I brew my first mead one month ago. I've put 1 dose of honey for about 3.5 of water. Ended up with a 2 liters of must in a pet bottle. I've put 10 grams of yeast (the entire sachet).
Since i started, one month has passed and apparently there is no more fermentation.
So i siphoned it from the pet bottle in two glass bottles.
I just took a sip of the mead and i noticed a very distinct taste of yeast.
What can have happened? Did i put too much yeast? Or is it normal and the taste of yeast is going to fade after i siphoned it from the main container?
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1 Answer
Did you add any yeast nutrients or raisins to the must? Honey and water sound like a feast for your yeast, but it is really like trying to eat three square meals at an ice-cream parlor. There is no real nutrition available. The normal practice with meads is to fortify the must with some packaged yeast-nutrient. The ancient practice is to throw a few raisins in. Both techniques work.
Did you ever see any signs of fermentation? What were the starting and final gravities of your mead? It is not surprising that all of your fermentation is done after 30 days, but back in the first week, were things bubbling?
If there was, then you are probably okay. Mead provides an amazing testimony to the power of conditioning. I have never tasted a one-month old mead that I liked; but I have considered discarding many young batches which later mellowed out and became truly wonderful after 9 months to a year.
If there was never any fermentation, then what you have now is old honey water with yeast in it. This could be the result of using processed honey which might still have some chemical preservatives in it. It is odd for honey to have preservatives in it, because honey doesn't spoil. Still, I have occasionally found (and steered clear of) bottles of discount honey that contain additives.
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There was a problem about one day after the beginning of the fermentation. The must swelled together with the yeast outside the container, through the airlock... It wasn't much and it came back to normal after some hours. Even after that, the fermentation remained strong for about one or two weeks, then it gradually decreased. And i used raw honey. I don't have a densimeter, so i couldn't tell the gravity. Should i stop worrying and just let it rest? Or is there something i could do? Feb 9, 2015 at 23:11
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It sounds like everything went perfectly, (aside for the initial overflow which should have no effect on the finished product). Put it in a cool dark corner (60-70F) and leave it alone for 6 months. You can go colder if you want to clear out any suspended particles. After 6 months, taste it and decide if more time is needed. I think you will be happily surprised. Feb 10, 2015 at 0:03