Spicy Mead

[James0816]

Just a curiosity question. Made breakfast for the wife this weekend and she puts on habanero infused honey on her biscuit.

So then i get to thinking...what about making a batch of regular mead and then back sweetening it with a little of this infused honey. Hmmmmmmm

So my thought is to have just a tad of heat, nothing overbearing.

Wha cha think?

 

[Scientific hippie]

Just a curiosity question. Made breakfast for the wife this weekend and she puts on habanero infused honey on her biscuit.

So then i get to thinking...what about making a batch of regular mead and then back sweetening it with a little of this infused honey. Hmmmmmmm

So my thought is to have just a tad of heat, nothing overbearing.

Wha cha think?

It sounds interesting. Being an experimental type, I'd probably compare using the honey in the mead to back sweetening with it.

 

[James0816]

It sounds interesting. Being an experimental type, I'd probably compare using the honey in the mead to back sweetening with it.

Yeah, my thought is by back sweetening, you will get a little sweetness with a little spicyness. But nothing overpowering. At least it's a thought.....

 

[James0816]

Did this sound plausible or should I just rack into a secondary and add say a half pepper for a few days?

Remember, the end goal is to have some heat at finish but not overpowering.

Thx

 

[loveofrose]

A few tricks to hot pepper meads.
1. Use a mixture of peppers. Otherwise the flavor is very one dimensional.
2. Be sure to remove the peppers before they impart a vegetable flavor.
3. Capsicumals generally need some counter balance such as sweetness and/or oak to balance the heat.
4. Carbonation will accentuate the heat. Good or bad depends on your disposition.

Here is an example of a balance capsicumal: https://denardbrewing.com/blog/post/spicy-bomm/

 

[piojo]

Here is an example of a balance capsicumal: https://denardbrewing.com/blog/post/spicy-bomm/

I'd love to learn to do what you do. Do you balance them by making one single-flavor cup for mead for each pepper, then mixing this with that until you arrive at a good result? Are you able to predict which flavors will be good together, or do the mixed tastes surprise you?