Aged Mead - Tasting our Dry Traditional Mead after One Year

Aged Mead - Tasting our Dry Traditional Mead after One Year. We always talk about how time can help a mead taste better. Why does aged mead taste better? What makes a dry mead harder to age?
Why is it hard to get a traditional mead to taste good? Let's talk about that and more as we taste a year old dry traditional mead.
Simple Traditional Mead - How to Make a Basic Dry Mead: • Simple Traditional Mea...
Simple Traditional Dry Mead Tasting - Only 4 Weeks Old!: • Simple Traditional Dry...
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[@_M_a_r_t_i_n_M]

There are so many talking points made in this video, many of which I simply need to agree with. Some I need to agree vehemently with. Some are new spins on concepts I had already had thought out. And the fact that home brewed alcohol (whether simply brewed, or brewed and home distilled) is truly no better or worse than store bought. In EVERY CASE, it can be BOTH.. MOST people absolutely LOVE my mead. One had offered to pay me $100 for a 500ml bottle of my Apple Pie Brandy... (That was a HELL NO, I do not want to forfeit any possible future chance at obtaining a commercial license should the police hear about that.. distilling at home here in Canada is all fine and legal, selling outside the provincial liquor board is a no-no).. And for some things like vodka, or even basic red wines or beer, it can be just, quicker and cheaper to go get what you want from the store.. unless a bulk amount IS the idea.. The store can be quicker... You can always opt to pay for the Top Shelf bottles.. Sure I can make liquors of that quality. And meads that no store has ever had the grace to have placed on a shelf there.. But yeah. That last point there is one that ALL home brewers need to understand in their heart. It is an art and a science for us.. It is a hobby. Should we make it into a career, and manage to hack our way though all that red tape... Heck Yea! But, like all things. Some things are best left as a hobby.

[@oldtimeengineer26]

I got a strawberry wine I did was not very good when bottled. Now it is 15 months later and now it is just fantastic and I can not leave the bottle down,

[@foxhollerhomestead]

We have 5 gallons of Hard Apple/cinnamon cider that has been sitting in my storage for a little over a year and a half! Can’t wait! You two always excite me when it comes to making more mead!! Many blessings to y’all! Dusty

[@aaronshows]

I know you’ve had the opening theme song for a while now, but every time I watch your videos and it starts playing, I say out loud in a low voice, very slowly, “the all new…Dodge Ram.” Sounds weird to type that out here, I know, but if you try it yourself, it just works.

[@LordMogatron]

I took the leap yesterday to make my own recipe; I've started a pumpkin spice mead. Your all's videos are very inspiring and I love this hobby.

[@mythic_snake]

I love pumpkin spice, but strongly suggest not trying to use any actual pumpkin LOL. Brian tried to warn me. I did not listen LOL.

[@creativeevilgenius]

So I’m from WI! I have been making your recipes! My cousin is a vendor at the ren fairs, he sells stuff at every event across the state and tests all of the meads at these places. He said the mead we’ve made from your recipes is by far better than anything he’s had at the fair so….. there you go! Lol so thanks for giving me skills that are being appreciated by many around this area.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Wonderful! Thanks for watching!

[@Wilkidw]

The Georgia Ren Fest is going on around Atlanta for the next few months. Come on up and take a crack at what we have on offer.

[@joshhebard2130]

Wisconsin's ren fair is awesome in Bristol!! It was my first year last year, my buddy decided to show me into it and I instantly fell in love. Also my love ... for mead, alas their mead isn't anything special. Was bagged but had quite a nice flavor to it and had both blueberry and a traditional mead. I've had better for 16 dollars per horn xD...

[@eddavanleemputten9232]

Couldn’t agree more on the home made vs commercial point. You CAN make something you like better/less than what’s available commercially and yes, objectively the quality CAN be better than what is available in your area (or worse!). It is however in my opinion like comparing apples and oranges because of all the variables involved. Home brewers have more flexibility, commercial brewers have kit at their disposal that isn’t (easily) accessible to home brewers. Laws can be restrictive and let’s face it: production cost will affect methods. A home brewer does not have access to bulk prices but might choose to save up in order to buy an ingredient that’s pricey and just not cost-effective on a commercial level. Etc etc etc. Hence: totally different ball game. Conclusion: have fun, brew what you like (or your friends/family likes) and enjoy the results.

[@TheStraycat74]

7:16 I saute onion with marsala wine. I haven't used mead in cooking cause I usually drink mine

[@ronweber1402]

I found traditional mead needs at least a year in a carboy or demijohn but if you want something to drink quick I find melomels (black cherry and blueberry are my favourites) come up to drinkable in about 4 months. I like to add some dark black tea to my melomels to give them some tannins. I also like to oak the melomels to smooth them out a bit more.

[@ausbucket1a]

Hi guys, love your work, especially the mead videos. Being from Australia where we use the metric system of measurement, I just want to confirm that when you say "gallon" you mean "US gallon" and not "Imperial gallon" because there is almost a litre difference between the two conversions.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We are in the US so yes, US gallon.

[@joesuarez7381]

I really enjoy your work

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@johnoxley3397]

Great way of explaining ageing. Chain links breaking and reattaching.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Thank you!

[@ADKwarriors]

I am 100% on board with Derica. My first Dry Trad. mead was OB honey and it came out as a white wine basically with a super floral scent and feels watery when drank. Also agree with Brian that it grows on you the more you drink it. I found that Wildflower honey made a little nicer dry traditional. Either way they are awesome and better than what I have bought from the store. That being said I am super grateful for your videos and information, it has turned me into a mead brewing fanatic. My current experiment is a Buckwheat honey dry traditional. I also highly recommend experimenting with Blood Oranges ;)

[@johnp.2267]

Thank you for making these videos! I'd love to see you two make a black bean or sweet potato wine, in the style of saké. With the black beans, I wonder if the coloration would transfer to the wine, or not. Hmmm...

[@shawndcummings]

I have my first ever traditional mead that just finished fermentation. I couldn’t believe when I tasted it how you could almost taste the flowers the bees had used in the making of the honey. Lol. It’s very dry and and fairly low ABV but so pleasant already. I can’t wait to see how it tastes in six months.

[@ronweber1402]

I always found my traditionals tasted like really bad white wine right out of the primary but you give them a year in a carboy..... total transformation.

[@iknowyoureright8564]

@@ronweber1402glad to hear this. Finished my first ever mead this week…..tasted very dry and almost like a cheaper white wine. Was worried that I couldn’t taste any of the floral or honey notes that people talk about. So I thought about back sweetening but, it topped out at 12.5% and I know the yeast I used can go to 18% so worried about restarting fermentation. I think I’ll just tack it into a new glass container and leave it for a few months, And take small samples every month or so to see how it’s coming along. Thanks.

[@thankfulpeeps5456]

Great video! We stumbled upon (drunken pun intended) your channel in Feb and were inspired to brew our first mead…so far so good! Question: I siphoned off 1 quart to oak for the last weeks of conditioning before we bottle it all so that left the other 3 Qts in the jar with a lot of headroom. I degassed after racking but there’s still pressure in the airlock-just wondering if I should be concerned about the amount of headroom and what problems it might cause? Thanks!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

It sounds like with the pressure in the airlock that your degassing released enough gas to give you a blanket of CO2. This is helpful, but not a complete fail safe. We try to keep extra head room to a limited amount, but you do what you can with what you have. In this case where you are trying to make the most of your brew and end up with two flavor profiles in the end, I understand your process. I would keep an eye on it and bottle it as soon as it clears to your liking. That way you lessen risk of exposure to oxygen and any possible "off flavors."

[@thankfulpeeps5456]

@@CitySteadingBrews Awesome, thanks so much!

[@alexcan669]

Sounds delicious guys. Keep up the great job

[@lescobrandon2202]

These year after tasting-videos are interesting

[@edwardcunningham6315]

Once again derika and I have the same tastes. I like SWEET drinks 👍. So I made a honey mead with additional white sugar. Still waiting for it to age (it's only five weeks old). I'll let you know when it's six months 😁👍 Happy holidays ❤️

[@clevelandmortician3887]

Make it sparkling, will carry the aroma and clean up the finish

[@scottharper8696]

My local Ren Fair doesn't even have mead. Thats why I'm here. lol

[@silliepaulie640]

crazy idea blueberry mead with a small amount lemon juice or peel

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Like this one? ;) Blueberry Mead - Simple Homemade Recipe kzbin.info/www/bejne/kJXQh3WFls2Ld5I

[@dragonianwolf]

if you ever get the chance and funding come to the EU mead makers are rare here in belgium BUT the few that are commercially active do make fine products (the one I love most is in germany though so not easy to obtain for me anyway) if you ever get the chance visit the places you get suggested I'm sure some will amaze you with there wines and mead and others will dissapoint you who knows maybe you'll find inspiration for an epic mead to blow all our minds

[@yourmetalgod69]

haha, only one rant for the day? I am thinking of adding oak in primary to a brew soon, not a lot mind you but have heard good things about doing it in all stages which is a crazy thought to me. It is a 100% experimental thing to do so I am thinking say 2-3 chips in primary and just leave them in the whole process until bottling. might be fun for a dry traditional. or like a 2-3 cubes maybe. I don't know just tossing it around in my head. and am thinking of doing it with a strawberry/rhubarb mead I am making this summer.

[@hobbitguy1420]

Bristol rennfaire in Wisconsin, represent!

[@BrentWalker999]

Great video!

[@edwardcunningham6315]

Sorry I missed mentioning that I used the "simple honey mead" recipe and added the white sugar (SG-1.13) with fleshmans yeast 👍

[@ethane61306]

At 10:10 Brian says that it could use more “tannic backbone.” How would you accomplish that? I’m excited to try this recipe. I’m hoping to start this one and the beginner brew recipe around the same time so I can compare. Really appreciate all the tips and recipes from your videos!

[@gtjdbydave]

From my understanding, there are different oaks, any thoughts on what different oaking means and how they affect the flavors? Maybe a video on a deeper dive in just oaks and oaking?oak in general?, I enjoy these videos and check out your links all the time. To bad you aren't a sponsor of some of these items.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We do link to our source for wood for aging often. They sponsor the show in part.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

You're right, there are many woods to use. Each offers it's own unique flavor. There's hundreds, so... all you can do is experiment really. We have done videos on oaking: kzbin.info/www/bejne/amjGZJailsuNh5o&ab_channel=CitySteadingBrews kzbin.info/www/bejne/eYeUdKp_i7WfncU And we've wood aged several brews too along the way.

[@gtjdbydave]

Thanks, I'll check these out as well. I love your work.

[@ghoppr71]

We go to the Ren Faire in Fairburn, Ga. Their Mead wasn't any good. It was like they took white wine and added honey to it.

[@UrzuS3V3N]

Just wanted to drop a message to say thank you for all the videos! You have inspired me to make my own mead! I have just ordered all the kit and should be in full swing by the end of the month! woo! Please never stop doing what you guys do! On a side note, do you have any recommendations for a very nice 'session' mead? Something that you can, and would want to, drink big mugs all evening/night without being sickly sweet or having a flavour that will be too strong that would become overwhelming over time? Obviously doesn't have to have high ABV either or I'll be on the floor instead of enjoying the evening, hahah! For reference, im a big fan of light beer such as Coors but I also enjoy an IPA session with snacks and football!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Sounds like you are actually looking for a hydromel: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fn2znJ-ubrp6kKc We have more hydromel recipes coming up!

[@UrzuS3V3N]

@@CitySteadingBrews Nice! Thanks! Look forward to more

[@stevecain8008]

I'm just getting started with mead making and I think I may have gotten lucky on my first batch. I started my first 1 gallon batch on Valentines Day with 3 pounds of honey and a white wine yeast. It actually took 4 weeks to finish fermenting (my basement area where I work is a 67 degrees) I racked it off into another carboy on 3/14 to separate most of the lees and after 2 weeks of resting to separate the lees and allow clarification I bottled it. What I ended up with is a meed that is crystal clear and approximately the color of bourbon. (The honey was dark) Excuse me for rattling on but my question for you was actually about how long fermentation should take. I started another batch of mead on 3/16 with a better local honey (4 pounds because I want to go sweet). Love your stuff, I'm an old guy (68) new hobby, I'll try not to rattle on too much in the future but this is fascinating

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Fermentation takes as long as it takes. There are so many different factors that can make fermentations go slower or faster. If you are looking for a faster fermentation then the easiest thing to change is temperature. Wrap your vessel in blankets, for example. Sorry I can't give you a specific answer, as there isn't one.

[@stevecain8008]

@@CitySteadingBrews thanks I guess that’s actually what I assumed. I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t possibly doing something wrong. Along the same lines are there any advantages (flavor etc…) to a slow fermentation?

[@OneImperfectSaint]

While I love my Ren Faire, this one in south Wisconsin isn't brilliant for mead. This past weekend they asked me to choose blueberry or honey. I think they got it from a bag. I'm a mixologist hoping to make mead a more viable cocktail ingredient.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yeah, ours just doesn’t know what mead is either.

[@closertothetruth9209]

mine are so dry its like wines ive had, very high in alcohol though 18%, i actually thought screw it ill put them through the still, i run my lawn mower on 95% home made.

[@connissia]

Did Derica let slip a little sneak peek when she mentioned strawberry? 🧐🤔😁

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Ha! I never know when these videos will be released. If I let a sneak peek slip, it was unintentional. Or was it? 😉

[@Quinny1394]

I remember my first mead, it was a while ago now, it ended up really dry, it wasn't that strong, about 7 or 8% and bitter!! I ended up dumping it and I felt like I couldn't save it. and i didn't make a mead for several months after but curiosity got the better of me and I tried again and the second one was better, it was semi sweet and about 12% and I had some fruit in it, I cant remember what at this point, but my thing is don't make mead too low in abv. try to over shoot the amount of honey used for the alcohol tolerance of your yeast so it doesn't dry way out, my most recent mead, is currently in secondary/conditioning and is 15% and semi sweet and I used a beer yeast, Nottingham ale yeast. Dry can be good though, I thought id like dry mead because I like dry cider and dry white wine, most recently we had a Pinot Grigio for my mums birthday, but I just don't like mead that dry, nor do I like red wine dry, not that I drink red like at all but still. beers are different, like Irish dry stout ie Guinness I don't mind, dry lagers like "super dry" and "extra dry" im not buying it, just not a fan. I tend to drink crafty beers, IPAs, sours in summer and stouts and porters in winter and sours can be dry but most IPAs aren't and of course dry stouts are a thing but most commercial aussie stouts aren't and thats mainly what I drink, there's one I get from a local pub called dead man's bluff and its 10.6% and syrupy, molasses, espresso, chocolate, toffee etc etc etc and deffinatley not dry. And of course I brew my own beer, next up is a peanut butter porter. Anyways, cheers guys 🍻🥂🥃

[@BrentWalker999]

Same! We dumped three batches. We thought they went bad! :)

[@SkollReaver]

Sweet shirt.

[@the_whiskeyshaman]

Mead is a fickle friend.

[@KhulZA]

Awesome vid. Do you guys have a normal FB group ?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We do not as we say it took away from the community here.

[@robertmoore6660]

I saw the Two Warriors shirt, have you heard if they have rebuilt

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Last I heard they had broke ground, but I don't know when the finish date is expected.

[@Fennicillin]

Is the Wisconsin fair you mentioned in Wisconsin proper or is the Bristol fair on the border to Illinois?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I have no idea.

[@adamr4115]

👍

[@dirttrackguy83]

I have a question, my first batch of mead has been bottled and aging for almost a month. I just looked at the bottles and noticed a ring where the fluid level is sitting. Is this something I should be concerned about, or is it completely normal?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

It could be a lot of things but most likely nothing to worry about. That said, if it has a hairy texture or looks moldy, then that is bad.

[@dirttrackguy83]

Thank you for the reply, love your videos!

[@buffalojoe78]

Happened with the mead I made from their recipe and I had it put away for a year. It was amazing after it aged.

[@ghoppr71]

Have the same thing. It appears to be a tiny line made by leftover yeast similar to when it's fermenting. I don't know how it's spelled, but the croyson (sp) line.

[@roberthollis7535]

I have a question. How long will a mead degas after racking ? I have a dry mead and a dry blueberry mead both are a month old and bubbling well.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Could take weeks or a couple months.

[@Rockywoodsfarm]

just found your channel not long ago and am loving the content as a new home beer brewer. I have a question, hopefully you'll be able to help. I have just started my very first brew of beer today, it's a northern england style brown ale, 1 gallon. what I'm wanting to know is, after fermentation is done, instead of putting the beer into bottles, can I simply put the beer into a 1 gallon Mason jar with spicket and just fill up my tankard whenever I get thirsty? I'm not looking to carbonate the beer very much, I'm trying to replicate or get something similar to new england 18th century style beer. thanks and cheers!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Don’t carbonate in mason jars… they will explode.

[@Rockywoodsfarm]

@@CitySteadingBrews ok and thank you!

[@daigledj]

Do you guys track and back plan for when to start a brew so it's ready for when you want to drink it. I.e. You've mentioned X would be a good Thanksgiving wine, it takes about this long to ferment and is best conditioning this long so it should be started on Y date. Similarly do you have a list, chart, whatever of brews you've made and what you thought they would be good for (summer sipper, relaxed in the recliner, with this type of food, etc), do you label or track it at all or just use Brian's memory? Planning to do both so any ideas for tracking or better yet if you already track your recipes are greatly appreciated.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Honestly we have so much going on (and so many brews ready to drink) that we don't focus on that so much. Our personal focus is getting quality content out to our viewers and interacting with them as much as possible.

[@stevecain8008]

Off topic here but I can’t find the video where you talked about straining through a coffee filter (I don’t even use them for my coffee) what about using cheesecloth to strain out most of the lees towards the end of primary fermentation but allowing primary fermentation to continue after transferring it to the new carbon?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/l57Jq6CBndCra5Y If you feel the need to filter, then experiment and see what might work for you. As the linked video states, it sometimes isn't the best idea.

[@braianramos4048]

Can it be Sweet aging barrel mead? Or if its aged in a barrel it Will always be dry?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Either is fine.

[@daveneard.c.6386]

Did you pasteurize the mead before letting it age for a year?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Nope. No need.

[@travisgrimforge]

You've talked about watermelon rotting or falling apart too quick to ferment with. I have a local mennonite shop that makes watermelon jelly. Could that be used in a wine like the strawberry jam recipe?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Interesting. I would imagine that might be a good compromise.

[@maintainingprepper5478]

What happens if you let it breath for 30 minutes or so wonder

[@jacquanjones1958]

Hello I have made my first ever mead which I dubbed Ganymede after the synonymous definition for wine tending but above all i am lost as to it being a month old and over 17abv

[@CitySteadingBrews]

What seems to be the problem?

[@jacquanjones1958]

@@CitySteadingBrews not necessarily a problem but I am afraid to let it age I really haven't racked it it's in plastic cuz I I couldn't afford to buy metal or glass and I want to keep it a while I just don't want it to explode on me

[@ethanmichalski3820]

Hey I was wondering if yall had ever tried /heard of anyone making wine/mead out of redbud flowers. ive looked into it a bit but I've only really found recipes for redbud jelly

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We have not done it but I have heard of it being done. I don't know the amounts as there wasn't a recipe posted.

[@ethanmichalski3820]

@@CitySteadingBrews ok thanks ,I'll just have to look harder, I'm thinking of making a wildflower mead with the wildflower honey ,dandelion, redbud flowers, and honeysuckle

[@jakemiller6736]

I have watched way to many videos when I'm guessing your number correct lol

[@briancvetkovic3733]

What's the style and name of your pasteurizer please. S something?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We use this: amzn.to/3H0jK1e

[@shauncarr1957]

I made a strawberry wine, i removed the strawberries after a week and it stalled og was 1.061 it stalled at 1.051 it was a beautiful pink i added some yeast and fermentation went crazy but it turned orange. Any thoughts?

[@geordiekimbo2]

I usually put an ounce or two of lemon juice to preserve the colour. Vitamin C seems to work.

[@shauncarr1957]

@@geordiekimbo2 i put lemon juice in when i simmered the strawberries and steeped a tea bag

[@CitySteadingBrews]

This is normal and happens more often that not during fermentation. It is a chemical reaction that occurs during fermentation that affects the pigment of strawberries. I don't know if you can keep the red color. Further investigation is required.

[@tamertamer4930]

hi How to reduce sweetness ? I am talking about wine

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Use less sugars. If your final brew has too much sweetness then you can dilute it, or add a higher tolerance yeast to ferment more of the sugars out.

[@tamertamer4930]

@@CitySteadingBrews ❤

[@tamertamer4930]

@@CitySteadingBrews thanks my friend But about more yeast ,what I understand is more yeast doesn't give more alcohol ?Wright i mean it's maximum is 18%alcohol

[@shannoncraig509]

Would both of you be willing to do mead judging for your fanbase?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Depends... would have to be in person somehow as it's illegal to ship alcohol in the US by any carrier.

[@shannoncraig509]

@@CitySteadingBrews Thats too bad. Thank you for letting me know about the shipping.

[@kevin_ninja_jones2363]

I have an idea and I was curious if you might want to try it. I dont know how or if it will work but I came across a video where this lady fermented blackberries with honey and only honey I was curious if you could then turn that jam into a mead of wine and if that would make the flavors better or taste off or gross your thoughts would be great thank you

[@CitySteadingBrews]

That is a curious idea. As honey itself doesn't ferment unless water is added (or the bees somehow made a less concentrated honey). There would have to be quite a bit of juice extraction from the berries to dilute the honey enough for fermentation to take place. Without knowing her process I can't speak on this with accuracy. We have made a brew before with jam, so I would imagine it would be a similar process? kzbin.info/www/bejne/rl7KeIitnJiAoMk

[@kevin_ninja_jones2363]

I'll see if I can find the video and link it but from what I got out of it was equal parts blackberry and honey the berries give just enough juice to let it ferment

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Ok, so she talks about what I mentioned, good. As for her jam/jelly it is more or less one of our melomel recipes without water and using the natural yeasts (wild fermentation) rather than adding commercial yeast. So you certainly should be able to turn that into a mead. It seems like an unnecessary step, but I'm all for experimentation. I don't know if the yeast in that "jam" would be viable enough to ferment out the extended recipe. Depending on a multitude of factors, it could work.

[@kevin_ninja_jones2363]

Great to know I was curious more how making the jam would change the flavors in the mead or wine or in the fruit in general Im new to the idea of wine or mead and haven't made anything yet I'm just doing research which is how I came across you guys then I seen that blackberry jam and thought instantly of you guys you have explained alot of things that I couldn't find or never even thought I should think about before I start for myself thank you

[@mattwayman7804]

I was wondering if my Mead stalls how do I get going again do I add more East?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

There are many reasons why a brew might stall. Is your brew too cold? Was your OG too high? Is there too much gas in solution? Things such as this should be taken into consideration as well. Yes, you can add more yeast to see if that helps restart the fermentation.

[@mattwayman7804]

Thank you for the advice I think I know what happened.

[@LevidelValle]

Howd8

[@LevidelValle]

Ment to say howdy >.

[@mandolinman2006]

She made a joke about the large thermos, Yeti let her use it anyway. Bah dum

[@filthyrych]

Well,i hope it tastes great,i chose this recipe for my first batch. You guys are great btw,thanks a bunch.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Happy to help!