'The MVP' mead

[Magnushate]

Hey all, been bumming around on the forums for a while learning, figured it was finally time to register and post my experiences as well. I am a new mead maker, only made 3 batches so far, so forgive my technical oversights and noobishness.

I decided to go bold with my second 5 gallon batch. I made a Vanilla Bochet Muscat Pyment 'Cyser' that my lady has dubbed 'the M.V.P.' at first for convenience but now because she likes it. About 6 months later and freshly bottled it is incredibly sweet but turned out amazingly well all things considered.

To give you some background on what i was going for I found an icewine at a vinter in Roselle, IL (lynfred's winery) that was absolutely phenomenal. Very sweet with hints of berry, apple, honey, and an aromatic floral nose, its like distilled summer. At $35 for a half though, not exactly cheap enough to trot out for a friend's visit. This sweet Frankenstein of a mead was my attempt to try to recreate those flavors in mead form. It turned out extremely sweet but eventually became something i will likely tweak and make again.

25 lbs of Sam's Club honey
3 cans of alexander's muscat concentrate
25 madagascar burbon vanilla beans
4 gallons of water (with an additional 2 later)
1 gallon fresh apple cider.
Lavalin d47 yeast (4 sachets) plus quadruple label of nutrient.

2 weeks before brew day made vanilla extract with 1 cup vodka and 15 beans. All sliced open and chopped in 4ths.

Day before brew day made yeast starter, water and two additions of yeast nutrient.

Brew day

Brought honey to simmer added 2.5 lbs at a time until all added, used about 1/2 cup purified water in each of the 10 containers to shake and get majority of the honey out. Simmered for 90 minutes total about 75 with full amount of honey in the pot stirring frequently. Turned honey to a light side of medium carmel color. (Think toasted marshmellow)

Added 3 cans of alexander's cider and honey to fermentation bucket with the water. Immediately sealed as it was still too warm to pitch and i had no safe way to chill rapidly that would be much faster than just letting it sit in 60 degree basement. Pitched yeast next morning with first vanilla addition.

Reserved previously used vanilla and added remaining beans with another cup of vodka.

Procceded to ferment like crazy, no blow off needed but it was close.

Racked to secondary at 6 weeks added 2nd vanilla addition. Racked again at 12 weeks.

Left sit for 4.5 months total racked again added gelatin clarification. Racked twice more over the course of two weeks before bottling day.

Taste tests before bottling revealed great flavor but too sweet to enjoy, found needed to be water down with at least 1/3 water volume addition to let flavors seperate and balance properly. Added two gallons of purified water to batch (yes this lead to an interesting over flow situation and trying to homogenize the batch).

Next round will like have 2 cans of the concentrate with 17.5 lbs of honey, vanilla the same and do two gallons of cider with 4 gallons of water in a larger fermentation bucket.

Next planned experiment a post valentines day, a lemon and orange zest bochet at 45 minutes carmelizing with 3 gallons rose water (from 3 dozen roses) and 2 gallons cider with 17.5lbs of honey

 

[Frognostic]

Would you ever consider using an entire 5 gallons of cider instead of 4 gallons of water and 1 gallon of cider?

 

[Magnushate]

If you really wanted to bring the apple flavor forward, absolutely. The flavor i was going for only had hints of apple to it. Sort of an after thought, i was going more for pyment than cyser. Be warned though it is already crazy sweet as written, after fermentation and before watering it down it was almost syrupy. Making it all cider would mean you would peobably want to drop the sugar content elsewhere to compensate.

I dont think I have good gravity readings because i believe my hydrometer is off. I am going from memory at the moment but it came back at 1.15 for o.g. and i believe at 1.065 for fg

 

[Brentski]

This looks like a very tasty recipe, especially the vanilla/vodka... I like Vanilla beans and Vodka, Wink. I might have to try this.

 

[Magnushate]

Also i know it might be sacrilegious to some but ive already had someone make it into a hot totty and another person found it too sweet so added it to club soda making it a spritzer. Both of which i tried and it turned out surprisingly good. Not what i envisioned when i set out to make the batch, but in the end it's all about drinking what you like.

 

[Magnushate]

This looks like a very tasty recipe, especially the vanilla/vodka... I like Vanilla beans and Vodka, Wink. I might have to try this.

Thats pretty much all real vanilla extract is, the imitation stuff is sugar water and artificial vanilla flavor. I use it for my cooking and baking already so it wasnt a leap to do for brewing.

I would recommend trying an aqua vite/akavit/taffel (depending on your preferred spelling).

750ml of vodka, i use titos for this
6 vanilla beans
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons orange zest
1 star anise pod
1 teaspoon grains of paradise

Mix well

Let sit for at least two weeks and strain particulate matter out, let sit longer for more spiced flavor. Have also had variations with cardamon, dill, serrano and/or caraway. Usually the zest and honey are the constant staples.

 

[TandemTails]

Thats pretty much all real vanilla extract is, the imitation stuff is sugar water and artificial vanilla flavor. I use it for my cooking and baking already so it wasnt a leap to do for brewing.

I would recommend trying an aqua vite/akavit/taffel (depending on your preferred spelling).

750ml of vodka, i use titos for this
6 vanilla beans
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons orange zest
1 star anise pod
1 teaspoon grains of paradise

Mix well

Let sit for at least two weeks and strain particulate matter out, let sit longer for more spiced flavor. Have also had variations with cardamon, dill, serrano and/or caraway. Usually the zest and honey are the constant staples.

Do you use this for sipping or for cooking? How long does it last once the spices have been strained out? It sounds really tasty.

 

[Magnushate]

I use it for both, the serrano variety makes an amazing bloody mary, as listed makes a fine martini. I usually keep it in the basement fridge and it lasts a good long time. Fairly certain it retains its alcohol shelf stability as long as you keep it sealed but never wanted to try.