I didn't even post anything about this until I could get it started and try a taste. It sounded like it could just as easily have turned into hooch as something to drink. But so far I've been pleasantly surprised. Down here in the South we have this stuff called "Golden Eagle Syrup," basically a blend of corn syrup, cane syrup, and honey. I don't know in what proportions, but honey is listed last. So I decided to try a Golden Eagle "mead" (using the term loosely here, for lack of a better one) just to see what might happen. I started with Joe's Ancient Orange Mead as a takeoff point, but very quickly drove that recipe off the nearest cliff, and this is what I have:
1 - 30oz jar Golden Eagle Syrup
1 - Gallon Crystal Geyser bottled water
1 - snack-size box Sunmaid raisins
1 - cup frozen blueberries
1-1/2 cups ruby red grapefruit juice
2 cloves
1 package Red Star rapid acting bread yeast
I poured half the water into a clean container, then added the syrup to the water bottle and shook like crazy. Rinsed the syrup jar with some of the water to get it all. Added the raisins and grapefruit juice and shook some more. I put the blueberries in a ziplock bag and mashed them some to release the juice, then dumped them in as well. (Do you get the idea I was working with what I had around the house?) Added 2 cloves, topped it off with water, and pitched the yeast. The airlock was bubbling within 30 minutes.
Now about 3 weeks later it is starting to clear. The color is beautiful--deep rich purple-red. Not knowing what to expect, I stuck in my thief and grabbed a taste. Pleasantly surprised! If it keeps going it's going to be a nice dry wine with a bit of citrus and some tartness from the blueberries. I'm going to treat it like a JAOM; just leave it be until it clears, then rack & bottle.
Of course it's not a real mead (don't really know what the heck it is), but at least it's not hooch, so I'm not embarrassed to put it on here
Next time I'm going to use the 40oz jar of Golden Eagle and go for a sweet mead. I want to make a key lime mead and I'm torn between doing a real mead with all honey or trying another one of these!
Interesting note--I've tasted both this one and my "real" JAOM variation I have going, and neither of them have a real "yeasty" flavor even though they use bread yeast. Could it be that bread yeast doesn't leave as much off flavor in meads as it does in regular wines?
1 - 30oz jar Golden Eagle Syrup
1 - Gallon Crystal Geyser bottled water
1 - snack-size box Sunmaid raisins
1 - cup frozen blueberries
1-1/2 cups ruby red grapefruit juice
2 cloves
1 package Red Star rapid acting bread yeast
I poured half the water into a clean container, then added the syrup to the water bottle and shook like crazy. Rinsed the syrup jar with some of the water to get it all. Added the raisins and grapefruit juice and shook some more. I put the blueberries in a ziplock bag and mashed them some to release the juice, then dumped them in as well. (Do you get the idea I was working with what I had around the house?) Added 2 cloves, topped it off with water, and pitched the yeast. The airlock was bubbling within 30 minutes.
Now about 3 weeks later it is starting to clear. The color is beautiful--deep rich purple-red. Not knowing what to expect, I stuck in my thief and grabbed a taste. Pleasantly surprised! If it keeps going it's going to be a nice dry wine with a bit of citrus and some tartness from the blueberries. I'm going to treat it like a JAOM; just leave it be until it clears, then rack & bottle.
Of course it's not a real mead (don't really know what the heck it is), but at least it's not hooch, so I'm not embarrassed to put it on here
Next time I'm going to use the 40oz jar of Golden Eagle and go for a sweet mead. I want to make a key lime mead and I'm torn between doing a real mead with all honey or trying another one of these!
Interesting note--I've tasted both this one and my "real" JAOM variation I have going, and neither of them have a real "yeasty" flavor even though they use bread yeast. Could it be that bread yeast doesn't leave as much off flavor in meads as it does in regular wines?