Hey all,
I'm new to brewing Mead. Only on my second gallon. I have done two 1 gallon batches.
My first batch was blackberries, a navel oranges, 3lbs wild flower honey, and Red Star Premier Blanc yeast. It was all locally available to me.
It ran for 2 weeks and then the airlock slowed way down. I took the bung out and it has a bit of a sour smell. It is just sitting and relaxing now. I figured it was from the orange rinds or something.
I'm on my second gallon... It has been going for 2.5 weeks and now starting to slow down. It has 2 lbs or wild flower honey red star Premier Blanc yeast in a 1 gallon jug.
I pulled the bung from the bottle today to give it a shot and it has a slightly sour smell but not like my first batch. Not sure if that is the smell of young Mead or both my batches are just bad.
I tasted both batches. They do not have a vinegar flavor. They taste like they have a decent alcohol content.
Just not sure about the smell.
Any help or ideas? I am going to start a 3rd batch of mean next week and want to make sure I'm fixing whatever I may be doing wrong.