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Weak Metheglin

Last October when I first got started in homebrewing and mead/winemaking one of the first recipes I tried was the Christmas Spice Metheglin on Vicky's site (listed below). I followed the recipe to the letter and now, a year later, I was finally starting to think about checking it for bottling. I tasted it a few days ago and though I do taste the spices and such in it, it's a very weak drink. It's almost as if it has been watered down (which it wasn't). Little body or flavor, though what flavor I can detect seems like it would have been pretty good!

Anyone know what can be done with this? How can I add body and more flavor at this point? I was hoping to bottle it now to be ready for this Christmas, but I'm thinking there's little chance of that now. I'll be happy just to salvage it.

So what's the advice? Thanks.

-Jae

I'll post the recipe here from

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1 gal honey (I used a local NC honey) 1 tbsp dried lemon peel 2-3 cinnamon sticks 5 tbsp lemon juice 60 whole cloves 6 tsp fresh nutmeg 15 bay leaves (I used CA bay leaves) 5 inches bruised ginger root 5 tbsp orange peel 35 allspice berries, crushed 1 handful of black tea (I used Christmas tea) 1 pkg Red Star Montrachet yeast 4 tsp mead yeast nutrient

Heat 1 gal. of water to 160 and add the honey. Simmer at 160, stirring for 15 minutes until all honey is dissolved. Add spice tea (see below) Put 3 gal room temperature water in pail. Add hot must to bucket and and let cool to below 80. Pitch yeast starter into pail, agitate vigorously and seal pail with top and airlock. Rack after a month. Rack again at 3 months, and again until most sediment is left behind, or until hyrdrometer reading approaches 1.00. Taste test periodically, and if necessary, make another spice tea, let cool and add in next racking. Allow the mead to sit until it drops clear. Age in carboy if you can for at least 6 months (but a year is better, this takes a while to age out). Rack once more and bottle.

This mead will end up a slightly sweet, very spicy Christmas mead.

Reply to
JaeDavis
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You don't say if you have any residual sugar left or not. Is it dry or sweet? Without more details, it may be difficult to advise you. But, I will try. I would suggest considering adding potassium sorbate and potassium metabisulfite to stabilize it and then add some honey to sweeten it to the level you want. Let it sit for a few weeks to make sure it is clear and there is no renewed fermentation and then bottle it. The added honey flavor and sugar may help the "weak" flavor you describe. Certainly the sweeter meads take on a more fuller bodied flavor.

Reply to
Greg Cook

Over and over I find that Greg and I are on the same page. With that many spices I would have expected more flavor. But do try and experiment of drawing off a few oz's, sweeten with a little honey and see if it is more to your taste. A little sweetness will often bring out the flavors. If it is still not what you want you might try doing an infusion. Put the spices you want enhanced in a bag and let them soak for a few weeks. This may push back the drinking date but you may end up with something that is more to your taste.

OR bottle it now and when you want to drink it, pour it in a decanter with the spices you want and serve it that way.

Ray

Reply to
Ray

Jae wrote " How can I add body and more flavor at this point? I was hoping to bottle it now to be ready for this Christmas..."

Ray wrote "Put the spices you want enhanced in a bag and let them soak for a few weeks. This may push back the drinking date but you may end up with something that is more to your taste."

Good advice Ray...this will work. But if Jae wants to bottle for Christmas he needs to hurry up. I make a terrific spiced wine as follows - One bottle of red wine plus cinnamon sticks, cloves and orange slices (I add some sugar to sweeten this up). Heat just short of a boil, cover and let stand for 15 minutes. The resulting spice flavor is very noticable. I think Jae could make a strong spice tea like this and add back to the batch until he has the right flavor.

Bill Frazier Olathe, Kansas

Reply to
William Frazier

Whew! Finally - someone as looney as me! :)

Reply to
Greg Cook

If you are looking for body, a way to quickly add a bit is to add glycerin, bananas are an option on the front end...

I have glycerin, but never use it this way; I use it for lubing the corker jaws as needed. Regards, Joe

Reply to
Joe Sallustio

Sorry, guess I didn't say, did I? :) It fermented out dry. I have been thinking about one possibility. I made a cyser last year and oversweetened it a tad. After bottling it and letting it age in the bottle for a while, it seemed to sweeten even more in the bottle. I've been considering adding some of this cyser to it to both sweeten and to add flavor. As for spice flavor, that seems to be fine, so no real need for that - it's the body that is the problem. I'll try some of the cyser and see if that helps at all. :) Thanks for the thoughts.

-Jae

Reply to
JaeDavis

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