PB2 Mead

[knotquiteawake]

Ok, so my first mead (blueberry melomel) is bubbling away and now my mind wanders to what to try next.

It keeps wandering back to peanut butter. I've done a little searching online but can't seem to find any peanut butter mead recipes. So I was thinking of trying a gallon or two on my own.

The plan would be to use this product:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005563WTU/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
Its a powdered peanut butter, so it should have considerably fewer oils in it than the nuts or regular peanut butter.
I've seen a lot of talk on the beer forums in creating a Peanut Butter Porter here which is where I got my inspiration: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/peanut-butter-porter-w-powdered-peanut-butter-61538/

What do you guys think?
I was thinking like 3-4lbs honey, nutrients, and some amount of the PB2 (maybe the chocolate one), and see what happens.

What would be really wild would be to pair this mead with a strawberry mead (peanut butter and jelly!).

 

[TheBrewingMedic]

What would be really wild would be to pair this mead with a strawberry mead (peanut butter and jelly!).

definitely would be wild, probably take a few tries to get the balance right, maybe start with the pb2 in primary, then strawberries in secondary, so the flavors can establish individually, then let it bulk age clear and all marry together, would be interesting to see how it comes out.

 

[knotquiteawake]

I was thinking of starting side by side batches, a peanut butter and a strawberry.

Stawberry was just something that popped into my mind while writing this post... My main goal is to make a straight up peanut butter mead. The finished product will hopefully be dry, nutty, with a medium body. Only a hint of sweetness.
I guess it wouldn't be much different than a PB&Honey sandwich

 

[MicroBrewMaster]

i love peanut butter, looking forward to see how this turns out

 

[Matrix4b]

I recomend making a peanut extract yourself. Raw unsalted peanuts or dry roasted and not salted would do. Put 1 cup of nuts mashed up into a couple of cups of Rum/Vodka/Everclear and let sit for 2 months. Shaking every couple of days.

Then filter at the 2-2 1/2 month mark and let sit for another month. Then use a cup of that in a 5 gal mead, less for only a gallon. The alcohol should extract the flavor and break down the oils. I reliably made an almond extract and a hazelnut extract using this method. A word of caution, use only the nut, remove any of the red skin. I did a almond once that turned out biter because of the skin.

At the very least you can see if the extract for peanuts would work and maybe use it in cooking or something if it doesn't turn out well.

Matrix

 

[knotquiteawake]

I like that idea. I might have to go that route because what I shared my "great idea" about a peanut butter mead with my wife she said: "Eewww, that sounds like a waste of $40"
So, probably definitely I need to start with a 1 gallon batch (So as to not "waste" $40). Maybe I'll just do a 1 gallon basic mead, and at the same time start on the peanut extract. By the time the mead is ready for secondary the extract will be ready.

 

[Matrix4b]

I like that idea. I might have to go that route because what I shared my "great idea" about a peanut butter mead with my wife she said: "Eewww, that sounds like a waste of $40"
So, probably definitely I need to start with a 1 gallon batch (So as to not "waste" $40). Maybe I'll just do a 1 gallon basic mead, and at the same time start on the peanut extract. By the time the mead is ready for secondary the extract will be ready.

Yup. And if the extract doesn't work out then you can just enjoy the mead. So how you make vanilla extract is to split, scrape, and chop up the pods of 6 vanilla beans, then put it in 1 cup of vodka/white rum/or other alcohol 30% to 40% ABV. I prefer rum because I can't stand vodka. Then shake the jar once a day for a week. At the 2 month mark it's done.

For my Hazelnut extract, I took raw filberts(hazelnuts that is) roasted them in the oven for 10 minutes on 375 degrees. Then shucked the nuts of their red skin so I just had the nut meat. Then I put that through the cofee grinder, just a rough grind. Then into a jar with the alcohol. With the hazelnuts, I gave it a month and shook it once a day for like 2 weeks. Then at the end of the 2 months, I may go 3 for peanuts. Just filter out the leavings.

I would test it with a glass of mead, just adding til it tastes right, keeping track of how much you put in and how much mead you have so you can get the ratios right. Prob going 1/8 teaspoon at a time for a 8 or 16 oz volume. Keeping in mind that mead will be sweater after aging and the flavor of the extract may be a bit more potent, not by much but a bit after you make it. I have found with my Mint extract that I made from a friends mint garden that at first it wasn't that potent at all but it concentrated nicely after about 6 months. The same may be true of the peanut extract. Oxygen should not be an issue so go with a big clean glass jar if you can. I have some that I got from a friend. Big glass peanut butter type jar but they were filled with yogert. I just cleaned and sanitized them.

How to process the peanuts. I would buy raw, shelled peanuts, prob 1/8th or 1/4 pound. Then roast them yourself in the oven. Make sure to get all of the skin off as this can contribute to a bitter flavor, much like the pith on an orange. Then you put it very shortly through a grinder. Just a rough grind. And into a jar, add the alcohol to maybe 1/2 inch above the level of nut powder. Seal, then shake once a day for like 2 weeks minimum. Put a date on it and then filter it out in 2-3 months. Let sit a week again and filter it out again.

I recomend that the first filtering be with a simple metal screen that many people use for pasta. Then on the second filtering put a paper towel in the screen, That will take care of the dust-like sediment. Now it wont be pure and refined like they do comercially but it should be good enough for your purposes. I have followed this proces with Almonds and Hazelnuts. Not sure how it will work with Peanuts yet but it would be a good experiment. Or pisticios. Now there could be a good mead, Pistacios. Ok my spelling sucks.

Good luck and be sure to post how it went. I am interested in how nuts work with mead as it almost isn't done.

Matrix