why I am making mead is because I have yet to find a commercial mead this is anything more than a gimmick or an overly sweetened honey pot. So, I feel your pain.



the_rayway said:


> Hey Seth,
> I was actually reading your Rose Pyment the other day. Good stuff!
> 
> Traditional Mead to me is made simply with honey, yeast, water, and any additives you might need. Show mead is only honey, yeast and water - nothing else. Is this your definition as well?
> 
> I also made the mistake of too much sweetning in my first mead (Rhubarb Berry). It's very much a dessert wine now. And I made a full 5 gal recipe. Ugh. I'm doing better with my others (Blackberry, Raspberry, Orange Creamsicle, Pear, Lilac, etc.)
> 
> You guys are lucky that you can get things like carrotblossom, OB, and tupelo. They just aren't available up here! I'm soo ready to try OB or Tupelo.
> 
> Southern Chemist - I'll let you all know how it goes! I think I may get some sunflower honey to break it in. The jury's still out on that though.



Yeps looks like we are on the same ladder. I really hope the pinot rose mead turns out... I honestly have no idea why people make show meads ^__^ But to each their own eh? Seeing that you read the gotmead forum, I am sure you are already quite familiar with how important scheduled nutrient additions are for the mead making process? 


BTW, I would give these guys http://www.flyingbeeranch.net/ A call or email. They are extremely friendly and they might be able to deliver to you. Who knows? Their honey is top notch.. However, it is a shame that some of their prices went up.. Before most of their honey went around 20 ish bucks for the half gallon.

Infact, just a few days ago I received my "sample" package from them which included buckwheat, carrot blossom, pumpkin, blackberry and raspberry honey... I can say, they are all quite awesome in their own ways.


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## the_rayway

Thanks Seth! I'll definitely check them out. 

Just think of it this way: _someone's_ gotta make show meads. Just so long as it isn't us! 

I am familiar with their nutrient feeding schedules. It seems like a natural progression to me in a person's evolution as a wine/meadmaker to learn to listen to your yeast and make sure it has what it needs. I also find that most wines, once you start getting into different yeasts, etc. really need nutrient step feeding (in one way or another) anyway. Gotta keep the yeasties happy! 

Some of those samples sound very interesting. I'm interested to hear what you will make with them! Pumpkin Honey huh? I wonder how that would go in the Pumpkin Hazelnut Mead recipe I'm thinking about...


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## seth8530

Ha, I guess ya got a good point eh? Well, these honeys are only in the 2lb format so I really would not be able to make much with them.. Except honey buttered biscuts.... mmmm it is godly lol. But back to the pumpkin honey, I found it had a really creamy kind of taste sort of like how meadowfoam has a marshmellow taste to it. I was actually surprised by how similar they tasted.


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## SouthernChemist

seth8530 said:


> Yeah, looks we are on the same page. Infact, one of the reasons why I am making mead is because I have yet to find a commercial mead this is anything more than a gimmick or an overly sweetened honey pot. So, I feel your pain.



Sadly, some of the bad examples I've come across almost scared me away from mead. 

I've been trying a couple experimental batches (a traditional and blueberry melomel) with the honey that my father got from his bee's this year, and I've meant to make a post on them in the Mead Forum. His honey is pretty nice and aromatic though its not a varietal honey by any means.. He's a bit skeptical of the 'mead' thing, though, so I'm making an effort to show him I have not wasted the 6lbs or so that he gave me. So far things look promising.


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## the_rayway

Ooooh, that Pumpkin honey sounds GOOD Seth! I think that really would go well with roasted pumpkin and sweet potato. Add a little hazelnut extract that I've made and it sounds like dessert!

My Mom used to make these amazing butter biscuits, and we slathered them with butter and honey. Wow, that's totally making me hungry! Lol.

Southern - the only commercial mead I've had was Lindisfarne mead, and it had been a wedding present for my husband's parents. Then forgotten about for 30 years until they divorced. We popped it open as a housewarming for his Dad. Was interesting, but not what I had expected. I'm sure your Dad will be very impressed with yours - how can he not when he supplied the honey!?

I should really check out the mead from a local orchard that is now in the Liquor stores. Sounds really yummy! Rigby Orchards, and they have a Cherry, a plain, and one other. Darn it. Now I'll have to pop by the LC today and check them out again.


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## seth8530

SouthernChemist said:


> Sadly, some of the bad examples I've come across almost scared me away from mead.
> 
> I've been trying a couple experimental batches (a traditional and blueberry melomel) with the honey that my father got from his bee's this year, and I've meant to make a post on them in the Mead Forum. His honey is pretty nice and aromatic though its not a varietal honey by any means.. He's a bit skeptical of the 'mead' thing, though, so I'm making an effort to show him I have not wasted the 6lbs or so that he gave me. So far things look promising.



I feel it, you are fortunate however, to have a honey supply. I think one of my biggest challenges with making mead is that I do not know what it should taste like.. Thus, when I am adjusting it I feel like I am taking a shot in the dark..


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## SouthernChemist

the_rayway said:


> My Mom used to make these amazing butter biscuits, and we slathered them with butter and honey. Wow, that's totally making me hungry! Lol.
> 
> Southern - the only commercial mead I've had was Lindisfarne mead, and it had been a wedding present for my husband's parents. Then forgotten about for 30 years until they divorced. We popped it open as a housewarming for his Dad. Was interesting, but not what I had expected. I'm sure your Dad will be very impressed with yours - how can he not when he supplied the honey!?



Ah...butter and honey. Fewer combinations exist that are greater in this world...

My dad is solely a beer drinker, though he sort of shocked me this past year when he tried some of a Chardonnay I've made. He didn't say much about it, but I noticed he drank the whole glad. He had never heard of mead before until I told him about it. I think the awesomeness of making an alcoholic beverage from his honey is what won him over in the end. You can definitely tell a difference in quality between his honey and anything you can buy in a store. 

I've tasted some fairly old wines and have an idea of how they can change. I can't imagine how much a mead can change over 30 years.


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## SouthernChemist

seth8530 said:


> I feel it, you are fortunate however, to have a honey supply. I think one of my biggest challenges with making mead is that I do not know what it should taste like.. Thus, when I am adjusting it I feel like I am taking a shot in the dark..



It is difficult to have an idea of what you're shooting for when there are few examples of what it should be (and they vary widely). I missed the honey extraction by a couple of weeks, but I did get to help inspect a couple hives that belonged to a friend of my dad's. Quite an interesting experience, and a frame full of honey is a lot heavier than you think it might be at first glance. The more amazing thing was seeing all the bees and realizing that they were not too terribly concerned with what we were doing.


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## brewski09

SouthernChemist said:


> It is difficult to have an idea of what you're shooting for when there are few examples of what it should be (and they vary widely). I missed the honey extraction by a couple of weeks, but I did get to help inspect a couple hives that belonged to a friend of my dad's. Quite an interesting experience, and a frame full of honey is a lot heavier than you think it might be at first glance. The more amazing thing was seeing all the bees and realizing that they were not too terribly concerned with what we were doing.



I like the idea of not really having a framework. It allows for creativity and experimentation. It also removed the "X meadery's is better" issue when people are tasting it.


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## WVMountaineerJack

Buy a bottle, drink it, and then tell yourself you can make it better. At least taste some before giving advice on how to make it Seriously though, there are some good ones and some bad one, mostly the bad ones taste watery and with little body. You can fix that easily enough by adding more honey, stabilizing and backsweeting with a little more honey. The other kind of sort of bad mead (of course everyone wont agree) is one that is way oversweet but not balanced, kind of like drinking a honey cocktail. We are lucky, we have Orchid cellars, a meadery near us, they make this awesome Polish mead, its sweet and so well balanced, and they age it in oak so I know Rays stuff will be good going thru her barrel. Find yourself a beekeeper nearby, offer to help out and learn a little about bees and you might find yourself a great supply of local raw honey and get in touch with the local varietals. Its hard to make a good mead if you are measuring honey by the teaspoon, you need to be willing to really put some in there! 

ps I have to not agree with you on GM site, the forum is very good, the rest of the site looks like it was started with a big band and fizzled, but hoepfully with new people like you making more meads there will be more interest. 

WVMJ



seth8530 said:


> I feel it, you are fortunate however, to have a honey supply. I think one of my biggest challenges with making mead is that I do not know what it should taste like.. Thus, when I am adjusting it I feel like I am taking a shot in the dark..


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## seth8530

WVMountaineerJack said:


> Buy a bottle, drink it, and then tell yourself you can make it better. At least taste some before giving advice on how to make it Seriously though, there are some good ones and some bad one, mostly the bad ones taste watery and with little body. You can fix that easily enough by adding more honey, stabilizing and backsweeting with a little more honey. The other kind of sort of bad mead (of course everyone wont agree) is one that is way oversweet but not balanced, kind of like drinking a honey cocktail. We are lucky, we have Orchid cellars, a meadery near us, they make this awesome Polish mead, its sweet and so well balanced, and they age it in oak so I know Rays stuff will be good going thru her barrel. Find yourself a beekeeper nearby, offer to help out and learn a little about bees and you might find yourself a great supply of local raw honey and get in touch with the local varietals. Its hard to make a good mead if you are measuring honey by the teaspoon, you need to be willing to really put some in there!
> 
> ps I have to not agree with you on GM site, the forum is very good, the rest of the site looks like it was started with a big band and fizzled, but hoepfully with new people like you making more meads there will be more interest.
> 
> WVMJ



It would seem in my area that their is actually a bigger issue with uber sweet meads than their are the meads which are too thin. I have tried a couple commercial meads in the past and I have not liked them way too much because they were way sweet. From these experiences of tasting uber sweet meads I have endeavored to make a good mead which is more on the off dry to semisweet side. That and my own personal expeirence with making a mead that was quite a bit too sweet....


Perhaps I was a little harsh with my thoughts on the GM forums. I believe that the GM forums has a lot of very useful information on it, but I feel like it lacks the life that this forum has in it.. However, I also wish that the GM forum succeeds and that mead eventually becomes an easy to find viable drink much like cider has become recently.

BTW, I hope I have not portrayed myself as a mead making expert. I realize that other people on this board might have more experience than me, but I felt like from my mistakes that I had something worth putting forward.


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## brewski09

WVMountaineerJack said:


> Buy a bottle, drink it, and then tell yourself you can make it better. At least taste some before giving advice on how to make
> 
> WVMJ




Okay, the point I was trying to make was that the area the OP was trying to create has few commercial examples and that I like styles such as this because it's really your own, not just a clone of an existing product. I like working in styles like that without many examples.


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## WVMountaineerJack

Sorry Brewski, I should have made it more clear I was replying to Seth who we want to encourage a strong sense of experimentalism. Your post was spot on, we do this all the time, try entering one of these in a winemaking comp, we have had them removed from the correct category I put them in, recategorized because the judges couldnt figure out what it was supposed to taste like, even though they thought it was a good wine, so didnt feel they could judge it and so even though it was good stumbled on a decision about putting an award to it. I thought that would happen when I entered, the comps should have a category for experiment wines that their little brains have never imagined before  WVMJ


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## WVMountaineerJack

Seth, you got a nice smile and cool hat, you would make a good pic on a mead label! GM is specific in one area, WMT is much more general, you wouldnt expect to compare traffic between the sites. Like you I make a lot of different things so here is a great place to. A well balanced uber sweet can be good, an unbalanced one like they just dumped some honey in at the end. What is suprising is a dry one, can have some sweetness and body even though its dry by a hydrometer scale, must be those unfermentables that remain to the end. WVMJ


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## brewski09

WVMountaineerJack said:


> the comps should have a category for experiment wines that their little brains have never imagined before  WVMJ




Beer comps do have this. BJCP category 23. Also a mead category in 24 is traditional, 25 is melomel, and 26 is other mead. A bit lacking in mead styles if you ask me, but they are there.


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## the_rayway

One thing I can say about GM - I love the sense of humour on that site!

Seth - I agree with WVMJ. The hat is awesome.


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## seth8530

WVMountaineerJack said:


> Seth, you got a nice smile and cool hat, you would make a good pic on a mead label! GM is specific in one area, WMT is much more general, you wouldnt expect to compare traffic between the sites. Like you I make a lot of different things so here is a great place to. A well balanced uber sweet can be good, an unbalanced one like they just dumped some honey in at the end. What is suprising is a dry one, can have some sweetness and body even though its dry by a hydrometer scale, must be those unfermentables that remain to the end. WVMJ



Heh thanks, I still might have to pass before I start putting my own face on my mead labels lol.

But you are correct, that GM is a very specific board dedicated to a very specific product. It just feels like to me that their should be a bit more traffic on the board than their is.

I am yet to try a wine or mead which was ubersweet that I would call well balanced; however, I tend to shy away from things that are very sweet so I guess I should not be surprised I have not found one yet.

I have however, noticed what you are talking about a mead tasting sweet even though it has gone dry. The first mead I made dropped down to .994 to .992 ish and yet is still tasted oddly sweet. I thought it was pretty neat lol. I am not sure what causes it either.



the_rayway said:


> One thing I can say about GM - I love the sense of humour on that site!
> 
> Seth - I agree with WVMJ. The hat is awesome.



Lol thanks, my girlfriend made it for me for my birthday. I decided to wear it to all of my classes that day.


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## SouthernChemist

WVMountaineerJack said:


> Seth, you got a nice smile and cool hat, you would make a good pic on a mead label!



I think it would be even better if he were holding a Viking drinking horn in his hand!


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## the_rayway

Ok friends!
Unfortunately for me, my barrel is waiting to be replaced - so there will be a further delay in getting this ball rolling. However, I contacted my honey lady from last year, and she still had some honey left for me! I ordered 15 Lbs of clover.

I'm looking at a clover traditional. Shooting for a final of 3 gallons, so will ferment closer to 3.5 or 4 gals at the start. I will likely use my brand new BA11 yeast; I'm looking forward to seeing how it does! I'll post the recipe as soon as I decide what all is going in there.


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## west_end

I was curious about what a commercial mead might taste like so I picked up a bottle of this. It was $25.00 so i hope it's good. Has anyone made a mead and added hops?


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## seth8530

Looks interesting, does it really say 19% ABV? Please give us some tasting notes!


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## brewski09

west_end said:


> I was curious about what a commercial mead might taste like so I picked up a bottle of this. It was $25.00 so i hope it's good. Has anyone made a mead and added hops?



I've not made it myself, but the local meadery makes a really nice one where they dry hop with Chinook and cascade, which are very common hops for beers. I am primarily a beer brewer though. The are many great hops that would work well for this, so I would start experimenting with split batches after fermentation and bulk aging is done. I would start with .5-2oz per 5 gallons for about 3 days. You can use leaf or pellet, but i would go with leaf. You can also leave it in longer than 3 days, but may notice a vegetal quality around 2 weeks. The hop oils are pretty soluble in alcohol though. Also, you have to protect it from light when you add the hops because they turn slinky when they are exposed to light. God luck and let us know about your results.


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## west_end

brewski09 if you add hops after fermentation most of what you would get is an added hoppy aroma. Thats why hops, during beer making, are added during the boil.

Could you boil the hops a bit and then add the water and hops to the mead carboy during aging?


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## brewski09

west_end said:


> brewski09 if you add hops after fermentation most of what you would get is an added hoppy aroma. Thats why hops, during beer making, are added during the boil.
> 
> Could you boil the hops a bit and then add the water and hops to the mead carboy during aging?




I had to think on this one a little bit. You could do a hop tea in a sanitized French press where you steep between 150-180f. I would target 170f for up to 30 minutes. However, you will still get bitterness out of this. I don't know how it would balance with a sweet mead, but it would be interesting to work with. 

I think the best way to do it at this point would be to pour some finished mead onto hops making a fresh tea out of it and also blending some pressed and chilled hop teas with a range of finished meads with a few different sweetness levels. If you have leftover hops, protect them from oxygen as best you can and freeze them. Light, heat, and oxygen are the biggest culprits for hop degradation. They should not be yellowish or smell cheesy. 

Some hops I would experiment with are chinook, cascade, 
Simcoe, Nelson sauvin, Amarillo, galaxy, sorachi ace, or small amounts of citra. A good homebrew supply should have them in stock for around 2.50/oz.


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