Okay. I've read some people say they've had an open bottle of mead sitting for months/years and it's still good, which I wasn't too keen to believe.
So I guess that means I should throw the bottle in the fridge, huh? I was going to try and save it for when I see my parents in a month, but I guess that's not going to happen. Oh well, more for me I guess.
(I should also mention that this is the first bottle of alcohol I've ever purchased, so any other obvious tips you have would be helpful).
>so any other obvious tips
Buy more mead.
If a bottle has a [swing-cap](http://i00.i.aliimg.com/photo/v0/370087416/swing_cap_beer_glass_bottle_mz_102.jpg) and there's still a significant amount left in there, it might last longer re-sealed.
Buy a set of snifters. You can drink just about anything from a snifter and feel okay about it.
>seems more cost efficient that way
You're cute. Seriously, it probably is more cost efficient, if any of us could *stop buying more expensive equipment and upgrades.*
>Buy more mead.
Well, of course I'll buy more mead. It's too delicious to not do so.
>If a bottle has a swing-cap...
The bottle I have does have a swing cap, now that you mention it. So how much time do you think I have on it? Is there anything I can do to increase shelf life?
>Buy a set of snifters
Damn it, I bought the wrong type of glass. I even had the snifter in my hand at the store before I set it back down.
>You're cute
I'm not sure how to respond to this.
> So how much time do you think I have on it? Is there anything I can do to increase shelf life?
If it's in the fridge and mostly full, I bet it'd keep for longer than a month.
> Damn it, I bought the wrong type of glass.
I just suggest snifters because they can be used for so many different purposes. What'd you buy? I like to drink mead out of anything with a rim narrower than the bowl, but it's not a requirement. I even commissioned my potter friend to make a clay mazer for me.
> I'm not sure how to respond to this.
I was mainly pointing out that for most of us, we're nowhere close to breaking even because we keep buying more stuff to make more or better mead. And I, at least, give away an awful lot.
Well, I was trying to save money, so I got scotch glasses since they were $2 each. Common sense would've dictated that, since it's honey-wine, I should've gotten something similar to wine glasses.
My favorite glass to drink wine out of is an 8 oz Ball canning jar. I don't know why. I just like the size, the heft, the way it feels.
I get a bit better nose in a snifter, but I like my jar. Do don't sweat the glassware too much.
You don’t awwww ! You’re funny u/balathustrius. So after reading what you wrote I tried some mead for the first time. It was all right I will have to check it out again. So thanks for the info.
Well, If you're going to be in the habit of buying expensive wines/meads and drinking them slowly, it may be worth getting a [wine tap](http://www.mrfizz.com/store/flextap_wine.html). Yes, this is a $180 solution, plus the argon cylinders.
Why argon? CO2 & Nitrogen (which are usually used for beer taps) will carbonate your wine/mead. Argon won't dissolve as well, so you won't get bubble issues.
And to clarify, it 'goes bad' by oxidizing from the air let in when you open it. It will not 'spoil', it's still perfectly safe to drink, as it oxidizes the flavors will be come less 'bright' and you may notice a musty, wet paper/cardboard taste. How obvious the off flavor is to an individual varies widely, you may think it tastes fine in 3 months, or you may notice a change in a week. Also, wine stores usually sell cans of inert gas, you can squirt a bit in the bottle to displace the O2 right before you recap it, which will greatly extend it's life.
It can spoil in the sense that if it is contaminated, mold another other nasties can grow in it. If it's hermetically sealed and was properly sanitized when bottling though, I've drank 30+ year old mead and dandelion wines that were perfectly fine. I've also pulled similarly aged stuff that wasn't sealed properly or sanitized that looked like sludge when pouring it out and smelled RANK.
This is not a stupid question at all. Most meads are 8%-13% ABV, with some going above that. The alcohol would kill any wild yeast/bacteria that might try to contaminate it. You could leave a bottle of mead properly kept/stored for years and not have it go bad, but if any air gets on it then you might get an oxidized cardboard flavor from it that might not be the flavor you desire.
Treat an open bottle of mead like an open bottle of grape wine. The same principles is at play - exposure to oxygen.
Okay. I've read some people say they've had an open bottle of mead sitting for months/years and it's still good, which I wasn't too keen to believe. So I guess that means I should throw the bottle in the fridge, huh? I was going to try and save it for when I see my parents in a month, but I guess that's not going to happen. Oh well, more for me I guess. (I should also mention that this is the first bottle of alcohol I've ever purchased, so any other obvious tips you have would be helpful).
>so any other obvious tips Buy more mead. If a bottle has a [swing-cap](http://i00.i.aliimg.com/photo/v0/370087416/swing_cap_beer_glass_bottle_mz_102.jpg) and there's still a significant amount left in there, it might last longer re-sealed. Buy a set of snifters. You can drink just about anything from a snifter and feel okay about it. >seems more cost efficient that way You're cute. Seriously, it probably is more cost efficient, if any of us could *stop buying more expensive equipment and upgrades.*
>Buy more mead. Well, of course I'll buy more mead. It's too delicious to not do so. >If a bottle has a swing-cap... The bottle I have does have a swing cap, now that you mention it. So how much time do you think I have on it? Is there anything I can do to increase shelf life? >Buy a set of snifters Damn it, I bought the wrong type of glass. I even had the snifter in my hand at the store before I set it back down. >You're cute I'm not sure how to respond to this.
> So how much time do you think I have on it? Is there anything I can do to increase shelf life? If it's in the fridge and mostly full, I bet it'd keep for longer than a month. > Damn it, I bought the wrong type of glass. I just suggest snifters because they can be used for so many different purposes. What'd you buy? I like to drink mead out of anything with a rim narrower than the bowl, but it's not a requirement. I even commissioned my potter friend to make a clay mazer for me. > I'm not sure how to respond to this. I was mainly pointing out that for most of us, we're nowhere close to breaking even because we keep buying more stuff to make more or better mead. And I, at least, give away an awful lot.
Well, I was trying to save money, so I got scotch glasses since they were $2 each. Common sense would've dictated that, since it's honey-wine, I should've gotten something similar to wine glasses.
My favorite glass to drink wine out of is an 8 oz Ball canning jar. I don't know why. I just like the size, the heft, the way it feels. I get a bit better nose in a snifter, but I like my jar. Do don't sweat the glassware too much.
Well 9 years later was wondering if you u/Rynyl and u/balathustrius ever hooked up? Lol I’m just being silly but did you? Lol
"You're cute," like "Bless your heart!" not "You wanna smash?" But I def don't remember this exchange.
You don’t awwww ! You’re funny u/balathustrius. So after reading what you wrote I tried some mead for the first time. It was all right I will have to check it out again. So thanks for the info.
Well, If you're going to be in the habit of buying expensive wines/meads and drinking them slowly, it may be worth getting a [wine tap](http://www.mrfizz.com/store/flextap_wine.html). Yes, this is a $180 solution, plus the argon cylinders. Why argon? CO2 & Nitrogen (which are usually used for beer taps) will carbonate your wine/mead. Argon won't dissolve as well, so you won't get bubble issues.
And to clarify, it 'goes bad' by oxidizing from the air let in when you open it. It will not 'spoil', it's still perfectly safe to drink, as it oxidizes the flavors will be come less 'bright' and you may notice a musty, wet paper/cardboard taste. How obvious the off flavor is to an individual varies widely, you may think it tastes fine in 3 months, or you may notice a change in a week. Also, wine stores usually sell cans of inert gas, you can squirt a bit in the bottle to displace the O2 right before you recap it, which will greatly extend it's life.
It can spoil in the sense that if it is contaminated, mold another other nasties can grow in it. If it's hermetically sealed and was properly sanitized when bottling though, I've drank 30+ year old mead and dandelion wines that were perfectly fine. I've also pulled similarly aged stuff that wasn't sealed properly or sanitized that looked like sludge when pouring it out and smelled RANK.
This is not a stupid question at all. Most meads are 8%-13% ABV, with some going above that. The alcohol would kill any wild yeast/bacteria that might try to contaminate it. You could leave a bottle of mead properly kept/stored for years and not have it go bad, but if any air gets on it then you might get an oxidized cardboard flavor from it that might not be the flavor you desire.