# Acidic/sour mead



## Ben Brewcat

Young mead can have a "hot" flavor to it, but it's not exactly sour... what kind of mead is this?


----------



## wfuavenger

3 gallon, 2 months in primary with strawberries and vanilla bean (then racked off), d-47 yeast (should be middle of the road in sweetness/dry). 3 weeks in a secondary with more strawberries, then racked off. It was a little cloudy so some pectic enzyme was added, less than the bottle recommended (so it should not be that).

Again, it is a acidic, sour fruit taste like unsweetened cranberry juice. It is not totaly undrinkable, but it has too much pucker factor for me.


----------



## BeeBrewer

It could be infected with lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus or Pediococcus) or something along those lines.


----------



## wfuavenger

I have also read that bruised fruits can make it bitter. Any ideas on removing the tart flavor?


----------



## Ben Brewcat

Hmm... there isn't anything in the ingredients that would lend sourness, so I'm thinking BeeBrewer might have a good candidate. If you're a winemaker, try a TA reading. Not much reduces acid with the possible exception of a malolactic fermentation, but that only reduces malic acid which shouldn't be a contributor to this mead's profile.

So really we're talking aging to see if anything improves, or blending later with something very low-acid or very sweet. You could consider sulfiting as a precaution against continuing souring from contamination.


----------



## wfuavenger

I will sulfite this batch and back sweeten to be sure.


----------



## plaztikjezuz

wfuavenger said:


> I have also read that bruised fruits can make it bitter. Any ideas on removing the tart flavor?


with strawberries the green part and the core of the stem can cause bitterness. half ripe berries will also taste bitter.

to me strawberries always have a strange bit, but, my wife loves it so I make it for her.

there are acid reduction powders, calcium chloride or carbonate reduces some acid, i forget which one. but it is generally used before fermentation.

time will break it down.
make sure it is not bacterial, then sulfate and back sweeten.
if this does not work.
you could try the strawberry flavoring to boost of the bitterness threshold.
blend it with a bland or low acid mead


----------



## mrspock

It's turning to vinegar.

Cause is dissolved oxygen in the carboy - shaking or stirring during fermentation can cause this.

Consider it a failed batch, but don't throw it out - Instead, stir the heck out of it to increase the vinegar content. Then bottle it and use it as Shampoo/Shower Soap.


----------



## Michael Bush

Honey vinegar sells for a permium. Like Basalmic vinegar it's very flavorful and highly prized by gormets. I would market it... or use it...


----------



## wfuavenger

I am going to bottle a carboy of it today. I will let everyone know how it is. When I went to back sweeten, it tasted fine. I think it was because I used store bought frozen berries for part of it, as they didn't have enough fresh berries, it just needed to mellow a bit.

I am not going to sulfite it as a lot of people I know are allergic or have GI issues with sulfites. I carefully backsweetened not to oxygenate and I left it in a deep freezer over night with a few blocks of dry ice in with it to push out the 02 and leave co2 for it to suck in as the liquid contracted. I then sorbated it while still below 30. 

I have left it to settle for over a month now. Clear as water with a blood red tinge to it. It is stable at about 14% ABV and it looks great. Again, I will let everyone know how it tastes when I bottle.


----------



## Ben Brewcat

Note that for anything to develop acetic acid (turn to vinegar) three things must be present: Alcohol, oxygen and inoculation (contamination) with _acetobacter_, usually introduced by fruit flies.


----------



## wfuavenger

Well, I bottled and tasted a few days ago and it was perfect..... And when you chill it, it gets a even more rounded out berry flavor.... I doubt I will be able to save too much for it to age!


----------

