Questions about "*****'s Brew" replication - DFH

[MarzBock]

Alright, so everyone saw that episode of Brewmasters where they made the *****'s Brew.. I have been musing about replicating this.

I have some mead working, just a little 2L batch for fun. It has been going for almost 6 weeks now and still won't stop bubbling... anyway, I digress.

I want to whip up some kind of stout, like Sam did on the show, and then blend it 3:1 with the mead. I can split off 1.5gal of the stout at bottling time and do the blend for a 2gal batch. I have no experience with mead, but after reading a bit, it looks like most folks let mead age for 6-12months. I KNOW Sam didn't age their mead, at least they implied that the beer was rushed together in less than a month.

SO, what do you think? Age the mead 6 months and THEN make the stout, or just wait until FG is stable on the mead and do the blend ASAP? I have a feeling this mead is going to be cloudy unless I let it sit for quite a while (or use some clarifier agent).

 

[mcarb]

I don't think BB uses mead. Instead it uses honey beer. I could be wrong. They are not the same.

 

[DrawTap88]

I don't think BB uses mead. Instead it uses honey beer. I could be wrong. They are not the same.

+1 to that. Not sure what exactly that other beer was called, but I'm pretty sure it's not a mead.

 

[IffyG]

He used Tej beer in Bitches Brew.

 

[bknifefight]

It was "Tej" that they blended with the stout. Here is a thread about it and it has links with info and recipes:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f30/hopped-mead-tej-6440/

 

[DrawTap88]

I stand corrected. Anyone out there that was able to get their hands on some of this?

 

[bknifefight]

Get our hands on what? Tej or Bitches Brew?

 

[MarzBock]

Yeah, I got a bottle of it in my fridge.. waiting to open it for a special occasion.

I would consider that Tej stuff to be a mead. It's only source of fermentables is from that raw honey. Sure it has some adjuncts in it, but it sounds mostly like mead to me.

I thought that maybe they chose a stout to blend since clairity isn't a major concern with a stout (too dark to see through it anyway). Or maybe they filter it, I have no idea.

 

[bknifefight]

It is technically a mead but uses roots or something as a bittering agent. It certainly isn't a "normal" mead.

 

[DrawTap88]

Get our hands on what? Tej or Bitches Brew?

Either one. Just looking for a taste description.

 

[bknifefight]

Either one. Just looking for a taste description.

I have a bottle of *****'s Brew, but at what I paid for it ($17) I am saving it for a special occasion.

 

[shawnbou]

I suppose it's just a question of semantics, but most sources I've read describe Tej as a type of mead for the reason MarzBock noted. The fermentables come from the honey. The gesho root that they use to bitter it is technically a spice, so you might consider it a metheglin, but because of the peculiarities of the process and the tradition behind it, Tej really belongs in its own category. (I say this FWIW having never drunk it myself, except in Bitches Brew).

As for the taste of BB ... remember that according to Sam C. it was 3 "threads" imperial stout and 1 "thread" Tej. To me, I definitely tasted the imperial stout more than anything. The honey flavor from the Tej thread didn't contribute much up-front flavor to what I tasted, but it did give it a residual sweetness/fruitiness reminiscent of Midas Touch. I hope that helps.

 

[brettwasbtd]

Tej, I believe is unfilterd honey and geisha(sp?) root.

I had the bitches brew the other day... dangerously palatable for a 9% ABV beer. Agree it was more of an Imperial stout, but so smooth.

 

[shawnbou]

I have a bottle of *****'s Brew, but at what I paid for it ($17) I am saving it for a special occasion.

We couldn't get bottles of it here in Texas, so it was only available on draft a couple of times. I ended up paying $17 for a pint.

 

[shawnbou]

Anyway, back to the original question, yes, longer aging is typical with meads. But Tej is normally young and cloudy, and the longer you age the mead, the less aggressive it'll be. It might get lost in all that stout. I'd say go ahead and blend your mead with your stout once they're both stable. It'll be close enough to be delicious, I'm sure.

If you wanted to, you could add a clarifier to the mead now. It should be clear by the time the stout is done fermenting.

I'm curious to know how it comes out. Let us know what you end up with.

 

[philrose]

I'm really not trying to troll your fun project- sorry if it comes off this way...

I sampled a glass of Bitches Brew when they came up with a keg at busy bee in Raleigh, NC. It was beyond underwhelming- I found it unpalatable. The aroma was soiled diaper, flavor was bittersweet on the tongue followed by astringency as the beer hits the throat.

I'll admit that I have not sampled any true braggots and my preference on the beer side tends to stay away from american stout.

YMMV, I'd feel guilty if I held back on my opinion of the beer.

 

[DrawTap88]

Thank you for the taste descriptors.

I'm not a mead guy, but I'm curious as to what they're fermenting the T'ej with.

 

[dunnright00]

I've had tej several times, as I have a few friends from Ethiopia/Eritrea.

They always described it as "honey wine" not beer.

 

[DrawTap88]

I rewatched the episode last night. They actually used some barley as part of the grist for the T'ej.

 

[bknifefight]

We couldn't get bottles of it here in Texas, so it was only available on draft a couple of times. I ended up paying $17 for a pint.

Oh wow, now I don't feel so bad about what I paid!

 

[dunnright00]

$11.99 a bottle. I love my new liquor store. :-D

 

[MarzBock]

I'm bumping this thread because I actually did perform a mead blend in the spirit of Bitches Brew.

My mead was a funny experiment. It started out as Ginger Ale (soda, not beer.. for the kids). I put too much ginger in it and it fermented like crazy in a sealed bottle. Upon opening the 2L bottle, it foamed so much that it literally took me half an hour of letting the CO2 out before I could actually open the damn thing. We tasted it and it tasted boozy, so the kids couldn't have it. I decided to add about 1/2lb of honey to it, along with a cinnamon stick and a couple of cloves (whole spices). Attached an airlock and let it ferment out (took about 6 weeks to stop bubbling). Transfered the mead to a new bottle and let it clear for a week. It was amazingly clear after this time frame. Tasted a bit, and it was really boozy with strong hints of ginger and spices.

SO, I took this mead and blended it 3:1 with an Ale. I had intended to use a Stout at first, but I just haven't had time to make one (too many other beers going), so I blended the mead with what I had ready to bottle... a Golden Ale of about 5%abv. I figure the Mead will up the alcohol to around 7-8%, but it's a total guess. The resulting "braggot" (if you can call it that.. I am) was a deep golden-orange color and tasted pretty wacky out of the bottling bucket.

I'm going to wait a solid 6 weeks before I crack one open. I'm hoping the carbonation and a little aging will help with the taste, as it was really complex out of the bottling bucket, hard to describe. A lot of spices fighting for domination is the best way I can say it.

I'll come back and post again in 6 weeks when I try a bottle.

cheers
Marz