First Mead of 24!!!!
1/4/24 (Day 1)
2 lbs Golden Lake Honey
1.95 lbs Maple Syrup from farmers market (Left some for back sweetening)
1/2 tsp Tannin
1/2 tsp Fermaid O
Lalvin QA23 Yeast (rehydrated in spring water)
Spring water
S.G. = 1.100 (13.3% if it goes dry)
So I originally had this in a glass carboy but the S.G. was way to high. I moved to a fermenting bucket to add more water. I’ve got over a gallon of must. I pitched the yeast. No other ingredients today.
1/6/24 (Day 3)
2 tsp DAP yeast nutrient
1/8/24 (Day 5)
1 tsp Fermaid-O
1/11/24 (Day 8)
1 tsp Fermaid-O
1 campden tablet
S.G. = 1.030
1/19/24 (Day 15) Stabilized
Well I messed up. I racked into clean carboy and stabilized. I thought we were further along. I didn’t even take a gravity reading. Shoot. Well I got a completely full gallon and then racked 1 more bottle into swing top. (That swing top is NOT stabilized!!!) Shoot!
2/12/24 (Day 39)
Racked into bucket. S.G. = 1.000
Back sweetened to 1.020 with rest of maple syrup.
1/8 tsp Acid Blend
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 cup French oak chips to mellow for 3 days
Flavor is bitter, but somehow still sweet. It reminds me of a whiskey.
2/16/24 (Day 43)
Bottled today!!! Still a bit “hot” and has a slight burnt rubber taste. Gonna let it age for a year and see how it tastes.