Orange bitters in mead?

[Srimmey]

Title kind of says it all…

Has anyone ever tried using orange bitters in mead? Same great flavor, no issues with bacteria or floaties.

Maybe add in secondary to avoid causing issues with fermentation?

 

[MightyMosin]

I'm curious... Did you try it out?

 

[Dan O]

I'm curious about this as well

 

[Srimmey]

Unfortunately I benched this idea for later.

I have a 5 gallon batch of Acerglyn going right now that uses pecan extract instead. I don’t want to overwhelm the mead with too many flavors.

 

[Dan O]

Could do bench trials

 

[Srimmey]

Ooo… I have another Acerglyn that just used a little oak. It’s aging in the bottle now but I’ll do a few test pours when it’s ready to open in about 2 months.

I’ll let you know how the orange bitters go in the test pour

 

[Srimmey]

So I busted open my first bottle of Acerglyn tonight to try this. It’s almost 2 months old and AMAZING. Buttery, rich smooth… just fantastic.

I drank 2 glasses, 1 straight off the bottle and 1 with a few drops of orange bitters.

The orange bitters made it worse, but that could have been because it was an unplanned addition to the mead. It created a beautiful nose. Lots of orange, honey, oak, vanilla and buttery/nuttiness.

The problem was the mouthfeel. The original had a smoothness to it that was sublime. The orange bitters made it wayyy to tannic. It turned the buttery nuttiness into a rough 2x4. The flavor because over bitter and the sublime balance was thrown off.

End result… if you plan for it, it could work. Not in this recipe though.

 

[Dan O]

So I busted open my first bottle of Acerglyn tonight to try this. It’s almost 2 months old and AMAZING. Buttery, rich smooth… just fantastic.

I drank 2 glasses, 1 straight off the bottle and 1 with a few drops of orange bitters.

The orange bitters made it worse, but that could have been because it was an unplanned addition to the mead. It created a beautiful nose. Lots of orange, honey, oak, vanilla and buttery/nuttiness.

The problem was the mouthfeel. The original had a smoothness to it that was sublime. The orange bitters made it wayyy to tannic. It turned the buttery nuttiness into a rough 2x4. The flavor because over bitter and the sublime balance was thrown off.

End result… if you plan for it, it could work. Not in this recipe though.

It sounds like a few too many drops of bitters? . The thought is sound, but, I think either freshly zested orange, dried orange peel ( you can get it in the spice aisle)....orrr...maybe make your own extract with orange peel in say either vodka or everclear, & add 1 drop @ a time until you get the desired taste you're looking for. That's probably the way I would go.

Would you mind sharing your recipe & process for your Acerglyn, please? I bought half a gallon of maple syrup from a sugar shack near me, but, haven't put any real thought into a recipe as of yet. This would be my first Acerglyn.
Thank you, in advance, if you do reply. Happy meading

 

[Srimmey]

It sounds like a few too many drops of bitters? . The thought is sound, but, I think either freshly zested orange, dried orange peel ( you can get it in the spice aisle)....orrr...maybe make your own extract with orange peel in say either vodka or everclear, & add 1 drop @ a time until you get the desired taste you're looking for. That's probably the way I would go.

Would you mind sharing your recipe & process for your Acerglyn, please? I bought half a gallon of maple syrup from a sugar shack near me, but, haven't put any real thought into a recipe as of yet. This would be my first Acerglyn.
Thank you, in advance, if you do reply. Happy meading

Here is the recipe I used. I reduced it down to a 3 gallon batch instead of 5 and used blackberry honey for primary fermentation and back sweeting but otherwise follow the recipe to a tee. It is easy to follow and solid.

 

[Dan O]

Here is the recipe I used. I reduced it down to a 3 gallon batch instead of 5 and used blackberry honey for primary fermentation and back sweeting but otherwise follow the recipe to a tee. It is easy to follow and solid.

Thank you. I found your other link right after I asked if you would share. I will check that out tonight.