Avocado Mead Recipe?

[Hazroth]

Lol good luck with your nightmare. Let us know how it turns out.

 

[weirdboy]

Maybe unrelated (?) but one of my local homebrew club members, before he moved last year, used to make mead using avocado honey...that is honey from bees around the large avocado farms down by OC and San Diego.

It had a very distinct spicy flavor. I am not sure one could say it tasted like avocados per say, but it is an interesting mead to be sure.

 

[SuperSkylar]

Maybe unrelated (?) but one of my local homebrew club members, before he moved last year, used to make mead using avocado honey...that is honey from bees around the large avocado farms down by OC and San Diego.

It had a very distinct spicy flavor. I am not sure one could say it tasted like avocados per say, but it is an interesting mead to be sure.

I live in Los Angeles wich is a few hours away and have never heard of that?? Sounds interesting. I have considered farming honey but am scared too haha

 

[weirdboy]

Apparently he bought it straight from the apiaries down in that area. I have heard that if you talk to the honey purveyor(s) in the farmer's market and plan ahead, they can get you a wide variety of honeys rather than your typical orange blossom and clover that they usually have sitting there, and can get you the larger 12 lb and 60lb containers as well, which are not usually available at the farmer's markets.

 

[SuperSkylar]

Apparently he bought it straight from the apiaries down in that area. I have heard that if you talk to the honey purveyor(s) in the farmer's market and plan ahead, they can get you a wide variety of honeys rather than your typical orange blossom and clover that they usually have sitting there, and can get you the larger 12 lb and 60lb containers as well, which are not usually available at the farmer's markets.

Oh sweet, I live right by a farmers market

 

[SuperSkylar]

When do you think I should rack it?
*edit* PS it smells super good and alcoholic as **** lol

 

[Bugeaud]

You rack when fermentation has stopped and it has cleared. At least that's when I rack it.

 

[turtlescales]

Keep meaning to post this, for whatever it is worth... I've been looking at chocolate mead recipes, made me think of this because apparently the extra oils from the chocolate can make it harder for the mead to clear and fining additives are often needed. Might be something to keep in mind, as the Hulk ages and whatnot

 

[SuperSkylar]

You rack when fermentation has stopped and it has cleared. At least that's when I rack it.

Keep meaning to post this, for whatever it is worth... I've been looking at chocolate mead recipes, made me think of this because apparently the extra oils from the chocolate can make it harder for the mead to clear and fining additives are often needed. Might be something to keep in mind, as the Hulk ages and whatnot

It has REALLY slowed down. About 1-2 bubbles/minute. I'm a bit confused what to do. Do I cap it, or re bottle it with a siphon and bottle it?

That seems really good, mmmmn a chocolate mead! Maybe a bit of cinnamon, peppermint (Maaaaaybe some orange)!

*Also I am making a rice raisin wine, would the same go for that?*

 

[turtlescales]

I think that the rice raisin wine would clear fine, the oil content isn't there.

Don't bottle it yet, mead can take awhile. If in doubt, just let it sit for about a month if you didn't take a gravity reading, make sure that any avocado floating on top gets punched down frequently, to allow heat to escape from the yeast activity as well as to keep them wet.

Then rack it, and wait another month or so until you do it again, keep doing this until it is clear. Could take awhile with all the oils, I'd wait at least a couple months after the first rack before considering fining agents, but all this is just off of what I have read so far. I am as new to this as you are

Definitely don't bottle until it is clear, you don't want bottle bombs! I didn't get good gravity readings at the start of my meads, I plan to give my meads a good deal of time to just do their thing on their own, and am going to get a refractometer so I can take samples without wasting a lot of my mead. Just not enough in a gallon batch for me to want to do it. Before I bottle, I hope to take readings with the refractometer over a week or two, to make sure that the gravity readings are the same over a period of time, then I will stabilize with sorbate and K-metabisulphite to be certain of no bombs.

 

[SuperSkylar]

I wasn't really able to stir it at all through out this whole thing. Because of all the loss and the avocados flattening out, I was wondering (the level in the jug is loooww). Should I throw in a bit more yeast (they seem pretty dead) sugar, and a few cups of water, and let it go again for a week or two?

 

[SuperSkylar]

I wasn't really able to stir it at all through out this whole thing. Because of all the loss and the avocados flattening out, I was wondering (the level in the jug is loooww). Should I throw in a bit more yeast (they seem pretty dead) sugar, and a few cups of water, and let it go again for a week or two?

Bump

 

[turtlescales]

I'm not actually sure to be honest. It does look sort of low in the picture, I guess if it were me I would be tempted to try and repeat under different circumstances, maybe in a bucket with less fruit and in a bucket for primary. Then again, you're in it this far. Maybe just topping it up with some mix of water and honey and riding it out to see what happens?

 

[SuperSkylar]

Its dropped about 2"s since then. Whats the worst thing that could happen??
Is it not a good idea to add more sugar, water and yeast? I know it wont go as nuts as it last time

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Brohim, I just read this thread and laughed through my nose at work. This is just the kind of mad science I respect most. What a wonderfully horrible idea, lousy in all the best ways.

I just picture you in an LA apartment wearing a WWII helmet and goggles, fighting back your new creation with a stick.

Please keep us updated, particularly once you taste it.

 

[Bugeaud]

Brohim, I just read this thread and laughed through my nose at work. This is just the kind of mad science I respect most. What a wonderfully horrible idea, lousy in all the best ways.

I just picture you in an LA apartment wearing a WWII helmet and goggles, fighting back your new creation with a stick.

I concur, this thread is rather hilarious, though also sad for the loss of mead. Though it is a sacrifice that had to be made for mead kind everywhere.

 

[SuperSkylar]

Iunno, Maybe once I strain it through a cheese cloth I'll get a lil more than a half gallon outa it. I am not gonna add anything to it due to the fact that no one has given me insight on what to do. But when should I rack it? It has stopped bubbling now, or does mead take a lil longer?

 

[turtlescales]

For whatever it is worth, I have my first 4 batches going now and racked my two melomels after about 3 weeks each.

A lot of people top up their batches with a mix of honey and water. I don't know the exacts, but if you searched "top up mead" or something like that you'd get some good information. I used extra must from my clementine cyser to top up my raspberry mead when it got pretty low. Pretty much apple juice and honey. Personally, the only sugar I want in my mead is honey and whatever fruit I decide to add.

I don't think I'd worry about adding more yeast, unless you took a gravity reading and it was really high and fermentation seemed to be stuck. Considering the geyser action you had though.... maybe not an issue It would likely be off, considering all that avocado in there. If you do decide to top up, maybe wait until you rack, and then take a look at how much headspace you have and give your mead a little taste and then decide. Just in case you are unaware, new mead tastes pretty nasty so keep that in mind.

Also... the idea of you battling this beast with a stick nearly made me cry I was laughing so hard

 

[CreamyGoodness]

What if you topped off with honey and water to just below the neck, capped, swirled or shook briefly, and then left open for a moment or two until you saw signs that the Hulk had begun bubbling again? Then I would immediately put a blow-off tube on it before returning to my sandbag bunker.

If must-making is anything like, say, making chicken-stock, I would say the half gallon you have right now is essentially a honey-laden avocado concentrate that is fermenting. I think it could actually benefit from a little dilution and extra sugar (and a shaking could help break down the avocado pieces). I wouldnt worry about energizer just yet (because HULK SMASH!) but if it is sluggish you could toss in a handful of raisins....

I'm far from an expert, though, so I make no promises.

 

[SuperSkylar]

What if you topped off with honey and water to just below the neck, capped, swirled or shook briefly, and then left open for a moment or two until you saw signs that the Hulk had begun bubbling again? Then I would immediately put a blow-off tube on it before returning to my sandbag bunker.

If must-making is anything like, say, making chicken-stock, I would say the half gallon you have right now is essentially a honey-laden avocado concentrate that is fermenting. I think it could actually benefit from a little dilution and extra sugar (and a shaking could help break down the avocado pieces). I wouldnt worry about energizer just yet (because HULK SMASH!) but if it is sluggish you could toss in a handful of raisins....

I'm far from an expert, though, so I make no promises.

Ok I will try that, Is all the yeast dead though because it has stopped bubbling.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

I highly highly doubt it, personally, but again I'm still pretty much a noob. Yeast does go dorment when it doesnt have any more sugar to eat through...

 

[Bugeaud]

If if the yeast is dead, and you are fairly certain it was because it fermented out and not some other issue, I'd say wait until it clears, then rack, if some more sediment falls rack again, and make sure of an over all aging of at least 6 months.

 

[bodhi86]

why not try making and entire guacamole themed mead, some tomatoes cilantro and lemon juice, id so no the the onions tho, probly no good in a honey based drink. just a tought anyway, if your gunnu make a wierd flavor mead might as well go all the right?

 

[Bugeaud]

id so no the the onions tho

Well, they did make a bacon mead on HBT.... and that turned out somewhat good, tasted more like pork chops than bacon. So who knows.

 

[SuperSkylar]

When I added more water and fuel I could clearly tell the yeast was alive.. Its not going CRAZY but it started going good, its slowly slowing down though. It smells SUPER alcoholyy though lol

 

[Bugeaud]

It smells SUPER alcoholyy though lol

Avocado shooters? haha

 

[turtlescales]

Avocado shooters? haha

Garnish with fresh cilantro and bite a lime first.

 

[JoeyChopps]

I'm probably going to try this does anyone have a good suggestions on a yeast to use?

 

[JoeyChopps]

Anybody I'm heading to brewmasters tomorrow and would like an idea on this. Chopps

 

[Bugeaud]

I always go dry and then back sweeten. I'd go with lalvin EC-1118