Ten Month Mark
These batches are now ten months in the carboy...
Orange Blossom Mead (#16)
It's getting there. The astringency from May's sampling is fading, and the orange blossom flavor is starting to emerge. Soft and nice. There's still hints of soapy yeastiness in the late finish, and they remain after everything else has faded. I hope this stuff will be ready for bottling by Wings, but it's probably going to be next spring before it's fully ready.
Oaked Clover Mead (#17a)
Eye-opening nose. Very pleasantly "meady."
Drinkable, if a bit vanilla. VERY vanilla in the finish. I need to rack this off the oak chips. Or heck, bottle it. When I sampled this batch two months ago, I suspected it was ready for bottle aging. Now I'm sure.
Un-Oaked Clover Mead (#17)
The nose is a wee bit off-yeasty, but pleasant. It cleans out after it sits in the glass for a few minutes.
First contact is zesty, although not as citrus as it was two months ago. Flavor is light, but underdeveloped, with some touches of soap in the finish.
...
I gave each carboy a fresh blast of nitrogen and recharged the airlocks.
Orange Blossom Mead (#16)
It's getting there. The astringency from May's sampling is fading, and the orange blossom flavor is starting to emerge. Soft and nice. There's still hints of soapy yeastiness in the late finish, and they remain after everything else has faded. I hope this stuff will be ready for bottling by Wings, but it's probably going to be next spring before it's fully ready.
Oaked Clover Mead (#17a)
Eye-opening nose. Very pleasantly "meady."
Drinkable, if a bit vanilla. VERY vanilla in the finish. I need to rack this off the oak chips. Or heck, bottle it. When I sampled this batch two months ago, I suspected it was ready for bottle aging. Now I'm sure.
Un-Oaked Clover Mead (#17)
The nose is a wee bit off-yeasty, but pleasant. It cleans out after it sits in the glass for a few minutes.
First contact is zesty, although not as citrus as it was two months ago. Flavor is light, but underdeveloped, with some touches of soap in the finish.
...
I gave each carboy a fresh blast of nitrogen and recharged the airlocks.