[beerrat]

I've opened a bottle of a mead I made back in Dec 209, and bottled in April 2009.  It was a small test batch to lock down process, and see what mead tastes like.  A sweet still mead.

The taste was nice - sweet, honey aroma, but there was a white film on the mead at the top of the bottle.  Thoughts on what this is and if a potential issue?  I'm was thinking that it was yeast.  There was no carbonation when I opened the bottle.

This was my first mead.  I did not clarify with any finings - a real simple 4 gallons of honey added to 160F water. Here was the 1 gallon recipe:
2 Gal Apple Honey
2 Gal Raspberry Honey
3/4 gal tap water – GE filtered
Yeast – Redstar montradet

1.   Boil 3/4 gal of water, cool to 160F
2.   Add honey and mix well, Cool to 80F
3.   Remove 1 cup of must and add yeast to it
4.   Add 1/2 campden tablet to full must
5.   Wait 15 minutes, take SG
6.   Add must to 1 gallon jug
7.   Pitched yeast @78F

OG: 1.151
FG: 1.051
abv 12%

[dbeechum]

Hmm, not sure how I feel about the campden addition. Doesn't really seem necessary (of course, I'm also asthmatic so I tend to try and keep sulfites away.

Otherwise, It's possible your white is wax that's survived into the bottle. Of course the other possiblity is a wild yeast or worse an acetobactor (which wouldn't produce any co2). Watch how the taste goes.

[beerrat]

Hmm, not sure how I feel about the campden addition. Doesn't really seem necessary (of course, I'm also asthmatic so I tend to try and keep sulfites away.

Thanks for the feedback!  Gotta love this forum.

Agree, campden was not needed, and should avoid putting stuff in beverages unless they have a purpose.  I was paranoid about chlorine and infection on first mead.  Since I've switched to no heat, honey and water technique mentioned in Shramm's book. My 2 other meads look (and taste) healthy.

I'm not getting any off flavors or smells.  If acetobactor, I'm guessing vinegar taste/odor would be apparent.

[gail]

I'm with Drew and thinking it might be the filler from the Campden (waxy and white at the surface of the liquid), especially if you have no funky aromas or flavors as time goes by. 
Gail