Hey everyone. I am working on a recipe now for a pumpkin braggot, and have been reviewing it with a couple of BJCP's. A big concern is that the honey is going to get swallowed up nearly immediately by the yeast thanks to all of the simple sugars, instead of the malt, which is very valid (beersmith showed a FG of 1.003 which at nearly 13% ABV would be thin rocket fuel).
So, what I am considering is making a simple sack mead recipe with pumpkin, halved to make a 2.5-3 gal batch. Then, making a pumpkin ale (based on an english barleywine), aiming for a 3 gallon batch. Then, after racking them off lees/trub, blending them together with some oak, spices to age for 30 days, the last 7 of which will have dry hops added. Then rerack again to a tertiary fermenter for about 6 months (at least) of bulk aging. Finally, prime and bottle.
My concern is having 2 competing strains of yeast added, and what that would do when priming for bottling. Could this work?
The other concern voiced was racking 2-3 times and oxidation, but I'm now more used to meads where racking them off lees is a pretty regular occurance.
Your input is appreciated.
So, what I am considering is making a simple sack mead recipe with pumpkin, halved to make a 2.5-3 gal batch. Then, making a pumpkin ale (based on an english barleywine), aiming for a 3 gallon batch. Then, after racking them off lees/trub, blending them together with some oak, spices to age for 30 days, the last 7 of which will have dry hops added. Then rerack again to a tertiary fermenter for about 6 months (at least) of bulk aging. Finally, prime and bottle.
My concern is having 2 competing strains of yeast added, and what that would do when priming for bottling. Could this work?
The other concern voiced was racking 2-3 times and oxidation, but I'm now more used to meads where racking them off lees is a pretty regular occurance.
Your input is appreciated.