Maple Mead -- Oaking Completed -- Taste Test

A browner shade of yellow

After a few weeks of oaking the Maple Mead, it was time to remove the oak chips from the mead. At first glance, the color change of the brew was obvious. The oak chips turned the mead from pale yellow to a translucent brown.

Some of the wood floated... some of it did not.

The next stage of this brew involves aging the mead off of the oak chips for at least 3 months prior to bottling. For this step, I racked both carboys into the same bucket, cleaned out the carboys, then decanted the mead back into each of jugs.

Almost time for a taste test

Blending the two back together.

At this point I took a tasting sample. The mead had changed from being the usual sweet honey beverage to a bourbon-tasting cocktail. I liked the flavor, but at this point, the oak/bourbon notes are much too strong. The few months of aging should help to mellow it out and bring back some of the maple and honey characteristics.

Now it's time to separate the mead back into the carboys

Back into the carboy for several more weeks.

At this point in time with cooler weather quickly approaching, I plan to place these carboys in a separate area away from the main brew closet to free up some space to brew a new beverage. I can't have these two carboys block my ability to make more delicious drinks! Expect to see some different homebrewing creations while these are aging!

PART 1: BREW DAY

PART 2: OAKING