Almond mead Recipe

[Brann_mac_Finnchad]

First off, has anyone made an almond mead before? My proposed recipe is below, adapted from an almond wine recipe somewere on this site.
What type of yeast would you use? And would you add the 'chunks' into the carboy, or strain it after steeping?

Almond Mead
1 cup almonds, blanched and peeled
2 oranges (small), juice and rind
1.5 pounds white raisins
2.5 pounds honey
yeast nutrients, pectic enzyme
Lalvin 71-B wine yeast

Puree (medium) almonds and raisins, and simmer in water to cover for 1 hour. Add rest of ingredients and water to 1 gallon to carboy. Pitch yeast the following day.

OG should be about 1.134

 

[TheBrewingMedic]

I've never tried nuts like almonds in a mead myself however it's been discussed in a few other threads. the issue that is usually brought up is the amount of oil in nuts being an issue. one suggestion I've seen that seemed like a good idea is to make an extract with them and some cheap vodka, grain alcohol or white rum. what you're describing seems vaguely familiar to making "almond milk" which may also be a decent option to experiment with.

 

[Matrix4b]

I have made 2 almond meads. Almond Vanilla and Pumpkin Toasted Almond.

The almond does come out a bit bitter. I used 1 pound of sliced almonds in a 5 gal and didn't get much flavor, On the Pumpkin, it turned out very bitter prob becuase of the toasting, I used 1 pound there too.

My best recomendation is to make an almond extract yourself. Also, the red skin on the almond is the bitter part.

After doing some research, I have found that regular sweet almonds dont have much flavor, I have found also that Almond Extract is made from Bitter Almonds, not normally availble in the US. The other thing I found in researching Ameretto is that Ameretto is made not from almonds but from apricot kernel. That is inside the seed shell of the apricots. It is a cosin of the almond and frequently used as a subtitute by chefs for Bitter Almonds. Also, that many artificial almond extracts are made with Apricot Kernal oil instead of almond oil.

Given that this is a 1 gal batch. I think that I would still up the cups to 2 and put it in the secondary. Make sure that you take off the red skin or you will get some bitterness. Also, with what you have your going to end up with a dry mead. I would up the honey, if you are going a galon batch, by at least 1 pound. I would do 2, or let it go with what you have, stabalize and backsweeten with 1 pound of honey.

For yeast, A good stable yeast is D47 or 71B. 71B has a temp tolerance of up to about 82 before it produces some fusels, and D47 don't go over 70 degrees or you will get off flavors.

I would put the almonds in the secondary.

Ofcourse, I would make almond extract and add the extract prior to oaking. How you can make extract is to chop the almonds up fine, or what I do is put it on a rough grind in a coffee grinder, then put in a jar with Rum. About 1 cups rum and 1 cup ground almond, careful not to make almond butter. Then, shake 1 a day for 2 weeks, let sit for 2 months. Then run through a strainer and run through a strainer with a coffee filter in it. Then I would take the resulting liquid and reduce it a bit by putting it in a pan and simmering it for 1/2 hour. Then take that liquid and add to the secondary, about 1/4 cup should be plenty.

This will break down the oils and make it useable so that it can integrate into the must.

Another way to get more flavor is to go 1/2 and 1/2 of Almonds and Apricot Kernals.

Yes it's more work, that is why I like to do 5 gal recipies.

Matrix

 

[DGibb]

The other thing I found in researching Ameretto is that Ameretto is made not from almonds but from apricot kernel. That is inside the seed shell of the apricots. It is a cosin of the almond and frequently used as a subtitute by chefs for Bitter Almonds. Also, that many artificial almond extracts are made with Apricot Kernal oil instead of almond oil.
Matrix

My understanding is that the use of the apricot pit is implemented by many of the "lesser" amaretto makers, and is inferior to the use of true Sicilian almonds. Do a side-by-side taste test of Disaronno, Amarito, and Luxardo amarettos, and you can definitely tell the difference. By the way, Luxardo is the one made with Sicilian almonds, and it is delicious.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

First off, has anyone made an almond mead before? My proposed recipe is below, adapted from an almond wine recipe somewere on this site.
What type of yeast would you use? And would you add the 'chunks' into the carboy, or strain it after steeping?

Almond Mead
1 cup almonds, blanched and peeled
2 oranges (small), juice and rind
1.5 pounds white raisins
2.5 pounds honey
yeast nutrients, pectic enzyme
Lalvin 71-B wine yeast

Puree (medium) almonds and raisins, and simmer in water to cover for 1 hour. Add rest of ingredients and water to 1 gallon to carboy. Pitch yeast the following day.

OG should be about 1.134

I think I'd strain those chunks out. Not sure I'd puree those almonds either, they might just make a floating mess. Think I'd chop 'em & leave 'em large enough to be strained out. Jack Keller has a couple almond wine recipes you might find useful:
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/recipes.asp

In theory, you should be able to use honey instead of sugar 1:1 & get a mead/melomel. I'm wondering about the use of citrus in both your recipe & Keller's. Is yours more for flavour or to add acid?
Regards, GF.

 

[Matrix4b]

My understanding is that the use of the apricot pit is implemented by many of the "lesser" amaretto makers, and is inferior to the use of true Sicilian almonds. Do a side-by-side taste test of Disaronno, Amarito, and Luxardo amarettos, and you can definitely tell the difference. By the way, Luxardo is the one made with Sicilian almonds, and it is delicious.

I don't know about this. I have not been taste testing. The point is that you need to use bitter almonds. Not normally available in the us. Are Sicilian almonds the bitter type? but the original amaretto was made with apricot kernels. So, I don't know cost wise is the best. Personally, I would make an extract either with sicilian almonds or with apricot kernels or even a combination. Evidently sweet almond, that's the kind in the grocery stores and the like, are not quite bitter enough to cut it.

Either way, I would be interested in how this one turns out.

Matrix

 

[gratus fermentatio]

It seems that there is a reason bitter almonds are difficult to come by in the US.
From Wikipedia:
"The bitter almond is slightly broader and shorter than the sweet almond, and contains about 50% of the fixed oil that occurs in sweet almonds. It also contains the enzyme emulsin which, in the presence of water, acts on a soluble glucoside, amygdalin, yielding glucose, cyanide and the essential oil of bitter almonds, which is nearly pure benzaldehyde. Bitter almonds may yield from 4–9 mg of hydrogen cyanide per almond.[21][22] Extract of bitter almond was once used medicinally, but even in small doses, effects are severe, and in larger doses can be deadly; the cyanide must be removed before consumption.[23]
All commercially grown almonds are of the "sweet" variety."

And from About.com:
"The bitter almond is a cousin to the sweet almond and contains traces of lethal prussic acid in its raw state. Although the toxicity is destroyed by heat, the sale of unrefined bitter almonds is prohibited in the United States. Fifty unprocessed bitter almonds can be lethal to a human. Yet, bitter almonds are successfully processed to make almond extract and almond-flavored liqueurs."

Even apricot kernals have their drawbacks.
From Wikipedia:
"Seeds or kernels of the apricot grown in central Asia and around the Mediterranean are so sweet that they may be substituted for almonds. The Italian liqueur amaretto and amaretti biscotti are flavored with extract of apricot kernels as well as almonds. Oil pressed from these cultivars has been used as cooking oil.[citation needed]

Apricot kernels can sometimes be strong-tasting and bitter. They feature in recipes for apricot jam, and Italian amaretto cookies and liqueur.[citation needed] Taken in excess, they may produce symptoms of cyanide poisoning, including nausea, fever, rash, headaches, insomnia, increased thirst, weakness, lethargy, nervousness, various aches and pains in joints and muscles, and a drop in blood pressure.

In 1993, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets tested the cyanide content of two 220 gram (8oz) packages of apricot kernels that were imported from Pakistan and were being sold in health-food stores as a snack. The results showed that each package, if consumed entirely, contained at least double the minimum lethal dosage of cyanide for an adult human. The apricot pits were recalled and removed from stores.[2] In spite of this, there were no USA deaths and only one serious toxicity from apricot kernels reported from 1979 to 1998.[3] On average, an apricot kernel contains about 0.5 mg of cyanide."

Think I'll pass on making an almond wine.
Regards, GF.

 

[Matrix4b]

Ok, important health tip. Heat the almonds to destroy the cyanide. But that begs the question, how much and for how long. Hmm, I wonder what the fermentation process does to raw almonds. It may end up doing the job for us. So this may be a substance the NEEDS to be added in the primary. I wonder.

Matrix

 

[Brann_mac_Finnchad]

Thanks for the advise and suggestions all......I think I'll avoid adding ingredients containing deadly toxins to my drinks, lol. And don't care for bitter flavours anyways...

Matrix4b: I think I will take the advice and go with a home-made almond extract....or I may just go for it and see were I end up

gratus fermentatio: The recipe I used is here, and may be based on the Jack Keller's Recipe (or else there is some root recipe). I'm assuming that lemon is being added for flavour or both flavour and acid.

I believe that honey can be substituted for sugar at a 4:5, sugar:honey ratio, roughly. That's my math, anyways.

 

[Matrix4b]

Thanks for the advise and suggestions all......I think I'll avoid adding ingredients containing deadly toxins to my drinks, lol. And don't care for bitter flavours anyways...

Matrix4b: I think I will take the advice and go with a home-made almond extract....or I may just go for it and see were I end up

gratus fermentatio: The recipe I used is here, and may be based on the Jack Keller's Recipe (or else there is some root recipe). I'm assuming that lemon is being added for flavour or both flavour and acid.

I believe that honey can be substituted for sugar at a 4:5, sugar:honey ratio, roughly. That's my math, anyways.

Hey no problem. My suggestion is to use the almond slivers from the sweet almonds, chopped up or rough ground in a coffee grinder. The reason why is the almond slivers don't have the red skin on the outside. Or if you do decide to go with whole almonds and chop them yourself then remove the skin prior to chopping. That thin red skin is very bitter and may detract from the extract. Also, once you have the extract made, run it not only through a screen but put a coffee filter in the screen and run it through, that will get rid of the dustlike particles and end up with a better extract. Just some things I learned the hard way. About 2 months in the Rum or Vodka is all that's truely needed, I personally would simmer the mix for a bit to remove some of the alcohol and reduce the volume a bit for a more potent flavor. Just 1/2 on low on the stove in a pot would be good enough. Not boiling but simmering as alcohol has a lower boiling temp than water.

Good luck
Matrix