Little help please

So I was making my second ever batch of mead, a strawberry mead. I brewed in up and put it into the fermentation bucket with the strawberrys on 11/11/12. I was going to transfer to secondary and add more strawberry. But do to a major life event happened I pretty much forgot all about the mead. So I didn't get it into secondary like I wanted and the bucket has just been sitting untouched since 11/11/12.
So my question for everyone is what can I do now? Can I still bottle it now? Has the strawberrys sitting in it for so long ruined it or what?
Any help is appreciated, thanks.

How does it taste?

I'm not 100% sure, but I don't think that keeping it in the primary instead of racking to secondary will impact it in a negative way, and my assumption is that because of the strawberries just being left in, it will give it a heavy strawberry flavor; but the only way to find out for sure is by giving it a taste! Does it look infected at all?

There might be some off tastes from the strawberry seeds, but like the others have said - taste it. It may just be the best thing ever.

Anyone else notice that the first advice posted here is usually "taste it" and next "give it time". Translation: drink, and if isn't good drink more later.

nitack said:

Anyone else notice that the first advice posted here is usually "taste it" and next "give it time". Translation: drink, and if isn't good drink more later.

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Of course.......

If the OP doesn't know what the taste is like, then how're they gonna know whether its buggered or not ?

Or there may be other pertinent suggestions, like strawberry not being a strong flavour, the OP could taste to check its ok then just carry on as planned.

After all, there could be bitterness from the fruit seed, or if they used 71B for yeast there could be some autolysis off flavours present

or etc etc........

nitack said:

Anyone else notice that the first advice posted here is usually "taste it" and next "give it time". Translation: drink, and if isn't good drink more later.

Click to expand...

For some of us, it comes from our childhood. "Wipe the dirt off and eat it. If it doesn't kill you it's safe to consume."

If its infected with something, it will taste bad. If its made of crappy ingredients, or fermented to high of a temp, it will taste bad. If it tastes good, then drink it.

Pretty logical advice. I'm not sure what other suggestion there is to give. If it looks good and tastes good, it is good.