Another Midas touch variant

[lurch]

After reading through the forums and other sites I have come up with a deviatio form the original recipy.

I am looking foward to any input...

My twist is as folows

Preboil
6 gallons (23 L) water

Boil
8 pounds light malt extract - (75 minutes)
2 pounds blackberry honey - (end of boil)
3/4 ounce Chinook hops - (60 minutes)
15 Saffron threads - (end of boil)

Fermentation
Wyeast 3538-PC Leuven Pale Ale Yeast X2

1 quart (1 L) Gewurztraminer grape juice concentrate - (3 days)


My reasons for the selections:

1. I despise boiling Honey, As a mad mead maker I never heat the honey above blood tempature. I feel this preserves the more delicate essences in the honey and honey does not require pastuization as its high oszmotic pressuers ensuers no orginizm can take holdin in it.

2. The Gewurztraminer grape is a spicer varant and will meld nicley with the blackberry flavor from the honey

3. the Yeast selection is once again chosen for it ability to impart a spiceness to the beer. I do like to hedge my bets and always use 2 smack packs

4. I feel the Original Midas touch needed to be a tad hoppier so I am bumping up the IBU and choosing Chinook hops as it high alpha works well with higher gravity beers.

So tell me what you think.. Its all going in the pot next saturday crossing fingers

 

[lurch]

Ok I finally have all the needed parts to make my beer

I now know why this beer is 14.00 bucks a four pack

Beer cost -

2 three gallon bottles spring water @7.29 per - $14.58
8 lb dry light extract 3 3lb bags @ 11.50 per - 34.50
2 lb honey 8.75
1 oz safron 5.00
1 42 oz can Gewurztraminer grape concentrate - 32.00
1 oz chinook - 2.25
2 smack pack Wyeast 3538-PC Leuven Pale Ale Yeast @ 6.25 + shipping 12.50
24 22 oz bottles 24.00

total cost to brew (God Please dont tell the wife) $133.58 thats $5.57 a bottle

 

[Wooster]

...and honey does not require pastuization as its high oszmotic pressuers ensuers no orginizm can take holdin in it.

I was under the impression that while stuff will not grow in honey, it is not sanitary and might contain organisms that could take hold once the honey is diluted (in a wort, for example).

 

[lurch]

I have been making mead for a number of years and have never and I do mean never boiled my honey. Raw Honey is one of those wonderful substances that acts as a natural antiseptic. I have never had a problem with contamination with any of the raw honey I purchase. Now you will see that I stress the "RAW" portion in honey. I do not buy or use store bought honey as it has been processes beyond just the combs being placed in a centrifuge. As Honey is heated it loses the natural essences form the flowers and plants it was harvested from. In addition, additional processing can introduce bacteria and other contaminants to the honey and this is truly undesirable, It is natural to find bee detritus in honey. :fro:

 

[lurch]

reduced water componet to 5.5 gallons only have a 40 q brew pot.

first reading with refractomiter brix at 25

Activity started with in 35 minutes of adding yeast (love that wyeast)...

will take next reading before adding grape concentrate 3 to 4 days after fermentation slows.

smells really, really good! :fro:

 

[nbspindel]

i like the subst of chinook hops, and agree that it could use more hop flavor.

on the honey, I'm pretty sure a food science friend of mine said that spores will and do grow in honey in the proper conditions, even in the bottle there are bad spores present (can't remember the name of the spore, but its bad). The pH of beer will also prevent the spores from becoming active, so it should be fine. Even boiling it however does not sterilize and kill the spores, but it may help lower the chance of these spores becoming active in any other mixture, or something with higher pH.

Anyway, the adult stomach can fight off the spore populations found in honey before they can start multiplying and kill. However, a child's digestive system cannot until the stomach develops the proper acids (and other stuff, to be extremely scientific. ha), which is why giving young kids pure honey is discouraged: the chance of the bad spores being in there and colonizing in the stomach increases and apparently it's bad enough and fast enough to kill. I'm pretty sure that's how the story goes. Just fact-based, non-scientific FYI.

 

[lurch]

Agreed, I did mis speek on the presence of dormant bacteria and i do folow the prohibition on giving infants honey.

Having said that... My 2 year old is not drinking the beer as well......

 

[lurch]

DAY 2 and still plugging along on primary 1 or 2 more days and i add the grape concentrate!

its like a science experement lol :fro:

 

[lurch]

Well at day 3 activity had slowed down suffiecntly to add the grape concentrate (In my haste I did not get a gravity reading ) Checked this morning activity going strong again.

Now here is my worry the yeast I used can ferment out at 12% do really want a beer that hot?

Shoud I drop some potassium sorbate to stop fermentation and protect from later potential bottle bombs?

 

[FiddleTilDeath]

Wait, why would you set yourself up for an epic high gravity brew and then try to stop the fermentation? Really? RDWHAHB.

 

[lurch]

Well i could let it sit for a year or so before any one drinks it....

waiting till ferm to poop out to get final gravity.

can any one estimate what the addition of the grape would add to OG?

that way i can get aprox abv?

 

[lurch]

Primary fernmentation finally pooped out after a week of steady fermentation. Going to let it rest for a few days to finish out and rack to secondary will get final g at that point...:fro:

 

[lurch]

Well the beer is still in secondary Im toying with the idea of oaking with a med toast french oak for a few weeks then bottle. I took a sneek taste its good but will need some aging to mello since it is so hot.

Post updateds when i am ready to bottle:fro:

 

[lurch]

I decieded to Keg this one and let it rest under co2 for a few months. It Cleared out beautifully and is a interensting burnt amber color.

Force carbonating now will Taste test in a week or so