dquinn1993
Member
Hope everyone is having a great year so far!
I have been homebrewing only for about a year now. Based in Arizona I have quickly grown in this hobby and its become something of a obsession after my first successful brew. I have been looking for a community to join to talk about recipes, methods, and all that jazz.
Here are the batches I have tried to make so far!
Failures:
Strawberry - Not nearly enough strawberries, super hazy, looked like stagnate water and tasted like a used Band-Aid. Still have some aging but no hope for this to be honest.
Apple - Think I used the wrong kind of juice and bad process. Mead separated from juice, apples molded while letting it age. Tossed.
Peach - Same as apple, but no mold. After months had a weird separation and tasted wrong. Tossed.
Sort-of-good:
Blueberry - Hazy, but didn't know of pectic enzyme. Was decent but super dry with a FG of 0.996 and at 16% it hit hard with 0 back sweetening. Didn't know you could do that haha. Drank the entire batch but would have liked more blueberry flavor and more sweetness.
Cherry - Came out really clear and had a great cherry flavor. Unfortunately I went overboard with back sweetening and when bottled had a FG of 1.030 and the honey over powered everything. Still drank all of it though!
Amazing:
Raspberry Pomegranate - First brew I was proud of. Super fast ferment, only took about a month from pitch to fully clear. Started in November last year bottled this past weekend. Drank 1 with my wife, and 1 with family and even as young as it is, was amazing. Named it "Nectar of the Underworld" as the pomegranate flavor really pops with a nice breath of raspberry on the end. Can't wait to see how this ages! Had to do bottle instead of bulk aging as I needed the fermenter for another brew.
Currently Aging:
Mango - 3 gallons - I hate Mango but wanted to do something refreshing for summertime and both sides of my family love mangos. Started the brew in November of last year hoping to bottle around May/June. Doesn't taste horrible but not my thing.
Blueberry Pancake Acyerglyn - 1 gallon - Was absolutely amazing on the tasting after back-sweetening with some homemade blueberry juice & maple syrup, now is sort of overpowering syrup flavor. Started the brew in December, letting it age and hopefully it gets better.
Apple V2 - 1 gallon - For some reason I can't make an apple. Tastes only like a traditional mead, 0 apple flavor. Doesn't bother me but its a request from my father-in-law as one of the semi-local meaderies (Drinking Horn in Flagstaff - about 4-5 hours away) makes one that is really good. Hoping age can bring back some apple but not believing in this one. Started in December of last year.
Caramel Apple Pie - 1 gallon - Its by far my best one I have aging in my opinion. Started in December of last year, I tried to make a bochet. Added some home-made caramel after stabalizing and it tastes like a Werther's original caramel candy. No apple yet again even with a addition of cider to the secondary. But has a beautiful dark caramel color and aroma. Hoping to bottle and drink this one around Halloween/Thanksgiving as I wanted Holiday drinks to bring around to family events this year.
Brewing:
All of these I started this past weekend of 2/22 or 2/23. Had a busy brew weekend!
POG Cyder - 1 gallon - Passionfruit, Orange, Guava. Fell in love with the juice on vacation in Hawaii, found a brand with 0 preservatives I can buy local! Just wish I read about how fermented orange juice is before starting it. My whole closet smells terrible from this.
Cherry - 3 gallon - Wanted to remake the first one that was decent I made, but less sweet. Requested by family as they loved it too.
Apricot - 1 gallon - Have some apricots in primary, and plan on racking onto more apricot and peaches after stabilizing to get a nice summertime brew. Hoping its a quick one as it should ferment to about 14-15% and was requested as a flavor for the Fourth of July celebrations.
Traditional - 1 gallon - Plan on back sweetening with some Meadowfoam honey I found at the Renaissance festival, or attempt my third apple flavor infusion. Not sure yet.
Pumpkin Creme Brulee - 2 gallons - This one smells absolutely amazing. Second try on a bochet as the first tasting of the one I made before made me love the flavor. Found some Pumpkin honey that tastes very much like a pumpkin for back sweetening with the traditional pumpkin spice flavors and vanilla to hopefully taste like a creme brulee.
Hope to get to know everyone and have a great time! Sorry for the long post!
I have been homebrewing only for about a year now. Based in Arizona I have quickly grown in this hobby and its become something of a obsession after my first successful brew. I have been looking for a community to join to talk about recipes, methods, and all that jazz.
Here are the batches I have tried to make so far!
Failures:
Strawberry - Not nearly enough strawberries, super hazy, looked like stagnate water and tasted like a used Band-Aid. Still have some aging but no hope for this to be honest.
Apple - Think I used the wrong kind of juice and bad process. Mead separated from juice, apples molded while letting it age. Tossed.
Peach - Same as apple, but no mold. After months had a weird separation and tasted wrong. Tossed.
Sort-of-good:
Blueberry - Hazy, but didn't know of pectic enzyme. Was decent but super dry with a FG of 0.996 and at 16% it hit hard with 0 back sweetening. Didn't know you could do that haha. Drank the entire batch but would have liked more blueberry flavor and more sweetness.
Cherry - Came out really clear and had a great cherry flavor. Unfortunately I went overboard with back sweetening and when bottled had a FG of 1.030 and the honey over powered everything. Still drank all of it though!
Amazing:
Raspberry Pomegranate - First brew I was proud of. Super fast ferment, only took about a month from pitch to fully clear. Started in November last year bottled this past weekend. Drank 1 with my wife, and 1 with family and even as young as it is, was amazing. Named it "Nectar of the Underworld" as the pomegranate flavor really pops with a nice breath of raspberry on the end. Can't wait to see how this ages! Had to do bottle instead of bulk aging as I needed the fermenter for another brew.
Currently Aging:
Mango - 3 gallons - I hate Mango but wanted to do something refreshing for summertime and both sides of my family love mangos. Started the brew in November of last year hoping to bottle around May/June. Doesn't taste horrible but not my thing.
Blueberry Pancake Acyerglyn - 1 gallon - Was absolutely amazing on the tasting after back-sweetening with some homemade blueberry juice & maple syrup, now is sort of overpowering syrup flavor. Started the brew in December, letting it age and hopefully it gets better.
Apple V2 - 1 gallon - For some reason I can't make an apple. Tastes only like a traditional mead, 0 apple flavor. Doesn't bother me but its a request from my father-in-law as one of the semi-local meaderies (Drinking Horn in Flagstaff - about 4-5 hours away) makes one that is really good. Hoping age can bring back some apple but not believing in this one. Started in December of last year.
Caramel Apple Pie - 1 gallon - Its by far my best one I have aging in my opinion. Started in December of last year, I tried to make a bochet. Added some home-made caramel after stabalizing and it tastes like a Werther's original caramel candy. No apple yet again even with a addition of cider to the secondary. But has a beautiful dark caramel color and aroma. Hoping to bottle and drink this one around Halloween/Thanksgiving as I wanted Holiday drinks to bring around to family events this year.
Brewing:
All of these I started this past weekend of 2/22 or 2/23. Had a busy brew weekend!
POG Cyder - 1 gallon - Passionfruit, Orange, Guava. Fell in love with the juice on vacation in Hawaii, found a brand with 0 preservatives I can buy local! Just wish I read about how fermented orange juice is before starting it. My whole closet smells terrible from this.
Cherry - 3 gallon - Wanted to remake the first one that was decent I made, but less sweet. Requested by family as they loved it too.
Apricot - 1 gallon - Have some apricots in primary, and plan on racking onto more apricot and peaches after stabilizing to get a nice summertime brew. Hoping its a quick one as it should ferment to about 14-15% and was requested as a flavor for the Fourth of July celebrations.
Traditional - 1 gallon - Plan on back sweetening with some Meadowfoam honey I found at the Renaissance festival, or attempt my third apple flavor infusion. Not sure yet.
Pumpkin Creme Brulee - 2 gallons - This one smells absolutely amazing. Second try on a bochet as the first tasting of the one I made before made me love the flavor. Found some Pumpkin honey that tastes very much like a pumpkin for back sweetening with the traditional pumpkin spice flavors and vanilla to hopefully taste like a creme brulee.
Hope to get to know everyone and have a great time! Sorry for the long post!
