by tonyhibbett » Sun Nov 12, 2017 13:02
4 weeks after filling the big cask. it required just 1 bottle to top it up. I sampled a bottle marked OW16, (oaked white 2016) part of the original batch when the cask was new. The oak flavour was far too strong. Another bottle, marked OSB 10/16 (oaked sauvignon blanc) was about right, but not really in keeping with that variety. The 3rd and current batch is mostly chardonnay, so hopefully that will come out right.
The mead is fermenting slowly but steadily, now down to 1025. The flavour is rather bland and the acidity is low at 3 ppt (t) so I added a teaspoon of tartaric acid, which improved the mouthfeel and, along with some extra nutrient, has perked up the yeast.
I am strongly considering setting up a beehive in my garden. There is lots of blossom in the spring, starting with forsythia, celandine, cherry, apple, honeysuckle, hypericum, ceanothus and pyrocanthus, but very little in the summer, and my immediate neighbours, including the sports ground opposite, have very little to offer, so it may not be very productive.
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