Mead Journal: Lemon/Lime
May. 10th, 2011 08:34 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
matrix4bI racked the Lemon/Lime, Backsweetened and oaked it. It has 2 weeks on the oak then racking onto some sparkloid. I tasted it prior and after the backsweetening and WOW it tastes good. Not much lime but the lemon comes through astonishingly well. After back sweetening it I was very pleased witht the taste. In tasting this I know it could use a spice or some bittering agent, something to balance it. I think when I get around to my Lemon Sage Mead it should work out.
For those that don't know, Back Sweetening is the process of stopping the yeast and fermentation (called Stabalizing) and then adding more sweetness via more honey or other sugars. I had some honey in the second of the 2 buckets, I'd say about 6 pounds, most of it crystalized. To solve that I heated up a galon of water to boiling. Then pored it in and stired till it was all disoved. Then I put in about 12 cups of that solution, 1 gal to 6 pounds of honey is a bit strong for regular mix that I start with, that is about 4-5 pounds per gal. But it's great for backsweetening, adding sweetness will thin out the alcohol content and bring it to a sweetness level I like. This is the low alcohol one that is supposed to be more drinkable. I think that the oaking will bring in a flavor that will balance the sweetness and the lemon/lime flavor. I think that i may end up with a 6 gal batch here too.
And for my next trick: Bottling 3 batches: Raspberry Thyme, Peach Spearmint, Pumpkin Toasted Almond Spice. All are about ready for it.
Also, I plan on starting 2 more batches, using up the majority of the honey I have to make 2 chocolate mead batches, A Chocolate and a Chocolate Mint. I will be using 2 pounds of Cacao Nibs in the secondary, of which I need to buy yet. And one pound of MaltoDextrin to add body to it.
The next batch beyond that is going to be a strait pumpkin nut mead and this fall into winter I plan on finally doing the heroic effort of 3 meads in one day and doing the Trinary Rockbitter Test. Same batch but oaked with all 3 toast levels: Light, Medium, Heavy. That is after I get more honey.
That's it for now.
Dave
For those that don't know, Back Sweetening is the process of stopping the yeast and fermentation (called Stabalizing) and then adding more sweetness via more honey or other sugars. I had some honey in the second of the 2 buckets, I'd say about 6 pounds, most of it crystalized. To solve that I heated up a galon of water to boiling. Then pored it in and stired till it was all disoved. Then I put in about 12 cups of that solution, 1 gal to 6 pounds of honey is a bit strong for regular mix that I start with, that is about 4-5 pounds per gal. But it's great for backsweetening, adding sweetness will thin out the alcohol content and bring it to a sweetness level I like. This is the low alcohol one that is supposed to be more drinkable. I think that the oaking will bring in a flavor that will balance the sweetness and the lemon/lime flavor. I think that i may end up with a 6 gal batch here too.
And for my next trick: Bottling 3 batches: Raspberry Thyme, Peach Spearmint, Pumpkin Toasted Almond Spice. All are about ready for it.
Also, I plan on starting 2 more batches, using up the majority of the honey I have to make 2 chocolate mead batches, A Chocolate and a Chocolate Mint. I will be using 2 pounds of Cacao Nibs in the secondary, of which I need to buy yet. And one pound of MaltoDextrin to add body to it.
The next batch beyond that is going to be a strait pumpkin nut mead and this fall into winter I plan on finally doing the heroic effort of 3 meads in one day and doing the Trinary Rockbitter Test. Same batch but oaked with all 3 toast levels: Light, Medium, Heavy. That is after I get more honey.
That's it for now.
Dave