Hi all!
I've made a good few beers now, and midway through last year I made my first mead and my first braggot. Neither is at all subtle, and both are to be drunk in limited quantities lest you fall over in a giggling mess and then get a headache. Also the mead could probably do with aging some more as it still has a bit of a kick to it. That said - I've already got the honey for the next batch and was thinking about what to do with it. Today I tried Blackwood Meadery's "Old Mead Brew", which is different to any mead I've had before. At 6% ABV it's roughly beer strength and brings up the possibility of making a mead you could drink like beer - noisily, and in pints!
However, while this stuff was pretty good, it was very dry, thin of body and also pretty acidic. So I've been thinking about making, and would appreciate knowing if anyone's tried making, a 5% ABV (ish) malted mead. It wouldn't be a braggot because the emphasis would definitely be on the honey (wildflower, from a farm on the south coast), but adding some malt (either from extract or a mini-mash) might add some body, give it a head, and mellow it out some.
So, roughly, for a six gallon brew -
five pounds of honey
one pound malt extract (or equivalent from mash)
some sort of beer yeast
yeast nutrient
Is this a stupid idea?
If I was to do a small mash, what sort of grain should I use to give it a lot of unfermentables and a head?
I've made a good few beers now, and midway through last year I made my first mead and my first braggot. Neither is at all subtle, and both are to be drunk in limited quantities lest you fall over in a giggling mess and then get a headache. Also the mead could probably do with aging some more as it still has a bit of a kick to it. That said - I've already got the honey for the next batch and was thinking about what to do with it. Today I tried Blackwood Meadery's "Old Mead Brew", which is different to any mead I've had before. At 6% ABV it's roughly beer strength and brings up the possibility of making a mead you could drink like beer - noisily, and in pints!
However, while this stuff was pretty good, it was very dry, thin of body and also pretty acidic. So I've been thinking about making, and would appreciate knowing if anyone's tried making, a 5% ABV (ish) malted mead. It wouldn't be a braggot because the emphasis would definitely be on the honey (wildflower, from a farm on the south coast), but adding some malt (either from extract or a mini-mash) might add some body, give it a head, and mellow it out some.
So, roughly, for a six gallon brew -
five pounds of honey
one pound malt extract (or equivalent from mash)
some sort of beer yeast
yeast nutrient
Is this a stupid idea?
If I was to do a small mash, what sort of grain should I use to give it a lot of unfermentables and a head?
