caramel sundae mead questions

[KC_Brewski420]

ok guys this is what im lookin at here i was thinking somthing new to try to brew up so i came up with this as a dessert mead. carmel sundae mead id like to use vanilla beans fresh mix of peanuts and almonds and carmel candy chews with a hint of hickory wood chips for a bit of a toasted flavor to give it that warm carmel sundae flavor i havent come up with exact weight on items to make a complete recipe yet but wanting to know if im gonna have trouble with this one due to the oils in the nuts feel free to give your input or tips im gonna start thowing it together in the next day or two once i get my numbers right ill post a recipe for all to try : )

 

[KC_Brewski420]

Ok so i did my math for this 1 gal starter batch im going to be using

3 1/2 lbs clover honey for sweetness
2 vanilla beans pod and all
20 carmel candy chews(dissolved in honey/water mixture)
1lb mix of fresh toasted almonds and dryroasted peanuts chopped coarse
3oz bag of hickory chips

this should give it a great sweet nutty flavor and the vanilla/carmel should stand out nicely let me know what u think!

 

[SafariBob]

Hmm.. the yeast may make a big difference in this recipe. What kind are you going to use?

 

[calicojack]

what kind of candies are you planning on using? are you going to dissolve them prior to pitching the yeast? going to be following this one very closely.

also what are you planning as far as combating the skim milk/fat in the candies?

 

[KC_Brewski420]

Hmm.. the yeast may make a big difference in this recipe. What kind are you going to use?

for yeast i was planning on using Lalvin 71B-1122 its good for a wide temp range and doesnt create lots of foam witch will be nice due to the carmel candies

 

[KC_Brewski420]

what kind of candies are you planning on using? are you going to dissolve them prior to pitching the yeast? going to be following this one very closely.

also what are you planning as far as combating the skim milk/fat in the candies?

im using a carmel soft chew which will make it more easy to dissolve them in a starter solution as for the skim milk/fat dissolving the candies before hand should allow me to strain and skim the junk from the candies off the top before pitching due to the heat of the water and weight of the sugars in the candy the skim should settle at the top during cooling

 

[KC_Brewski420]

i will be taking pictures and posting them here as the time goes by to show the progress if you have any questions or tips feel free to hit me up

 

[calicojack]

if i can make a suggestion. dissolve your candies in water only. it's going to take some heat to get them to melt. that heat could destroy some of the characteristics of your honey.

 

[KC_Brewski420]

if i can make a suggestion. dissolve your candies in water only. it's going to take some heat to get them to melt. that heat could destroy some of the characteristics of your honey.

yes i was just reading up on that as you posted this and i will deffinatly dissolve my candy in water only the sugars from the candies should be more than enough food along with energizer and nutrient to get my yeasties started


thanks for your concern ill be sure to keep you posted on this one

 

[Fathand]

Also be mindful of the oils that are in nuts. I know in brewing they can destroy any sort of head retention. In a Mead I am not sure what those oils will do.

Also 3 oz of hickory seems like a ton. I have seen guys that use 3 oz total for 5 gallon batches. You might want to add the chips in a muslin bag and then you can remove them if the hickory taste seems too much.

 

[scinerd3000]

if your going to use nuts- roast them in the oven first to extract some of the oils, blot with paper towels to soak it up. Although you don't have to worry about head retention in a mead, the fat will probably go rancid after awhile especially with all those nuts.

 

[KC_Brewski420]

Awesome ty for tips ill make sure to toast them in the oven before hand and I do plan on using a small amount at first and adding more as time goes on to make sure it doesn't get to smokey

 

[KC_Brewski420]

if your going to use nuts- roast them in the oven first to extract some of the oils, blot with paper towels to soak it up. Although you don't have to worry about head retention in a mead, the fat will probably go rancid after awhile especially with all those nuts.

And also same as the hickory I will be removing them before my final racking I'm looking to rack this batch 3 times before a final racking to make siren I've strained any skim milk/fat from the batch..... I will be starting this next Tuesday I had to order a couple new 1 gal glass jugs for my test batches

 

[calicojack]

avoid pecans and lavin d47 combinations.... ask me how i know....

 

[WIMARIPA]

You should just caramelize some sugar and use that.

 

[2ndGenBrewer]

Another suggestion for a good carmel flavor would be to carmelize some of the honey like you would do in a Bochet. Not burn it, but work it to go a nice dark carmel brown.
I did a batch of carmel apple last year carmelizing the honey then adding apples. Turned out great!

 

[oldmate]

I do a caramel apple cider. I would caramelise some honey with a vanilla pod in there then use that. Maybe backsweeten with some lactose for the the feel and voila.

I would steer VERY clear of using anything to do with milk products and home-brew.

 

[KC_Brewski420]

I do a caramel apple cider. I would caramelise some honey with a vanilla pod in there then use that. Maybe backsweeten with some lactose for the the feel and voila.

I would steer VERY clear of using anything to do with milk products and home-brew.

i think i will do that ive been thinking about the carmel candy the last few days and it seem like alot of work to end up with a rancid result ... thanks all for this great info im sure it will save me time and money and maybea bad atch of brew *cheers*

 

[KC_Brewski420]

its officially begun i have made my first 1 gal test batch of carmel sundae mead!

this is what i did step my step with a supply list

Supplies:

4Lbs honey (choice or blend) i used a local clover
jar of Pure carmel syrup ( a backup to back sweeten )
1small bag sliced almonds not roasted
1 small bag of toasted american oak chips(you wont need much so if you have left overs use them up)
1 vanilla bean
1gal spring/filtered water
1/3Tsp fermaid K
1 packet of D-47


Instructions:

first preheat oven to 400. clean a small cookie sheet and lay almonds out in a single layer. toast them on top rack for 5-7 min keep an eye on them dont bun them! (i made that mistake good thing i could salvage some that didnt burn) then take 1Lb. of your honey in a small clean sauce pan cut 1/3 of your vanilla bean (split and strip) add to honey in the pan cook on low heat stiring every 2 min add 1/3 of a gal of your water to glass 1Gal jug. stop stirring carmel when it hits a steady simmer let is cook 2-3 more min then swirl gently to mix color and flavors add to the jug. at this point add the rest of your honey to the jug and add half of your toasted almonds.

at this point cap it and shake the crap out of it for a good 5 min. sit for a solid 30 min to let the foam settle. add small hand full of oak chips to the top.

Option of rehydrating yeast on your part i did but you dont have to. pitch yeast gently swirl it and airlock it. wait for the magic to happen!

12 hours later i added 1/3Tsp of fermaid K to it and stirred gently to mix it well


my plan is to watch it for 2-3 weeks and see how it is doing then rack and filter to a secondary and let sit for 3 months(or until it clears) then rack/filter it to a final for a 5-6 moth bulk age (give it a taste and deside on back sweetening) bottle it and and maybe drink a bit if it is ready if not i will bottle age it to 8 months to 1 year


let hope all goes well!! once finished it had a slight buttery smell and a nice warm toasted smell that came in behind it

wish me luck!
i will make sure to update this thread as the weeks go by

 

[oldmate]

What were the ingredients in the caramel syrup? If it's full of preservatives I would just opt for more vanilla/honey mixture. I've found that the fresher ingredients usually taste better. Also, people usually use oak chips in the secondary, but I doubt that it will effect anything other than a smaller amount of flavour extraction.

 

[KC_Brewski420]

The Carmel syrup has no preservitives in it I bought it homemade. From a mom n pop bakery

 

[KC_Brewski420]

going on 2 week with fermenting now its looking awesome has a very nice dark caramel color to it has a beautiful roasted almond smell to it so far tuesday i will be racking to a clean secondary ontop of some carmalized cane sugar and vanilla extract to help those flavors come out its a little too nutty for my liking ... but so far so good keep you posted as time goes on