JWasheville23
Member
I am experimenting with a line of cocktail inspired meads, and this was the whiskey ginger attempt. It came off quite nicely.
1) Mash at 155 for 60 minutes at a ratio of 1.25qt/# of grain
2.5 # Golden promise (or Maris Otter)
1 # Smoked malt
8 oz Crystal 40L
4 oz Crystal 120L
2 oz Roasted Barley
2) Sparge at 168 with same amount of water used in mash.
3) Boil for 60 minutes (boil volume 3 gallons):
Add 1 oz East Kent Goldings (5% alpha) for 60 minutes.
Add yeast nutrient (10 minutes)
4) Chill in ice bath until around 100 degrees.
5) Dissolve 120 oz of honey in wort (I used orange blossom).
6) Transfer wort/must to 5 gallon fermentor and top off with cold water to reach 4 gallons at 70 degrees or lower. (4 gallons because you will lose a half gallon at first racking and a little more with taking samples for tasting etc . . .
7) Aerate/Oxygenate and pitch yeast.
8) Soak 2 oz oak chips in whiskey of your choice on brew day or within the week so they soak for a couple weeks.
9) Transfer 2 oz soaked oak chips to the fermentor for 3 days, tasting each day until it is to your liking (you may go longer than 3 days but I didn't want too much oak).
10) Zest 5 limes with a microplane and slice about 6 oz fresh ginger very thin (I used a mandolin) and rack the braggot on top of these spices in a 3 gallon carboy. I let these spices infuse for about 3 days until it tasted right.
I bottled this around 7-8 weeks after brewing. At 11% this is extremely smooth and drinkable at 8 weeks. I carbonated 2 gallons and left 1 gallon still to see the difference.
1) Mash at 155 for 60 minutes at a ratio of 1.25qt/# of grain
2.5 # Golden promise (or Maris Otter)
1 # Smoked malt
8 oz Crystal 40L
4 oz Crystal 120L
2 oz Roasted Barley
2) Sparge at 168 with same amount of water used in mash.
3) Boil for 60 minutes (boil volume 3 gallons):
Add 1 oz East Kent Goldings (5% alpha) for 60 minutes.
Add yeast nutrient (10 minutes)
4) Chill in ice bath until around 100 degrees.
5) Dissolve 120 oz of honey in wort (I used orange blossom).
6) Transfer wort/must to 5 gallon fermentor and top off with cold water to reach 4 gallons at 70 degrees or lower. (4 gallons because you will lose a half gallon at first racking and a little more with taking samples for tasting etc . . .
7) Aerate/Oxygenate and pitch yeast.
8) Soak 2 oz oak chips in whiskey of your choice on brew day or within the week so they soak for a couple weeks.
9) Transfer 2 oz soaked oak chips to the fermentor for 3 days, tasting each day until it is to your liking (you may go longer than 3 days but I didn't want too much oak).
10) Zest 5 limes with a microplane and slice about 6 oz fresh ginger very thin (I used a mandolin) and rack the braggot on top of these spices in a 3 gallon carboy. I let these spices infuse for about 3 days until it tasted right.
I bottled this around 7-8 weeks after brewing. At 11% this is extremely smooth and drinkable at 8 weeks. I carbonated 2 gallons and left 1 gallon still to see the difference.
