Honeysuckle mead

[CrealCritter]

I racked the buchet off it's lees and took it's gravity of 1.000 on the nose. I added more honey straight from the jar to top up. When I was done the gravity increased to 1.050. So now the starting gravity is 1.120 (original gravity 1.070 + .050 racking increase) if this finishes out dry at .990 it'll be like 17.7% ABV alcohol by volume . And will surely jack my wife right up.

I did taste it at the 1.000 gravity and it had an interesting flavor profile of sour on the frontend with a hazelnut finish. It smells of faint honeysuckle. I also tasted it after adding honey at 1.050 gravity and it tasted like sweet honey hazelnut. So I guess hazelnut is going to be the base flavor at least for now anyways.

It's now back on the fermenting shelf for racking and tasting another day...

 

[CrealCritter]

Working on a label, I thought this would be funny.

 

[CrealCritter]

Want to know what's crazy? This gallon of mead is still fermenting, it's been 87 days since I started it. When will it stop and clear, who knows... Surely the yeast has got to give up the ghost sooner rather than later. I mean at 17.7% abv it's got to be getting close now

 

[wyoDreamer]

Wow, no wonder bees are happy buzzing around the honey suckle bushes.

If you would stop adding honey, maybe it would stop fermenting ...

 

[CrealCritter]

Wow, no wonder bees are happy buzzing around the honey suckle bushes.

If you would stop adding honey, maybe it would stop fermenting ...

I stopped adding honey long ago, after it stopped dropping in volume. I just checked and It's still fermenting, good grief, charlie brown!

 

[wyoDreamer]

I was just kidding you - I saw that you added honey at the beginning of Sept. and was impressed that it was still fermenting.

You will need to add a "Butt Kicking Strong" warning to your label for this one, lol. And keep it away from Baby Bear...

 

[CrealCritter]

The day has finally arrived, 103 days since pitching the yeast, it finally stopped fermenting. I'm very interested to give it a little taste test when I rack it into another clean and sterile gallon jug. Amazing it was a super clean secondary ferment with just a thin layer of lees on the bottom of the secondary fermenter.

Pictured next to a gallon of active fermenting pear cider wine and a gallon of clearing white grape wine.

Lees on the bottom of the secondary

 

[CrealCritter]

So I totally forgot about this mead (honeysuckle buchet bumetheglin)
after I racked it to clear Dec 7 2019. Until my son in law text me and said he just racked some mead he made. So at 241 days since I begun this mead, I decided to give it a little taste test

Here's the dusty 1 gallon jug with full air lock thankfully.

A sniff, smells like sweet flowery orange blossoms. A sip was really good, very alcoholic but smooth as silk. Absolutely no bitter or harshness what's so ever. So I got a mouthful, wow it tastes like alcohol honey, just slightly sweet, very good. I still can't believe i made this. Most definitely worth the wait.

Now I'm debating about bottling or racking again. Decisions decisions, boy I have such a tough life, don't I?

Edit... Well the airlock popped back up, so, the yeast is still alive . I topped it off with more raw honey. If I remember I'll check it again on a month or so and decide what to do with it then. My mead theory... More honey more better

 

[CrealCritter]

Well it's been 523 days since I pitched the yeast and remembered I should pull this gallon out of my closet and fill up the air lock. Yep you guessed right... The yeast is still alive and producing alcohol. I have no idea if this yeast will ever die off naturally. What is the alcohol content? It's anybody's guess at this point, I have absolutely no idea.

It's most definitely taking on a darker more mature tint. Get your Viking On!

 

[Mini Horses]

Wow! So the Vikings went into battle too drunk to know? Or care?