Good day gents, I can assure you that the beer tastes fine, with no taint to the flavour. The tankard is sealed with brewer's pitch, which does have a slight odor when initially done, but this fades quite quickly. That being said, it still did not affect the flavour of the brew.
One tip for mead makers is to leave your brewing vessel out dring frosty weather (after primary fermentation has finished)and throw away the ice that forms on the top every day. This method of freeze distillation gives you a properly fortified mead. Adding appropriate herbs and spices produces a drink called 'methaglin' - simply a strong spiced mead. My cousin (a bee-keeper by profession) used to make it. A fantastic drink.
