Batch #002+oak: Cordial Mead, Oaked
- Batch Size
- 1 gal
- Starting Gravity
- 1.132
- Final Gravity
- 1.012
- Approximate ABV (before backsweetening)
- 15.75%
A branch off of my second batch, sitting on oak chips.
- Blackberry blossom honey from Shipwreck Honey, purchased on September 15, 2024 at the Ballard Farmers Market
- Medium toast French oak chips
Most Recent Update
Bottled, finally
Whoops, this is probably way too long to let the mead sit on oak. That said, it’s not bad, you’ve just gotta like some oak. It starts and finishes very pleasantly—blending from floral and aromatic into vanilla notes with a little bit of wood—but there’s a stop off at a harsh and slightly bitter place in the middle.
It’s also much drier than I’d expected! The other half of the batch stalled off for so long, I’d just assumed that the whole thing was done. But I never stabilized this half because it was aging in a vessel with an airlock, and I guess at some point my yeast friends woke up! Measured the gravity at 1.012.
The plan:
While I’m not happy with that harsh middle, a friend suggested blending with the parent, and that did a lot to smooth things out without making it too sweet. I’m going to give the mead 6 months in a bottle and see if it improves on its own. If it does, great! But if not, I’m reserving a bottle of the extra cordial for blending, and I’ll crack them open, blend to taste, and re-bottle.
Full Log
Split the batch and add oak
- ~1 gal mead from batch #002
- 3 oz medium toast French oak chips
Boiled the oak chips and a brew bag to sterilize them. Added the bagged oak chips to a 1-gallon carboy and syphoned some mead over the top.
Bottled, finally
Whoops, this is probably way too long to let the mead sit on oak. That said, it’s not bad, you’ve just gotta like some oak. It starts and finishes very pleasantly—blending from floral and aromatic into vanilla notes with a little bit of wood—but there’s a stop off at a harsh and slightly bitter place in the middle.
It’s also much drier than I’d expected! The other half of the batch stalled off for so long, I’d just assumed that the whole thing was done. But I never stabilized this half because it was aging in a vessel with an airlock, and I guess at some point my yeast friends woke up! Measured the gravity at 1.012.
The plan:
While I’m not happy with that harsh middle, a friend suggested blending with the parent, and that did a lot to smooth things out without making it too sweet. I’m going to give the mead 6 months in a bottle and see if it improves on its own. If it does, great! But if not, I’m reserving a bottle of the extra cordial for blending, and I’ll crack them open, blend to taste, and re-bottle.