Ash berries

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zonchar

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Ok...
This is where the idea comes from:
Ash berry in cognac ( i think i spelled it right)
It is really good. So I'm thinking why not mead.
I'm thinking wildflower honey, ash berries and D47
Not sure on proportions yet.

What do you think? Also where would i get Ash berries in large enough quantity to brew with. or Ash berry preserves?
Ideas?
 
so they actually called rowan berries and are available online in bulk... really looking forward to this experiment
 
You might consider adding the berries to secondary, you'll get more fresh fruit flavour that way. Adding the berries to primary is certainly fine, but the primary fermentation will alter the fruit's flavour. I've done both (with plums) to add depth to the end product with good results. Now I need to do a search for "rowan berries." Thanks for the tip on Ash berries being called rowan berries, I've never used them, but I'd like to. Regards, GF.
 
actually there is a thread on here discussing rowan berries:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f25/rosehip-mountain-ash-rowan-berry-wine-12835/
also from what I've read rowan berries give it a tang/tart flavor, whihc could go very nicely with honey. there are a few wine recipes floating out there.
Also the only source of berries i found so far is Ebay. Let me know if you find anything else. :)
 
Zonchar: Apparently the Rowan & Mountain Ash are not the same; just found this on wikipedia:

One particularly confusing name for rowans, used primarily in North America, is "mountain ash", which falsely implies that it is a species of ash (Fraxinus).[4] The name arises from the superficial similarity in leaf shape of the two trees; in fact, the rowan does not belong to the ash family, but is closely related to the apples and hawthorns in the rose family.

The good news is: you can make wine from both! :D
 
Has anyone tried rosehips as a honey flavorant? I have quite a few largish rose bushes that produce a substantial crop of grape to tangerine sized hips every year. I might consider harvesting them next year for something.
 
I have had rosehip mead. it was on the dry side but very nice and complex in flavor. i don't know the recipe though.
 
So I'm ordering them from england ordering 2 kg of dried stuff. What do you think they would pair with nicely?
I was thinking maybe cranberries? I don't want this to be a simple melomel, want to make it a bit more complex.
 
It has been brewed!
13lbs of OB honey
4.39 lbs (2kg) of rowan berries
3 bags of tea
3 lemons
D47
in 5 G of water
all now majorly bubbling in a 6.5 gallon carboy!
The must tasted kinda tart and smokey, my significant other compared it to hickory but i'm not sure what hickory tastes like to i can't tell. it was good
 
Hey, how did it turn out ?

Why use the tea and the lemons?

what was the final gravity or is it a sweet/dry mead ?

Thank you :)
 
Ha ha! Only just spotted this thread - which got me thinking as I was considering trying to make a Rowan/Mountain Ash wine or maybe a mead last year.

Just that the comment about where to get enough weight in berries...... well it made me laugh some, because when the berries are out, it wouldn't be a question of getting a couple of kilo's, more like I could just get a couple of hundred kilos.....

A lot of the local road authorities use them for roadside decoration, and presumably a natural soil retention (roots etc).

It's more of a question when the berries would be ripe as they become orange quite quickly and stay orange until winter.

I did manage to find out that they can be used to make a sort of jelly/jam that is (apparently) a condiment for serving with game....

But didn't get around to finding out whether they'd make a good wine/mead - apparently they're quite tannic in flavour.......
 
Yahh, in the US those are less common as in just growing wild. Especially in NYC

The only thing I know is that you have to freeze them solid and then defrost... Those are typical winter berries that grow in the north, winter birds feed on them... They have to be frosted to be of any use :)
 
I'm still wondering what the flavour of both Rowan berries & Mountain Ash berries are. Can anyone give us a flavour description of either or both?
Regards, GF.
 
Lemons, those are sour and acidic to my taste buds closer to lemons (not as strong), and just like lemons the acidity and sourness depends on a sub-strain and what not. Those are described on line as being to bitter/sour to be pleasant to eat in the raw.

Unlike lemons, the Rowan-berries contain less moisture and after freezing and defrosting (it further dehydrates a little)...

It's something people chew on to chaise a shot of vodka. Rowan Flavored Brandy is not something some-one would sell or give away...

from what I understand Mountain Ash and Rowan is the same thing. Mountain Ash is the common name used in the US

There is a link I found :
http://www.sacredearth.com/ethnobotany/foraging/rowan.php
 
"Schnozzberry?" Did you just make that up? :confused:
Or is it the nasal version of the "Dingleberry?" :D
Regards, GF.

From the scene in Willy Wonka where everyone is licking the wall: "The strawberries taste like strawberries...and the schnozzberries taste like schnozzberries!" If they tasted like dingleberries then old Willy was one heck of a prankster LOLOL
 
From the scene in Willy Wonka where everyone is licking the wall: "The strawberries taste like strawberries...and the schnozzberries taste like schnozzberries!" If they tasted like dingleberries then old Willy was one heck of a prankster LOLOL

That would have made for a hilarious twist in the Tim Burton version of the movie
 
Heh, yeah...either that, or someone commenting that the carrots tasted musty; only to find out the Oompa Loompas had a glory hole drilled in the wall...:off:


AAahahahaha....mead convo turns into classic kids book/movie convo turns into ooopa loompa porn..... love this forum and how it can evolve sometimes
 
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