Session Mead

Other Fermentables
1

I have been making mead for a long time and my wife has been making it even longer. Neither one of us have made a session mead before, we both really always viewed mead as wine and made it wine strength.
I would like to make a couple batches of session mead, I am thinking about 6%, and hope to have it packaged this summer. I am planning on using up last year’s fruit harvest from the freezer and will make a mixed berry and a peach.
I guess I am going to use my usual methods but just plan on shorter fermentation and bulk aging. I think I will keg it.
I would love some information from those who have experience with session mead.

  1. Have you been able to package a perfectly clear, clean, finished product in 4 months or less?
  2. Have you carbed  it? I am thinking that it would be nice as a sparkling summer drink.
  3. Any other tips or surprises you experienced?
  4. What abv have you done?
2

I’ll pm you. You’ll get it right off!

3

I use a recipe from Steve Fletty. 6 lbs of Orange Blossom honey and 4 gallons of water. 71B yeast. It ferments dry, then sorbate and add 2-3 lbs of honey (or desired sweetness level). I use Super Kleer and rack into a keg. This can be ready in a month. Remember, it’s lower ABV and doesn’t take as long.

4

Thanks, Dannyed, Glad to hear about the quick turnover time wise. I rarely backsweeten but I am open to needing it for body in a small mead.

5

Matt, I got your PM and appreciate the time you put into the response and of course the content. And glad to hear from you, I didn’t know if you still hung out here.
I will digest your advice and PM you back.

6

IMHO use a beer yeast.

i tried a session mead with what i discovered was an INCREDIBLE quality honey (thistle btw) a year ago. i used i believe 71b, hit about 5% ABV. wanted it crystal clear so listened to a wineshop guy’s advice  ::slight_smile: and hit it with chitosan+kietelsol (not even the full things of each since i thought “this has to be overkill?”) and cleared it so well it never carbed in the bottle.

i just realized you may be kegging, so that point may be moot.

but in any case give it a shot, just go for beer yeast and what you’re familiar with. you could definitely get it ready in 4 months, that joes ancient mead recipe crap, letting it sit for a year is just fuddle duddle lore. hit it with yeast supplement additions at 24 and 72 hours and treat it like a beer. one month

7

Why beer yeast? Have you tried it yet yourself?

8

I haven’t done this with mead yet, but for my cider I brew it to about 7% abv then dilute and backsweeten at the same time by adding fresh juice at kegging. This brings the ABV down to my preferred level and leaves the freshest fruit character in the final product. I’d follow a similar tactic if I was making a session mead - brew a 7ish% mead, then add juice to sweeten at kegging.

9

I have thought that if I backsweeten a little juice might be a good idea. If I do I might have to live with the peach being a bit hazy.

10

You could add pectic enzyme with the juice

11

I definitly will add pectic enzyme but I am not sure you can get peach juice perfectly clear. I could be wrong.

12

There’s a commercial process product called Peach Nectar that is absolutely clear and about 36 brix… But it tastes artificial.

Bentonite in primary, enzyme in peach processing, a solid fining process and you maybe shocked. Some of the heavier proteins really help pull it clear. But maybe not in a short turn.

Honestly, in a session, I wouldn’t worry.

And you can make peachy adult shakes/smoothies!

13

There is a meadary in north Columbus, OH called Zen Bee whose focus is making session 6% meads.

14

Yes, I will do all that but also not worry too much in a session. Maximizing the peach flavor will take priority.

15

sorry, missed this reply. why beer yeast? this is personal preference and some objective stats, imho the wine yeast just didn’t lend a good character or body to the mead, and a long time clearing and i recall at that time blaming the wine yeast, thinking it would all have been better if i just used more familiar beer yeast. checked my notes.txt on that brew and dont see anything to help clarify that, but yeah. consider beer yeast unless you think theres a reason not to consider it? looks like i used my low-med hardness tap water for it, but yeah also consider pH and aim to give it a bite, rather than leave it flabby.

16

I think this is worth considering if I do a fair amount of experimenting with session meads. I like ale yeast for cider. For these first couple I think I am going to stick with the wine yeasts that I am so familiar with.

17

I have never used a mead yeast in my meads. Always Ale yeast. I feel it has some sort of residual flavor that mead yeast lacks.

18

I have never that I can remember used specifically a mead yeast but rather several wine yeasts. If I have enough ingredients I may do a split batch with wine and ale yeast.

19

Same here. I’ve settled on 71B for berry and stonefruit meads and D47 or Cote de Blancs for ciders and cysers. I think wine yeasts do a good job at enhancing flavors and aromas from fruit. That being said, I have heard good results from kviek strains in meads (there is a recent Basic Brewing episode using Lallemand Voss for some currant meads), and I have considered trying dry Lutra in my next mead.

Keep us posted if you test it out!

20

I finally got around to this, the garden and other things kept me too busy but I had sometime off this week and needed to get the fruit out of the freezer.
I have 5 gallon batches of peach with 15 pounds of peaches and mixed berry (blueberry, elderberry, raspberry). They are both right about 6% P,A. I used 71B. I think that I am going to transfer to carboys with some supercleer for 2-3 weeks then cold crash and transfer to kegs, adding any acid/tannin t needs and possibly back sweetening.