1) Drinking mead is awesome. You feel like a fucking viking. I'm going to culture a starter for this over break. 2) Drinking mead is not for pussies. This shit is electric robitussin. It tastes medicinal as hell and will have you buzzed after two 8oz glasses. Little bitches need not apply. 3) Mead fluoresces under blacklight. We viewed evidence of this. This is a mighty drink. 4) Mead should probably be mulled, spiced, or infused. A traditional grand mead is like liquid cough drops. FIGHT THROUGH THE PAIN AND MAKE IT TO DRINKING VALHALLA.
Robotussin was what we all settled on. He might have had some slight contamination, but I'm pretty sure that's just how mead tastes.
I've had mead. No, it should not taste like Robotussin, unless it wasn't done fermenting. It's possible that it was cloyingly sweet, but that would be a sign of a problematic fermentation as well.
Was it supposed to be a particularly high alcohol mead?
Also, did it taste plastic-like, or leave an oily or "slick" feeling on your palate?
It's possible that it was cloyingly sweet, but that would be a sign of a problematic fermentation as well.
It was definitely not sweet. If anything, I detected that problem first--There was a vinegary scent to it. ABV was intended to be at 11-12%. No plastic taste nor oily/slick feeling was noted.
I'm not sure robotussin is the correct description; it was more like a medicated honey-lemon throat drop to me. However, the acidity was notable and off-putting. I'll be sure to sanitize and allow for fermentation to run to completion when I make a batch.
That was my initial guess as well, but I wasn't about to sample this guy's mead and be like, "Hate to break it to ya, but even though you've been doing this longer than me, I can tell you've got an Acetobacter infection, and here's why." Especially since it was the first time I had seen him in years.
Last night I went to this place in LA called Yardhouse for a friend's birthday and I had two beers that I actually liked. Ranked in order of deliciousness: 1. Descheutes Black Butte Porter 2. Honey Honey Blonde
I got the honey ale first because I thought it'd be sweet (I like sweet drinks). It wasn't really, but it was still alright. Then I got the Porter because I remembered a strip from "Questionable Content" where Marty recommended a beer to Marigold, saying it had chocolate in it. I liked it much more than the Honey Ale.
The Left Hand Milk Stout Nitro is a great way to put yourself in a pleasant mood. Hints of maple, cherry, and orange. It's a tad sweet, and quite filling. It's a great drink when you need to console someone.
I'm pleased to report that I have fixed the chlorophenol problem. Spring water + brewing salts ftw!
And my ESB is tasty. And strong. Needs to mellow out a bit. Clocks in at 7.5%. The ordinary bitter is much weaker, clocking in at 3.2%. But it's ridiculously drinkable and just the slightest bit sweet.
So Wyatt and I are planning on doing another Petefest this year. To make up for my beer failure at last year's Petefest, I'm going to brew an old favorite again: Peter's Bitter Black Existence.
Only this time, I'm going to make it bigger and blacker!
In addition to the coffee and chocolate, I'm going to throw in some bourbon-soaked oak chips and some vanilla beans. Bourbon, vanilla, oak, coffee, chocolate, and a ridiculous alcohol content.
I predict awesome.
And yes, I'll be using spring water and some kind of commercial yeast. My wild yeast starter finally grew and holy fuck, it's a nice sour ale. I don't want a sour stout.
I think I'll use the wild yeast for the saison that I want to do. A tart saison would be perfect.
I don't know if you've oaked anything before, but do yourself a favor and use the oak balls instead of chips. I could have kicked the guy who sold me oak chips and then later, when i complained about spending 40 minutes with pliers getting them out, showed me the oak balls he had. To repeat: he showed me his oak balls.
"Getting them out?" I was just going to throw them in with the primary or secondary, and then rack off of them. I mean, an autosiphon should do a fine job of keeping chips out. Or does it get clogged up?
Well I was using gallon glass jugs to do a small wine batch, and the chips were wrapped up in some nylon mesh. Even so, you'll spend a while chasing the chips out with a hose, or picking them out of your carboy neck. They tend to logjam. The balls just roll right out the neck, and i think you can even re-use them. Soak whatever you use in some vodka or grain alcohol to sanitize it.
Gonna go get my first growler in Atlanta today after work. Also, the state congress finally passed a bill that will allow individual counties to determine whether or not it's legal to sell alcohol on Sundays. Hooray!
Gonna go get my first growler in Atlanta today after work. Also, the state congress finally passed a bill that will allow individual counties to determine whether or not it's legal to sell alcohol on Sundays. Hooray!
Buying alcohol on Sundays is pretty much impossible in my home town. City ordinance prohibits the sale of alcohol within 500 feet (I think) of a church in a town of 18 square miles. There are something like 65 churches in the town.
Comments
I told my friend about jacking, and he had never heard of it. He's considering jacking a batch of mead, for science.
I'm curious as to what you mean when you say it tasted "medicinal." Like chloroseptic, or something else?
Was it supposed to be a particularly high alcohol mead?
Also, did it taste plastic-like, or leave an oily or "slick" feeling on your palate?
I'm not sure robotussin is the correct description; it was more like a medicated honey-lemon throat drop to me. However, the acidity was notable and off-putting. I'll be sure to sanitize and allow for fermentation to run to completion when I make a batch.
Also, Acetobacter is the bug that makes vinegar, and it's a common problem in wines and meads.
Do you need to do multiple rackings with mead the same way you do with wine? As a beer guy, mead is still shaky ground for me.
Ranked in order of deliciousness:
1. Descheutes Black Butte Porter
2. Honey Honey Blonde
I got the honey ale first because I thought it'd be sweet (I like sweet drinks). It wasn't really, but it was still alright. Then I got the Porter because I remembered a strip from "Questionable Content" where Marty recommended a beer to Marigold, saying it had chocolate in it. I liked it much more than the Honey Ale.
SO! Any recommendations?
And my ESB is tasty. And strong. Needs to mellow out a bit. Clocks in at 7.5%. The ordinary bitter is much weaker, clocking in at 3.2%. But it's ridiculously drinkable and just the slightest bit sweet.
I'm bottling Monday, so I'll just leave the stuff out and take photos then.
Only this time, I'm going to make it bigger and blacker!
In addition to the coffee and chocolate, I'm going to throw in some bourbon-soaked oak chips and some vanilla beans. Bourbon, vanilla, oak, coffee, chocolate, and a ridiculous alcohol content.
I predict awesome.
And yes, I'll be using spring water and some kind of commercial yeast. My wild yeast starter finally grew and holy fuck, it's a nice sour ale. I don't want a sour stout.
I think I'll use the wild yeast for the saison that I want to do. A tart saison would be perfect.
I've heard that the cubes give a much deeper oak complexity, but take 2 - 3 months to really work properly. Are these similar to your balls?
Also, figuring out how to mash an all-grain imperial stout is tricky. Hello chalk and baking soda. You are my friends.