Newest Threads

NerdyMarie · 01-02-2011, 03:15 PM

So, I'm kinda late to the game here, but thought I'd say hi! (And this is my first post)

I put on a small, 1 gallon batch of Bochet today, as a result of reading about it here. Brought it to almost black on my stovetop - it took about 30 mins for me.

I'm really curious to see how it turns out. My husband loves charred/burnt taste. Me? Not so much. The blackened honey didn't taste all that hot to me, but the house smells wonderful - like toasted marshmallows.

Should be interesting, either way!

Halfdrunkhero · 01-07-2011, 01:22 AM

Hey! I just started my own batch and I just wanted to drive home that the slow cooker is the best way to go! You can't do a really big batch without some finagling but it's probably worth it because of how easy and clean it is. No boil overs, no crispy sticky pans. Just blackened honey in as little time as overnight. Good luck boiling!

bubbachunk · 01-07-2011, 01:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Halfdrunkhero

Hey! I just started my own batch and I just wanted to drive home that the slow cooker is the best way to go! You can't do a really big batch without some finagling but it's probably worth it because of how easy and clean it is. No boil overs, no crispy sticky pans. Just blackened honey in as little time as overnight. Good luck boiling!

What you lose out on however is the incredibly intoxicating smells that go along with cooking it. Those smells are well worth the elbow grease needed to clean my kettle.

NerdyMarie · 01-07-2011, 01:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bubbachunk

What you lose out on however is the incredibly intoxicating smells that go along with cooking it. Those smells are well worth the elbow grease needed to clean my kettle.

Shouldn't take much elbow grease - put some hot water in and let it soak a bit. Should come right off!

**MeadWitch** · 01-07-2011, 02:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bubbachunk

What you lose out on however is the incredibly intoxicating smells that go along with cooking it. Those smells are well worth the elbow grease needed to clean my kettle.

I don't know about that. I make chicken stock in my crock pot overnight and it always wakes me up early in the morning because it makes the whole house smell so good.

**3 Dog Brew** · 02-09-2011, 01:28 PM

So,
I made a 1 gallon batch last summer and have been letting it age a bit. It is very clear and the color of black coffee. The flavor is horrible though! Very strong, melanoidin flavors with an orange-oil like after taste. Doesn't taste acrid, burnt, but not palatable.

I've tried some experiments with back-sweetening, acid blend, etc. and I can't find anything that makes sense. The only thing I have tried that even comes close is to dilute with spring water (~5%) and to sweeten with ~2% honey.

Are you doing anything to the bochet post fermentation?

BootsyFlanootsy · 05-09-2011, 10:43 PM

BootsyFlanootsy · 05-09-2011, 10:43 PM

so I'm sitting here drinking a glass of this as I type this from a batch I made last may.
I made a two gallon batch, ( fermented in separate one gallon jugs), and fermented with wyeast sweet mead yeast. I "burnt" the honey water mix over a firepit in my back yard and used the method of placing sample drops on a white surface until they reached the desired blackened color. It is VERY sweet. The hydro sample was at 1.040, ( down from 1.100'ish), so it's not very high on the booze, but there's enough to notice it. It's hard to describe the taste, and equally as hard to say whether or not I like it. It smells amazing. To say it's complex is putting it lightly. It smells smokey and sweet at the same time. The taste is another thing all together. It almost tastes like flat cola, with a bit of rum in it. There are certainly notes of caramel apples and toasted marshmallows, but predominantly, flat cola. So, all in all, at this point in its age I'd say I doubt I'll be making this mead again. Though, it IS good, and in some weird way I AM enjoying it.

BTW, it looks like flat cola too.

**3 Dog Brew** · 05-09-2011, 11:09 PM

I agree. I made some about a year ago myself and I just racked it to another 1 gallon jug for like the 4th time. I still don't care for it, it's much too sweet and the complex flavor is hard to define. I guess at some point this summer I'll put it into some 375ml bottles and put it away somewhere. Maybe some future generation will appreciate it...

bubbachunk · 05-10-2011, 01:24 AM

So perhaps carb it up you are saying?

I may transfer a gallon to a fresh keg and carb it up. I will still have 4 gallons to do whatever I wish with