Update on Second Batch of Mead with Unpasturized Honey

Here it is! The last batch of mead, the one we will be presenting in class tomorrow and that our class mates will be sampling. 

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5, time to drink!

Filtering the mead using a cloth.

Filtered and bottled mead ready to take to class
tomorrow for our class mates to enjoy!

This mead tasted a lot sweeter and fizzier than the last batch. This may be due to the shorter fermenting time since there is still a lot of sugar left to be processed, thus increasing the level of carbonation (the conversion of sugar to alcohol produces carbon dioxide) and sweetness (Slinkard 2013). Another factor may be the use of unpasteurized honey, as it may have been richer in sugar and natural yeasts (so there was more to ferment), which could have produced similar effects. The initial gravity reading for this batch was 1.082/just over 10.8% and the end gravity reading was 1.068/just under 9.3%. The alcoholic content was therefore approximately 1.5%. However, as temperature could not be controlled for and gravity is best measured at 60° F, it's possible that these readings are incorrect. We also noticed this batch didn't have as much film on the surface from the fermentation process as the first batch did, which suggests to us the fermentation process may have been impacted in a way that slowed it down or interrupted it. This may have been due to the temperature of the mixture being too cool before the yeast was added or the lower temperature of where the mead was stored compared to the first batch.

I hope our classmates enjoy it!

-B (with a few additions by Jo)

Bibliography

Slinkard, S., 2013, Wine Fermentation. About.com [Online]. Available: http://wine.about.com/od/vineyardvocab/g/Wine-Fermentation.htm