Medieval Burnt Mead!

[jmfitzgerald]

thanks for the replies... the bottle of FermaidK i have says use .5-1g per gallon (1/8-1/4tsp per gallon), then doing that 3x, i was actually worried i was using too much? so i used GoFerm to rehydrate the yeast, which has plenty of nutrients already, then with 3 additions of 1/4t DAP & 1/8t FermaidK, i used a total of 3/4tsp DAP & 3/8tsp FermaidK for a 1 gallon batch... which brings up another question, is batch size relevant? when i inquired about rehydrating a pack of yeast, i was told still to use the full 2tsp of GoFerm to one pack of dry yeast, even for a one gallon batch. is that correct also?

well for now, i think i'll pick up some acid blend, and repitch maybe a half pack of yeast just rehydrated with some more goferm for nutrients and hope it takes off, because it still smells great!

 

[jmfitzgerald]

well 3 days later, after pitching another half pack of EC-1118, 1tsp GoFem, and 1/4tsp Fermaid K... nothing... no airlock activity. i haven't opened it up again to take a gravity reading, but the level in the airlock hasn't changed even the slightest, so i'm assuming nothing's going on in there... any other thoughts to start this back up, or is this going to totally stall out at 1.039? maybe blend it with another mead down the road??? just weird, i don't understand why i'm having problems with this one mead, so far it's been my only problem child.

 

[Vikings]

Is it possible that all of the fermentable sugar has fermented? I've read that the process of burning the honey renders some of the sugars unfermentable. I wonder if you could mix up some everclear and water to a bit above your target ABV and add it until you hit your target FG. I've never done this, just trying to think of a way to salvage the batch if its so sweet it's unpalatable.

 

[Arpolis]

My favorite idea on lowering the gravity is to blend it with a traditional mead that is fermented dry. If 1118 yeast has died out then it may not ferment. The only other thing you can check is see if the PH is to low. If so then use calcium bicarbonate I believe to raise the PH to the butter zone of about 3.5.

 

[jmfitzgerald]

the pH definitely isn't low, it's sitting about 4.6... i was going to add some acid blend, but haven't made it to the HBS yet to do so, so really, that should be in a good range for the yeasties? i think at this point i'll blend it with another mead. i have a traditional mead in a primary going that i'm going to add spices and do a metheglin with here next week. i made a little extra, so i'll use some of this to blend it and see where it goes from there. thanks for the input so far!

 

[WVMJ]

Premier Cuvee might be able to take it down a little more sometimes this works better than EC1118. WVMJ

 

[thirsty4cider]

would it be a bad idea to age this in oak?

 

[SagamoreAle]

I used some Fermcap-S in the boilpot and it helped keep the honey out of endless expansion.

 

[WVMJ]

would it be a bad idea to age this in oak?

That is an excellent idea and it works. WVMJ

 

[WVMJ]

800 posts on this wonderful mead and someone comes along and is like why dont you guys use that anti foamy stuff when you cook foamy honey! I didnt know you could use this in the boil, did it work all the way up to the black stage or did it eventually give out or did you have to keep adding it every so often? What a great idea. WVMJ

I used some Fermcap-S in the boilpot and it helped keep the honey out of endless expansion.

 

[mors]

haha the no foam is used during the boil of beer all the time. I would imagine it would go the whole time. It's just silicone that sits on the service and breaks surface tension.

 

[SagamoreAle]

800 posts on this wonderful mead and someone comes along and is like why dont you guys use that anti foamy stuff when you cook foamy honey! I didnt know you could use this in the boil, did it work all the way up to the black stage or did it eventually give out or did you have to keep adding it every so often? What a great idea. WVMJ

I added in at the beginning. Relative to a prior experiment caramelizing honey, it knocked off about 1/4 of the expansion. Not perfect, but sufficient to keep it from boilover in my brewpot.

 

[SagamoreAle]

FWIW, I calculated that the maximum volume of 5# of honey reached about 500 cu. in. Calculate the volume of your boilpot (http://math.about.com/od/formulas/ss/surfaceareavol_3.htm) to determine if the honey will boil over your pot.

 

[DRonco]

FWIW, I calculated that the maximum volume of 5# of honey reached about 500 cu. in. Calculate the volume of your boilpot (http://math.about.com/od/formulas/ss/surfaceareavol_3.htm) to determine if the honey will boil over your pot.

Anyone else read this and thought "That post could double for You know you're a homebrewer when...." thread?

 

[BrewtalFermentalist]

After reading this whole thread I'll have to make this. Has anyone tried using apple cider or juice instead of water?

 

[WVMJ]

Yes, several people have posted about making cysers with burnt honey. We have a crabapple one going now, acid is too high, should have just used a sweet cider but the caramel taste still comes thru nicely. WVMJ

After reading this whole thread I'll have to make this. Has anyone tried using apple cider or juice instead of water?

 

[Zaffo]

I've done a bochet cyser, and it's very tasty, if I do say so myself.

Click here

Not overly sweet, but not too dry either. Next time I might play with the spices for better balance, and maybe age it on some oak chips. Also, I'll try to use some fresh apple juice, instead of store bought.

 

[WVMJ]

Zaffo, your post got us started on thinking about making the Bochet Cyser. Now we have to think of a good name for this style! We have Bochetomel for burnt meads with fruit but cider deserves it own branding. WVMJ

 

[BrewtalFermentalist]

Thank you both! I'm pretty new to mead and I love "different" approaches to brewing.

 

[SagamoreAle]

Anyone else read this and thought "That post could double for You know you're a homebrewer when...." thread?

 

[Paps]

6 weeks into primary with this stuff.
Airlock is bubbling roughly every 20 seconds still.
Fastest intervals i think were every 6-7 seconds in the first week of fermentation.I might have to buy another 6.5 gallon glass carboy because I shouldn't rack this yet and i'm running low on Cider.

 

[JSappenf]

How does it taste? Still waiting to find out....

 

[Arpolis]

I have 1 bottle left of a Bochet made with some celestial seasonings "raspberry zinger herbal tea" that has been sealed and waxed for just under 21 months now. I have been debating on trying it.... Hmmm to wait it out or to give into curiosity to see how the taste has developed.

But I can say that originally it was Caramelized honey taste with a little hot alcohol and kind of a ..... Different flavor. Hard to describe but not sure I fully liked it. Oh Oh i just remembered! When i was down in Belize a little while back i sampled some wines they make there because they don't use grapes at all in the country and commercially only use local fruits. one wine was Cashew wine and if you ever had it then my Bochet tasted a lot like that but mine was obviously young. few people I talk to have had cashew wine but if so then the taste is similar. So I am hoping this last bottle will prove the recipe just needs some age on it to have the flavors fully blossom.

 

[JSappenf]

I am going to try this recipe (not the carbonized honey part) after I finish my current batch of honey...

 

[WVMJ]

I wonder if they toasted the cashews first? THey sell cashew butter now, how many cans per gallon do you think? WVMJ

 

[Arpolis]

I wonder if they toasted the cashews first? THey sell cashew butter now, how many cans per gallon do you think? WVMJ

PREPARE TO HAVE YOUR MIND BLOWN!!!!!!!



Cashews are attached to a fruit! The cashew hangs under the fruit! LOL I never know that until checking out this wine. I totally imagined the nuts being processed some how with sugar and mango or something. But traditional cashew wine from what I was told is made after the fruits are boiled for 3 hours and then a few of the husks/shells from the cashew nuts are thrown in to introduce the yeast and let it ferment.

 

[Leithoa]

More mind blowing cashew facts: they contain oils that can cause blindness and poisoning symptoms if not properly processed ie; boiled for hours.

 

[Arpolis]

Yup they are part of the deadly nightshade family. The "apple" or "fruit" or whatever above the cashew is fine to eat raw but there is a thin skin below the husk that does all that nasty stuff. As long as it is stripped away you have a great tasting seed left behind to eat.

 

[achnaw]

I'm getting mead obsessed. I have a batch of JAOM and cinnamon apple cyser on the go, and I'll be having a go at this in a few weeks when the weather gets bad enough to keep the bees away.

Until then, though a question for the people who have done this: did you use staggered nutrients, or just everything up front? I'll go through the thread again (went through it all a week or two ago), but does anyone know if is there a post in here with the detailed recipe?

Thanks for all the wisdom.

 

[Arpolis]

When I did my bochet it was all up front. But I had many unknowns and it was kind if thrown together. In my opinion a really successful Bochet should be treated like a traditional mead would. If you are only using Caramelized honey, water, yeast, and nutrients then a staggered nutrient addition should be used for best results. When I do staggered nutrients I like to use 1tsp/gallon nutrient and .5tsp/gallon energizer and I add close to 70% at yeast pitch and split the remaining in half and add one part every 24 hours over the next two days.

The recipe is easy.

1 gallon

3lb honey
1tsp yeast nutrient
1/2 tsp yeast energizer
Water to one gallon
Yeast (lalvin 71b is a good go to yeast for me)

There are many other things you could do like add oak to the secondary. You could use raisins or other fruits in the primary if you liked. I have heard of apples being used well for this style. But a standard no fuss bochet is like the above recipe.