KyleWolf
Well-Known Member
Hey everyone.
So I do quite a bit of beer and some cider, but I haven't gotten around to mead yet. I will have quite a bit of Orange Blossom Honey on my hands soon and I want to utilize it. I use orange blossom honey in a few of my beers and it normally works pretty well in moderation but too much can really get a kinda dry almost plastic taste so I didnt know if orange blossom is the best honey to use for this kind of stuff (I a saw a few recipes for orange blossom meads but not many).
Second, I thought about caramelizing a few pounds of the honey to give it a really nice color and a few toasty notes.
Thirdly, (I would most likely do ONE of these, not both) I thought about a cup of spiced rum with a healthy dose of vanilla beans, OR sprinkle in some hibiscus (very different finished products but both sound nice).
and finally, I know most use either mead or champagne yeast, but the thought crossed my mind of using a belgian ale strain and then finishing with champagne yeast since the ale strain most likely would attenuate.
I would love to hear your thoughts on either the concept or techniques (I have never caramelized honey and have a feeling it can get messy/sticky/dark/burnt/screw-up in a hurry).
Thanks in advance!
Kyle
So I do quite a bit of beer and some cider, but I haven't gotten around to mead yet. I will have quite a bit of Orange Blossom Honey on my hands soon and I want to utilize it. I use orange blossom honey in a few of my beers and it normally works pretty well in moderation but too much can really get a kinda dry almost plastic taste so I didnt know if orange blossom is the best honey to use for this kind of stuff (I a saw a few recipes for orange blossom meads but not many).
Second, I thought about caramelizing a few pounds of the honey to give it a really nice color and a few toasty notes.
Thirdly, (I would most likely do ONE of these, not both) I thought about a cup of spiced rum with a healthy dose of vanilla beans, OR sprinkle in some hibiscus (very different finished products but both sound nice).
and finally, I know most use either mead or champagne yeast, but the thought crossed my mind of using a belgian ale strain and then finishing with champagne yeast since the ale strain most likely would attenuate.
I would love to hear your thoughts on either the concept or techniques (I have never caramelized honey and have a feeling it can get messy/sticky/dark/burnt/screw-up in a hurry).
Thanks in advance!
Kyle
