Wine Makers, Again

[rockyracoon]

I started some mead about 11 weeks ago and it’s still fermenting. Is this normal?

[Buenchico]

A quick bit of googling finds suggestions for the time needed for primary fermentation to be (for example) 'about 10 to 20 days' or ' around 2 to 4 weeks'. So, irrespective of whichever estimates you go by, you should be well beyond that period by now.

However this suggests that
(a) you should have racked the mead by now ; and
(b) you can expect secondary fermentation to continue for up to 90 days or so:
https://www.hiddenlegendwinery.com/discover-3-stages-mead-making/

[Old_Geezer]

I used to leave wine until it finished bubbling, but that wasn't always a good idea. Sometimes letting it sit on it's lees resulted in off flavours spoiling the wine. Might be worth considering stopping the process and bottling ?

[rockyracoon]

Thanks both. I’ll rack it tomorrow and see what happens.

[Atheist]

Is it still sweetish? If so, it probably neds to conitinue fermentation until all the sugar is converted to alcohol. Maybe racking it off its lees will stop bad flavours (although I have never made mead, so not an expert). Did you test the SG before fermenting? Has the SG dropped to a desirabe alcohol level?

[rockyracoon]

We didn’t do an SG reading, unfortunately. I’ll taste a bit when I rack and see how sweet it is.

TBH, I’m struggling a bit with the hydrometer so SG readings are a bit hit and miss at the moment. Once this Covid nonsense has left us, I’m going to see if I can book a wine making course.

[Atheist]

What's your problem with the hydrometer? It does give you a guide to how sweet (and potentially the final alcohol level) the initial mix is. I don't think it matters much for you. I'd be inclined to leave it until it stops bubbling (unless it starts to smell bad) and then syphon it off the lees and carry on like that. If I was impatient, I'd start tasting, then drinking, and learn from my experience what to de better. Good luck.

[DTCwordfan]

hic - can I have another sample?

[rockyracoon]

I just don’t get it. It’s not just me, my son doesn’t either. We’re clearly both being a bit dim.

You don’t think we should rack it just yet? I’m definitely having a taste tomorrow, should be interesting as I’ve never had mead before.

[Atheist]

I imagine that mead will not taste sweet and honeyish (although I've never tasted it!) If it does, and you like it, then congratulations. If it's dry and you like it, then congratulations. Go by your personal taste. I'd recommend not bottling something that is sweet; it might continue to ferment in the bottle and either blow the cork or explode the bottle.

[rockyracoon]

Thanks. We’ve not got too much of it, so no particular loss if it’s rubbish, and we got the honey for free. We’ve some plum wine and also some orange wine. Both have come along beautifully and are going to be bottled shortly. I don’t think the orange will last too long...

[Atheist]

rocky, are you making sweet and strong wines, or dry refreshing 10-12% wines?

[rockyracoon]

I have absolutely no idea

[Atheist]

What would you like to make?

[rockyracoon]

Country wines, mainly. I don’t really want to use grapes. As for sweet/dryness, a bit of variety as I like both. I only made the mead so that I could get my son interested and out of his bedroom for a while, he seemed keen on the idea and has come round to the other wines, and as I mentioned, the honey was free. I hope it’s nice as I’ve another huge pot of honey in the cupboard.

I wanted a hobby and thought wine making would be a good one that me and son could get involved in.

[Atheist]

It would be interesting to hear whether or not the mead tasts good when it's ready.

[rockyracoon]

I tried a sip of the mead, and it was completely underwhelming and bland. It's still fermenting, so will leave it a bit longer before racking. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it'll improve with age and flavouring.

[Atheist]

If it's bland, it could need more acidity or more tannin. Both can be adjusted, but I'm no expert as I only use real grapes where that is not a problem.

[Atheist]

Did it taste alcoholic at all?

[Old_Geezer]

Well maturing may help, or maybe your basic ingredients/quantities weren't ideal. It's a craft that improves with experience and experimentation. Did you follow a particular recipe ?

[rockyracoon]

Can't say I think it tasted alcoholic, unlike the orange wine that we've just bottled. You certainly know you're drinking that. I'll play with the flavours once it's finished fermenting.

OG, we followed a recipe from a Mead website. We've never tasted it before so have no way of knowing if it's right or not.