diff --git a/java/java.go b/java/java.go
index 6e428cb..3b0ad8d 100644
--- a/java/java.go
+++ b/java/java.go
@@ -510,8 +510,14 @@
 		return normalizeJavaVersion(ctx, javaVersion)
 	} else if ctx.Device() {
 		return defaultJavaLanguageVersion(ctx, sdkContext.SdkVersion(ctx))
-	} else {
+	} else if ctx.Config().TargetsJava17() {
+		// Temporary experimental flag to be able to try and build with
+		// java version 17 options.  The flag, if used, just sets Java
+		// 17 as the default version, leaving any components that
+		// target an older version intact.
 		return JAVA_VERSION_17
+	} else {
+		return JAVA_VERSION_11
 	}
 }