To braggot or not

[fargo234]

I want to make a mead with barley grains, but not really make a "true" braggot. There seem to be many ways of making one, but not in the fashion I have in mind. Which brings me here.

Has anyone made any where honey is 100% of the fermentables and used only specialty grains for added flavor, body and color?

My thoughts were a traditional semi-sweet recipe and adding some roasted barley (brewed like a tea) prior to pitching yeast.

Thoughts?

 

[biochemedic]

I've thought of this as well, but have not attempted it. I think it would come out interesting, and I'd certainly give it a shot.

To further fuel your idea box, you might want to look into threads about "cold steeping" grains...sometimes used with darker grains to avoid having too many tannins/astringency from the darker grains. I don't think it's as much of an issue with roasted barley, but with other dark malts like black patent, Carafa III, etc.

Please post back if you make a batch...

 

[fargo234]

Made this 1 gallon batch just an hour ago.

4 lbs honey
1 sliced up orange
25 raisins
2 oz. black patent malt
L-D47 yeast
1/4 TSP Fermex (DAP + yeast hulls) nutrient mix

I took the basic recipe found on http://www.stormthecastle.com/mead/ and added the black patent malt. I decided 2 oz. was good based entirely upon the good feelings I was having at the time.

I don't do tea. I do coffee. So I brewed those 2 oz. in my Braun coffee maker. The smell was great and the taste was nice.

What was unexpected was the O.G. of this bad boy. Black as night and 1.144 - 1.149. My Hydrometer only goes to 1.135. I had to guess.

Initial tasting shows promise. I'll post in about a month when I rack.

 

[biochemedic]

It's amazing what a pretty small quantity of really dark malt will do to the color...

 

[WIMARIPA]

I like this idea dark/specialty grains for tannins and mouthfeel instead of tea and raisins

 

[Pith]

How did this turn out?

 

[fargo234]

Okay. It's time to satisfy the curious. How did this mead turn out? Would I make it again? Would I serve it to my friends?

In order: Badly. No. Only if I want to laugh while they make faces using muscles they've never used before.

I actually made two batches. One as written above, and one without the malt. They both came out tasting like turpentine smells. I attribute this to the oranges.

For my next batch, if and when, I'll skip the fruit and stick with just honey.

 

[MasterJeem]

that d-47 is very touchy stuff. you didnt let it warm up while it was fermenting, did you?

 

[roadymi]

have patience with it!!!!! Give it another year to age at least.

 

[fargo234]

that d-47 is very touchy stuff. you didnt let it warm up while it was fermenting, did you?

It did ferment a tad warm. I let it sit in the primary for about 2 months at 76ºF. Then for about 3 months in a secondary between 68º and 74º. Room temperature in Houston during fall and winter can vary.

I've got it sitting capped (it's in a 4 liter wine bottle, about 2/3 full) at room temp now (avg 77ºF, the heat index outside is 99ºF, so getting cooler than that would be EXPENSIVE).

I've got plans to build an insulated closet in my garage with a window a/c unit so that I can better control fermentation conditions. My wife is so excited (not sure how to convey dripping sarcasm, just pretend you can see a 5'1" woman with a slightly raised eyebrow saying, "You're gonna build a what? It's gonna cost WHAT?").

 

[fargo234]

have patience with it!!!!! Give it another year to age at least.

Ok roadymi... I have a question for you (and all those that say "let it age"). There's a brand spankin' new meadery here in TX. The Dancing Bee Winery. http://dancingbeewinery.com/ Not too far from my hometown, I talked with them pretty extensively. They were kinda excited that I used their honey in some of my homebrews. Even more excited when I bought 24 lbs to make mead. They even said they wanted to try it. (Yeah. No.)

It takes them THREE weeks from pitching the yeast, to selling the wine. I haven't been by to ask them, so I'll ask you. How is it they can make sweet delicious awesomeness in three weeks, but it takes us over a year?

 

[MasterJeem]

Give it some time. Those conditions aren't bad, but I let a d-47 batch get hot, tasted like thinner, I let it sit and now it's delicious

 

[WIMARIPA]

Is their 3 week mead any good? I would be really surprised...

 

[bob1852]

Ok roadymi... I have a question for you (and all those that say "let it age"). There's a brand spankin' new meadery here in TX. The Dancing Bee Winery. http://dancingbeewinery.com/ Not too far from my hometown, I talked with them pretty extensively. They were kinda excited that I used their honey in some of my homebrews. Even more excited when I bought 24 lbs to make mead. They even said they wanted to try it. (Yeah. No.)

It takes them THREE weeks from pitching the yeast, to selling the wine. I haven't been by to ask them, so I'll ask you. How is it they can make sweet delicious awesomeness in three weeks, but it takes us over a year?

Aeration, staggered nutrient additions, proper pitching rates, controlled fermentation temps, degassing, pH management, and filtering can turn meads around pretty quick. Three weeks seems quick, but I've had meads at six to eight weeks that are good.

 

[roadymi]

/\ Yeah what AZ IPA said......I'm no scientist but I think for mead making......for some reason.........perfect technique is everything. The commercial meaderies are much more likely than us average Joes to have the equipment and the experience and the time to control all of the variables.

 

[TheBrewingMedic]

Aeration, staggered nutrient additions, proper pitching rates, controlled fermentation temps, degassing, pH management, and filtering can turn meads around pretty quick. Three weeks seems quick, but I've had meads at six to eight weeks that are good.

And even with all of these factors under precise control, take a bottle of their 3 week old good stuff and hide it somewhere for 6 months and try it. You will notice a difference.

 

[fargo234]

Ah. Excellent points. I'll let this bottle sit the dark for a while longer. If it doesn't get any better I can always use it to clean my paint brushes.

 

[dmomo]

I'm with roadymi. Let that sucker age! It sounds like your standard "green mead" problem. The turpentine taste goes away.

As for the oranges, were they peeled or unpeeled? Either way, age should mellow that out. Try to imagine how it would taste beyond the harsh turpentine flavor.

 

[dmomo]

By the way. I was given some awful port that someone made for their wedding about 6 years ago. I found an extra bottle three months ago. It was awesome!

 

[tuumi]

I'll parrot what everyone else is saying. D47 at those fermentation temps can create a lot of fusel alcohols and take a long long time to age out. Set this away for awhile and forget about it.

 

[roadymi]

My wife is so excited (not sure how to convey dripping sarcasm, just pretend you can see a 5'1" woman with a slightly raised eyebrow saying, "You're gonna build a what? It's gonna cost WHAT?").

I've met that woman!!!