Vanilla Chai

Ingredients:
20 lbs. Honey
4 Gal Water
1 T. Ginger
2 Cinnamon Sticks
2 t. Cardamom
2 T. Clove
2 t. Nutmeg
1 t. Allspice
1 Vanilla bean cut ½
1 pk. Lalvin 71b Yeast
5 t. Yeast Nutrients
2 t. Yeast energizer

Process:
Heat 1 Gal. water to 110°F and remove ½ coffee mug for yeast starter.
Bring water to boil.
Remove from heat
Add honey, Nutrients, Energizer, and Spices
Let sit for 25 min.
Start Yeast
Remainder of water chilled in P.F.
Pour Must in P.F.
Add yeast
Stir Vigorously for 2 min.
Seal lid and attach airlock
Rack when airlock stops.
Rack once/month until clear
Bottle, age or drink or both

Suggestions for next batch:

Drop honey by 5-7 lbs.
Lower clove by 1 T
Possibly add a 2nd vanilla bean
Add 2.5t Pectin enzyme

sounds great...do you have any pictures of it?

SD-SLIM said:

sounds great...do you have any pictures of it?

Click to expand...

Just pics in the bottle, It's still aging

I'm still new at making mead. It was the 2nd batch I have ever made. I probably needed to let it clarify longer. But it still came out pretty clear, just a slight haze in it.

Congratulation's on your seconds batch! Age will defiantly help, keep me updated as to how long it took to get it where you wanted it to be...I am a big fan of Chai in beers and in mead.
Happy Brewing!

I love chai tea, I think I'll try this for my first mead. One thing I gotta check on though, the T is for tablespoon and the t is for teaspoon right? Oh and is the clove whole cloves or crushed cloves?

Wow, this sounds really good!!

A couple of comment: I've done a couple of meads, but 20 lbs of honey sounds like a lot. Wouldn't the yeast strain top out due to alcohol tolerance?

Also, the vanilla bean: Did you end up with a very mild vanilla flavor, or a stronger flavor?

yes, T= Tablespoon... t= teaspoon

And after drinking it i would suggest to drop the honey content by 2-5 lbs. unless you like really sweet.
Also I used ground clove and I would drop that by at least 1 T
And increase the vanilla bean by 1-2.

those are the things I'm going to do when i make another batch. It was really good, just need to tweak it a little

I see, thank you!

Finally got around to making this, well I made it in sept but just bottled it last week. A real pretty clear gold color. I only used 14 lb of honey and dropped the cloves like you said. It fermented out completely and finished at .990 so it was dry but still had a real pleasant honey spice flavor. I'll let it age a month or so before I open a bottle but I suspect with how strong it is it'll probably last into next winter too.

What would the additional Pectin Enzyme be for?

I am curious if the ginger was fresh or powdered or crystallized?

Thinking about it now, I wouldn't use the pectin enzyme. I thought about using it because of the vanilla bean, but I discovered that I just didn't let it age long enough.
I used ground ginger bought from the store.

Sorry it took so long to respond, I haven't been able to get online. I also haven't been able to brew anymore. I had to move out of state, and all of my brewing equipment got left at a friends house, due to not having room to bring it.

kingmoltar said:

Thinking about it now, I wouldn't use the pectin enzyme. I thought about using it because of the vanilla bean, but I discovered that I just didn't let it age long enough.
I used ground ginger bought from the store.

Sorry it took so long to respond, I haven't been able to get online. I also haven't been able to brew anymore. I had to move out of state, and all of my brewing equipment got left at a friends house, due to not having room to bring it.

Click to expand...

I don't know why, but that is the saddest thing I've heard all day today...

I have a batch of this going (except I am using D47 because it's chilly season), and it smells freaking amazing.

I realize this thread is old but want to make a vanilla chai recipe and like the sound of this one a lot.

Question: It sounds like you add spices (ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, clove, nutmeg allspice, vanilla bean) up front...I've never heard or read that this is a good idea....don't you lose the aroma and a lot of the character of those spices? I thought spices should be added to the secondary only. Could anyone weigh in on this?

I just brewed a Chai lager and used 40 Chai Tea bags to make a tea and put that in my wort at the end if the boil. It turned out perfect.

I just started brewing this last night and followed the recommended edits to the recipe used approximately 15 lbs of honey and halved the clove, also use champagne yeast as i live in texas and have been told it was more stable in the summer months. Was just wondering did anyone have to back sweeten for bottle carbing? Also any opinions on if this is better still or carbonated? I know traditionally mead is still right? Thanks for any feedback