Black Forest Gateaux Mead....would it work?

[Zeltar]

Hey guys just racked my first Mead into secondary and think I've well and truly caught the Mead making bug.

Being a chef a billion flavour combinations popped into my head to try and when I asked the Mrs the idea popped up about black forest gateaux Mead.

Spoke to a few friends and the idea keeps niggling away. So thought I'd bring it here to you drunken misfits to refine it.

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My idea was:

1lb dark cherries or morello cherries soaked for 2 days in kirsch and a few vanilla pods.

Lalvin EC1118 yeast

6lbs of wild Heather honey

1lb cocoa nibs

The vanilla soaked in kirsch

Water

Raisins

Nutrients as needed.


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So opinions? Hates likes ideas etc all welcome, one of my concerns is the verrrrrry fine line between cherry alcohol and that medicinal nasty taste.


Z.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Sounds good to me!
Regards, GF.

 

[Zeltar]

Thanks playing around with a few different ideas

 

[On-target]

What size batch would this be?

 

[Zeltar]

One gallon batch this is for but easily adaptable for a 3 or 5 gallon I should think

 

[fredthecat]

no x in gateau AKA cake aka schwarzwald kuchen

 

[Jericurl]

If my google-fu is up to par, then kirsch is a cherry brandy, yeah?

Were you planning on making the mead and then adding the brandy?

Otherwise I think the brandy would kill the yeast.

If it were me, I would take straight cherry juice (or 5 lbs of cherries in one gallon of water), a half of a vanilla bean, and half of the cocoa nibs, along with 4 lbs of honey.
All above for one gallon, scale up as needed.
Ferment out until below 1.00 SG.


Soak 1 lb of cherries in kirsch, along with the other 1/2 vanilla bean.
After racking mead, add infused kirsch and backsweeten with honey.

eta: a banana wouldn't hurt for a little body and nutrients and wouldn't really add anything to the overall flavor profile.

 

[skadalajara]

"Kirsch" is simply the German word for cherry. I learned the brandy as "Kirschwasser". Literally "cherry water". The family I stayed with in Saarbrücken would have a glass at dinner every night.