not mead
 

I'm thinking of trying a mead this weekend in preparation for next winter. I also have played with the idea of trying an experiment with molasses.

I was thinking of making another mead type drink but just using molasses instead of honey.

Does anyone have any insight as to whether or not I'd be wasting my time?



BT

do a search for "treacle" on this site (treacle is black strap molasses). Someone here recently tried brewing a treacle ale that used no other fermentables in it.

-walker

I've only had one taste of a completely molasses-based brew. I think VILE is a good summary. If you smoke a lot of cheap cigars, you might not mind the flavor.

I used about 24 oz. of dark molasses in an English Old Ale and it was too much. After about 6 months it mellowed out.

SWMBO's Horse loves Molasses! It's added to horse chop to make it more palatable. How much Hay can you eat without it? ;) Personally i'd rather smoke the cheap cigars than drink a full molasses-based brew and i no longer smoke!

Like david_42 recommended i'd tone it down, add a little as an experiment to a standard mead maybe - NOT full molasses

I wouldn't go more than a one gallon batch of this until I figure out if I could even stomach it.
Add some ginger to it and get a gingerbread mead/ale/wine(?)

Scary what you can find out there:

Cheap and Agreeable Table Beer.

Take 15 galls. of water and boil one-half, putting the other into a barrel; add the boiling water to the cold, with 1 gall. of molasses and a little yeast. Keep the bung-hole open till the fermentation is abated.

To make Molasses Beer.

For small beer, put 9 lbs. of molasses into a barrelcopper of cold water, first mixing it well and boiling it briskly with 1/4 lb. of hops or more 1 hour, so that it may come off 27 galls.

To make a Butt of Porter, Stout.

Insert 4 galls. of molasses and some finings; stir it well. In a week draw off the cask by a cock inserted half way down.

Spruce Beer (molasses)

Boil 8 galls. of water and when in a state of complete ebullition pour it into a beer barrel which contains 8 galls. more of cold water; then add 16 lbs. of molasses, with a few tablespoonfuls of the essence of spruce, stirring the whole well together; add half a pint of yeast, and keep it in a temperate situation, with the bung-hole open for two days till the fermentation be abated, when the bung may be put in and the beer bottled off. It is fit to drink in a day or two. If you can get no essence of spruce make a strong decoction of the small twigs and leaves of the spruce firs.

I think you'll find Cheesefood does the gay jokes! :D

Seriously though the Spruce Recipe made me smile -

'It is fit to drink in a day or two.' - YEAH I BET!!!!

'If you can get no essence of spruce make a strong decoction of the small twigs and leaves of the spruce firs.' - WOW! That's where i should start! SPRUCE??

Good work david_42, I don't want to know where you dug those scary recipes from but i'll take comfort in the fact neither you or I will ever try them!

I don't know where they got the recipes, but
Really Old Booze is my source.

"To make Scurvy-Grass Wine."

NO!!! information overload...I'm like a rabbit in headlights!

Quote from said link - "The apples are reduced to mucilage, by beating them in a stone trough (one of those used at pumps for watering horses) with pieces of ashpoles, used in the manner that potatoes are mashed"

Like i've even mashed ONE potato in a horse trough with an ash pole let alone thought - "Hmmm.... Perfect. This could be used as for cider production....."

Spot on old boy! :D

Yeah, but these were too easy. I have to let them slide.