Bochet Cyser (with video)

Hi All!

I've been reading the forums and trying a few things for a while now. I still have yet to purchase any "professional" equipment, but I am happy with what I have produced so far.

Here is a youtube video of my latest start:


Currently on the go:
A Mexican inspired mead with serrano peppers, Limes, and agave syrup
A blue berry mead.
A Gin inspired mead with juniper berries and other botanicals.
A lemon and chia mead.
And just started a Bochet Cyser.

Recipe:
1632 g honey
0.5 tsp cream of tartar
1 cinnamon stick
1 Gallon (perservative free) Apple Juice
yeast

5 Gallon Pot.
Add honey and cream of tartar
Stir and boil the honey until black (about 1.5 hours)
Add Apple Juice carefully. (Danger! boiling Honey can be deadly hot!)
Stir and simmer until boiled down to the Gallon mark
Toss in the Cinnamon stick, while still boiling.
(I boiled until I liked the amount of cinnamon flavour and then removed the stick.)
Remove from heat cover and cool to room temp.
Transfer to primary and add Fleischmann's yeast.

I ended up with a gallon and a half insted of just a gallon so I topped up the second gallon with water. The full strength one did not start, so I added a little from the 'half strength' gallon and now both are going good. It has only been a week.

I hope you enjoy the video and I hope I'll enjoy the mead when it is ready!

Cheers,

Chet.

OK, I'm intrigued by the serrano pepper mead. I'm interested to hear how that turns out.

alemonkey said:

OK, I'm intrigued by the serrano pepper mead. I'm interested to hear how that turns out.

Click to expand...

I bought 480mL bottle of "Organic Blue Agave Syrup". Added enough honey to double the weight, my notes say 1300g total Agave+honey. I dissolved the honey-agave in boiling water and poured it over 2 limes, 4 Serrano chili peppers and 30 raisins. topped up with more water and added the yeast when it had cooled.

Started off on Feb 29, 2012. Since then I have decanted into another 1 gallon jug and kept only the 4 Serrano chili peppers discarding the other solids, topping up with a little water. One of the peppers did sink to the bottom, but it has since risen up again. I plan to bottle it into 4 1L lock-top beer bottles with one pepper in each bottle, possible adding a little honey at that time.

It had very nice flavour before I added the yeast. I am hopeful that this will turn out ok.