Peanut Butter and Jelly Mead Ideas

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MightyMosin

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I'm going to try and make a PB&J inspired mead. I have never done this but here is what I am thinking and would like to see what other ideas you all might have on making this work. I'll be targeting 12% ABV.

I'll shoot for a 3.5 gallon batch done in a 5 gallon bucket. That extra 1/2 gallon should take care of racking losses and keep me close to 3 gallons at the end I am hoping.

The peanut flavor will be unsalted and skinless peanuts that I'll roast on a pan for ~30 minutes somewhere around 320F. I'll lightly crack/crush to expose as much surface area without creating peanut dust. For the "jelly" I am hoping that the raspberries I have in my freezer will provide that overtone.

For honey I will likely use a pale Clover that I have. I'll start with ~4lb of honey that I will slowly bochet. In that bochet I will put a bag of ~1.5 Lb. of the peanuts that I will stir into the honey. I'm thinking I can keep it at about 200F and slowly cook the peanut flavor into the honey while adding an extra depth to the mead with the caramelization of the honey. I'm hoping for a deeply integrated peanut character from this, not the flavor itself specifically. A later racking over peanuts will provide that flavor.

That bochet honey will get added to another 6Lb of Clover, topped up with water to 3.5 gallons with the peanut bag thrown in. Let this ferment. When completed, rack and stabilize and add pectic enzymes. Add ~5Lb of raspberries and leave in secondary until the fruit has given up all its sugars and color. Rack again into carboy with another 3Lb of roasted peanuts and leave for ~ 2 weeks. Rack under any floating peanut oils.

Back sweeten probably into the area of 1.020; taste will decide exactly where. Depending on flavor, maybe another round of raspberries.

Bench trial sea salt additions to bring out the peanut flavor.

For yeast I am thinking I will use K1V-1116 or BM4x4 for the as the yeast I will use. I like the esters that 1116 can generate at lower fermentation temperatures but the 4x4 can be good with berries.

I've seen this, but I figure I'll go the actual ingredient route for the first batch:
https://www.apexflavors.com/Beverag...r-extract-flavor-beer-cider-wine-spirits~2980
 
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Peanuts have a lot of oil in them. You might want to think of ways of getting rid of it before you get started.
 
look into getting a bottle of Superstition's "Peanut butter Jelly Crime" mead - at least as some sort of benchmark.

It is one of their most common and popular meads, and I typically see it at total wine, so hopefully accessible to you.

maybe look into Uvaferm VRB yeast as well.

will be watching this thread with interest.
 
I have had that mead. IMO, it needs more peanut flavor.

If you have a bottle of it, try adding a few grains of sea salt to a glass and see how it transforms into a much better mead. That will be the target I am trying to hit; something more peanut forward with a bit of salt to pull the flavors together.

I am unfamiliar with UVAFERM. Was thinking about using 71B, though I will give that one a look to see what might make it appropriate for this.
 
I just ran across powdered / dried peanut butter. This seems like this would be perfect for primary as ~90% of the oils are gone. Now I just need to order some and give it a go. I'm unsure how much to use, but a 1 gallon test batch will probably be what I try to get an idea.
 
I just ran across powdered / dried peanut butter. This seems like this would be perfect for primary as ~90% of the oils are gone. Now I just need to order some and give it a go. I'm unsure how much to use, but a 1 gallon test batch will probably be what I try to get an idea.
PB Fit?
 
@MightyMosin , I just had a thought. My instapot is also a pressure cooker. I wonder how much flavor you could get out of the peanuts by pressure cooking them, then freezing that water to skim off the oil, & use that water for the base of the must🤔🧐🤓
I think this is the method I will approach mine with when I'm ready to make it. Just an idea that I thought might be able to get more peanut flavor out of the nuts.
Happy meading 😎
 
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Very interested in seeing where this goes. Sounds very interesting.
That powdered peanutbutter (PBFit) is good stuff. I originally bought it to make snacks/cookies for my dogs, but I also tried some my self and it sure does have a good peanut flavor. Good luck, would love to hear how this works out.
 
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