Viking Blod - Recipe Assistance

[thecad]

looking back through I don't know where I got caraway seeds from, but I know I added some. Sadly my computer with Beersmith (and the recipie I used) crashed and I haven't got around to getting the info off it yet.

 

[honreth]

Anyone got anything else on this? I participate in Dagorhir battle games and the home group my band is paired with are viking-esque. I would love to make up a batch of this for them to try. How long did it take for it to mature? A recipe I looked at on gotmead.com looks like at least 2 years but this thread looks like only a month or two..

 

[Redeemer]

Hey guys, so I am brand new to the forum as a member; this is my first post, but have been a lurker for some time now. I realize my first post is to necro one that's 8 years old but I have been reading quite a bit about this clone recently, as well as some other variants, using tart cherry etc. There are some great vids on YouTube as well.

I will admit I haven't tasted the commercial version and from what I have read it sounds a little sweet for my tastes but I did see some at the liquor store last week and the color was amazing. My research ultimately led me here, and I decided to give my own interpretation a try.

A little history on my limited expertise: I've made one extract brew, and 4 BIAB all grain brews with each being progressively better than the last. I've done 5 or 6 ciders, and a blackberry melomel, and currently have a hopped cider (3 gallon) in the secondary and a honeyed cider (6 gallon) in the primary. I'm no expert, merely an enthusiast just beginning to catch the bug. Here's what I am using.

Batch Size 5g (HEB Spring Water)
OG - Not yet tested
FG Not yet tested
Honey 20lbs (Plus or minus depending on step feeding)

Boil 30min
.25 Ounce Hibiscus flowers
1 Ounce Goldings 20 Minutes
1 Ounce East Kent Goldings 20 Minutes
1/2 cup Clover honey
Cooled and allowed to sit overnight, then strained.

Boil 30 mins
12 Ounce raisins
1 Ounce Magnum
Cooled, blended, and strained, then added to hibiscus tea above, along with 3 teaspoons ascorbic acid to protect color.

Pitching yeast into the gallon spring water container with the raisin hibiscus tea and shaken vigorously. This will likely happen tomorrow but the teas have been made. The yeast is WLP099. My goal is to ferment to total dryness, without poisoning the yeast so I can prime at bottling time. I don't yet know what the final ABV will be, but ideally I want it over 15%.

Tomorrow I am going to finish making the mead which will consist of 12 lbs wildflower honey and 3 lbs clover honey mixed with 4 gallons of spring water.

I'm very much open to opinion, criticism and critique. Something I am still determining is how much Fermax to use. Its the only nutrient i have on hand at the moment, what kind of feeding schedule I should use for the remaining 5+ lbs of honey, and lastly would it be worthy to experiment with the 3 lbs of tart cherry puree I have lying around. I am thinking it may help with the color, as well as balance out any potential cloying sweetness.Also debating picking up some pectic enzyme today for help with clarity.
Other side notes, I wanted to use white raisins but couldn't find any that were sulfur free, or cranberries but the 6 brands I looked at all contained some kind of vegetable oil. Just gross.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Miraculix]

Hey guys, so I am brand new to the forum as a member; this is my first post, but have been a lurker for some time now. I realize my first post is to necro one that's 8 years old but I have been reading quite a bit about this clone recently, as well as some other variants, using tart cherry etc. There are some great vids on YouTube as well.

I will admit I haven't tasted the commercial version and from what I have read it sounds a little sweet for my tastes but I did see some at the liquor store last week and the color was amazing. My research ultimately led me here, and I decided to give my own interpretation a try.

A little history on my limited expertise: I've made one extract brew, and 4 BIAB all grain brews with each being progressively better than the last. I've done 5 or 6 ciders, and a blackberry melomel, and currently have a hopped cider (3 gallon) in the secondary and a honeyed cider (6 gallon) in the primary. I'm no expert, merely an enthusiast just beginning to catch the bug. Here's what I am using.

Batch Size 5g (HEB Spring Water)
OG - Not yet tested
FG Not yet tested
Honey 20lbs (Plus or minus depending on step feeding)

Boil 30min
.25 Ounce Hibiscus flowers
1 Ounce Goldings 20 Minutes
1 Ounce East Kent Goldings 20 Minutes
1/2 cup Clover honey
Cooled and allowed to sit overnight, then strained.

Boil 30 mins
12 Ounce raisins
1 Ounce Magnum
Cooled, blended, and strained, then added to hibiscus tea above, along with 3 teaspoons ascorbic acid to protect color.

Pitching yeast into the gallon spring water container with the raisin hibiscus tea and shaken vigorously. This will likely happen tomorrow but the teas have been made. The yeast is WLP099. My goal is to ferment to total dryness, without poisoning the yeast so I can prime at bottling time. I don't yet know what the final ABV will be, but ideally I want it over 15%.

Tomorrow I am going to finish making the mead which will consist of 12 lbs wildflower honey and 3 lbs clover honey mixed with 4 gallons of spring water.

I'm very much open to opinion, criticism and critique. Something I am still determining is how much Fermax to use. Its the only nutrient i have on hand at the moment, what kind of feeding schedule I should use for the remaining 5+ lbs of honey, and lastly would it be worthy to experiment with the 3 lbs of tart cherry puree I have lying around. I am thinking it may help with the color, as well as balance out any potential cloying sweetness.Also debating picking up some pectic enzyme today for help with clarity.
Other side notes, I wanted to use white raisins but couldn't find any that were sulfur free, or cranberries but the 6 brands I looked at all contained some kind of vegetable oil. Just gross.

Thanks in advance.

You really want to get yourself some nutrients for the mead. Raisins, unfortunately, don't do the job. There is a thread here in the Mead sections called "BOMM bray's one month mead" which has lots of infos in it, but it is a bit long and focuses on one specific yeast (although there are now also recent experiments with different dry yeasts available on Bray's homepage. https://denardbrewing.com/blog/post/DryBOMMAromatic/

You can also use the following calculator to calculate your nutrient additions. You will need two nutrients, Fermaid O for the mead and Goferm to rehydrate your dry yeast in.

Just follow the protocol below the calculator

https://www.meadmakr.com/batch-buildr/

 

[Redeemer]

You really want to get yourself some nutrients for the mead. Raisins, unfortunately, don't do the job. There is a thread here in the Mead sections called "BOMM bray's one month mead" which has lots of infos in it, but it is a bit long and focuses on one specific yeast (although there are now also recent experiments with different dry yeasts available on Bray's homepage. https://denardbrewing.com/blog/post/DryBOMMAromatic/

You can also use the following calculator to calculate your nutrient additions. You will need two nutrients, Fermaid O for the mead and Goferm to rehydrate your dry yeast in.

Just follow the protocol below the calculator

https://www.meadmakr.com/batch-buildr/

Awesome I will see what they have when I hit up the LHBS later today. Would you recommend not using the Fermax I have on hand?

 

[Miraculix]

Awesome I will see what they have when I hit up the LHBS later today. Would you recommend not using the Fermax I have on hand?

I would not use it. I do not know it, but what I know is that Fermaid O does not leave anything in the Mead that might alternate the taste and I know that it has been tested during many many batches by people that I trust. I used it myself and it just works. It is hard to ef a batch up with this stuff, however using other nutrients have a higher potential for desaster.

Take yourself a few hours time and read through the last pages of the Bray's one month mead thread stickied in this forum. Also check the information on gotmead.com. Generally speaking, I would follow the TOSNA schedule with every mead I am making because it has proven itself to be working great.

 

[loveofrose]

This is the closest I’ve ever gotten to this mead. This recipe is not quite as sweet as the original, but is plenty sweet. You could add more honey at the end.

Vikings Blod Clone BOMM - 1 gallon

1. Make a concentrated tea by adding 1 liter of off boil water to 4.5 ounces of dried Jamaican sorrel (hibiscus flowers). Allow to brew on leaves until cool.
2. Strain tea and add to a 1 gallon carbon.
3. Add 3.5 lbs of Acacia/Black Locust honey to carboy (SG ~1.14) and 2 ounces of whole Saaz hops.
4. Add 0.79 tsp Fermaid O, 0.4 tsp Fermaid K, and 0.25 tsp K2CO3.
-Add 0.75 tsp Fermaid O at 1.110 & 1.070.
3. Add spring water to half gallon and swirl vigorously until honey is dissolved.
4. Add spring water to 1/2 cup shy of gallon.
5. Add a smack pack of Wyeast 1388.
6. It should finish around 1.020. After, cold crash until clear and rack for next step or bottle to stop here.
7. Current ABV should be ~16% ABV. It would be fine to stop here. If you really want to reach 19% ABV though, add 40 ml of 95% ABV neutral spirits to 960 ml of mead. You will need to let this age a while to integrate.

Specs
SG - 1.140
FG - 1.020
ABV - 19%

 

[Redeemer]

This is the closest I’ve ever gotten to this mead. This recipe is not quite as sweet as the original, but is plenty sweet. You could add more honey at the end.

Vikings Blod Clone BOMM - 1 gallon

1. Make a concentrated tea by adding 1 liter of off boil water to 4.5 ounces of dried Jamaican sorrel (hibiscus flowers). Allow to brew on leaves until cool.
2. Strain tea and add to a 1 gallon carbon.
3. Add 3.5 lbs of Acacia/Black Locust honey to carboy (SG ~1.14) and 2 ounces of whole Saaz hops.
4. Add 0.79 tsp Fermaid O, 0.4 tsp Fermaid K, and 0.25 tsp K2CO3.
-Add 0.75 tsp Fermaid O at 1.110 & 1.070.
3. Add spring water to half gallon and swirl vigorously until honey is dissolved.
4. Add spring water to 1/2 cup shy of gallon.
5. Add a smack pack of Wyeast 1388.
6. It should finish around 1.020. After, cold crash until clear and rack for next step or bottle to stop here.
7. Current ABV should be ~16% ABV. It would be fine to stop here. If you really want to reach 19% ABV though, add 40 ml of 95% ABV neutral spirits to 960 ml of mead. You will need to let this age a while to integrate.

Specs
SG - 1.140
FG - 1.020
ABV - 19%

Oh and you are up in Dallas too! Cool beans. I am just down the road in Austin.

I won't be fortifying this as thats not my cup of tea, or, mead I guess? And will be happy with the ABV it settles out to. I have some reading ahead of me on the feeding schedule as well so likely won't be assembling the rest of this until tomorrow. I did pickup some Go-ferm, and Fermaid K from Austin Brewing supply yesterday though so have everything I need. I'm getting pretty excited about this experiment.

 

[Redeemer]

So I finally put this together today. edits from my original post are in the nutrients. I added the yeast to the hibiscus tea and added 1 T of Go-Ferm. I will add Fermaid K after the lag phase.

I wish I had read the BOMM thread earlier because I definitely would have used Wyeast 1388 as well as potassium carbonate, but you go to war with the army you have so I'm on the WLP099. If this moves along nicely I will do another batch identical to this one except with those changes and no subsequent honey feedings.

My SG is 1.158. I tasted the wort and its so sweet it made my teeth hurt, with some hop bitterness on the back end. The hibiscus is hardly detectable. I hope my choice of honey doesn't leave it one dimensional. Time will tell.

 

[Redeemer]

I took SG readings today and sampled. Reading was 1.070. Taste is still quite sweet but no off flavors, and gave me a nice little warmth in my belly. I think this is going to be good. I added 1.5 tsp of Fermaid-K as well.