What I did for/with Mead today

[Ren06]

I have found chips release their goods rather quickly, but for my own personal tastes, they can be a little one dimensional. Staves, cubes or spheres I find give a rounder profile.

I agree and that’s why I won’t use chips anymore, only staves.

 

[MightyMosin]

Chateu de Plywood if chips are left too long

 

[Todd Peterson]

Would be interesting to do a bench trial with a neutral mead adding different oaks with the various toast levels to see the difference/flavor impact firsthand.

Maybe split a 5 gallon batch into 1 gallon carrots for stabilization and oaking.

Todd Peterson

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

I’ve only made a few wine kits, but they often come with the tiniest bit of powdered oak. I would presume the smaller the particle the more “surface area” and smaller amounts are needed, or for less time. That said, do what you find works best for you and provides the flavor you’re looking to achieve.

 

[MightyMosin]

I blanched, peeled, cut, bagged, and froze about 6.5 Lb of peaches.

 

[Dan O]

I blanched, peeled, cut, bagged, and froze about 6.5 Lb of peaches.

Is it going to be a straight peach or peach with something else?

 

[Todd Peterson]

I blanched, peeled, cut, bagged, and froze about 6.5 Lb of peaches.

I really want to try a peach mead. If you have used peaches in mead before, does the flavor of the fruit carry through fermentation? What is the ratio in pounds per gallon needed to have the peach flavor present post primary?

I heard an interview with Ken Schramm where he said peaches could be tough to get the flavor right on the back end of fermentation.

Would love to hear more about this.

Todd Peterson

 

[MightyMosin]

I may try a straight peach mead, though I really don't have all that many peaches. Some of these peaches will get added to this, slowly in progress, mead.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/superstition-peacher-creature-clone-attempt.725217/
It is currently dry with a light peach flavor that I want to bump up some more. I only have ~1.25 gallon and have been waiting for my 3 gallon stainless keg to get free so that I have a vessel to transfer to, and add more peaches. Once in the keg, I'll purge the O2 with CO2 and let it extract the peach flavor and sugars. I'm guessing I will add about 2 Lb of the frozen peach to it.

 

[CKuhns]

Poured up a cold glass of Sparkling Green Jasmine Tea Mead:
View attachment 824578

Would you be willing to share the recipe?

 

[MrClint]

Would you be willing to share the recipe?

I shared the recipe here previously:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/best-mead-youve-made.727467/post-10267382

 

[CKuhns]

I shared the recipe here previously:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/best-mead-youve-made.727467/post-10267382

Thanks for the inspiration @MrClint

I will add the thought to my session recipe "mix" it runs about 8.5 ABV and a recipe that is lot more of a complex process than what you had here. I love the simplicity of your recipe.

Have not tried teas in my session meads. Think i will try a 5 gallon batch. ( I do like green tea). Will have to think about how best to add the tea as it has a pretty light flavor profile. Probably steeped in the primary water and then a mesh bag dropped in secondary until it hits the flavor i like. I also keg and would think i could add to the keg if needed.

Did enjoy a few meads with hibiscus. Great color and decent flavor. Might have to do a session mead of that as well... So many options.

 

[MrClint]

Thanks for the inspiration @MrClint

You are welcome. Sparkling tea meads are well received by my non-beer drinking friends and family. Truth be told this is not my recipe, but an awesome recipe from Emma Christensen's book, "Brew Better Beer." The thing about using tea is that you get some tannins for mouth feel that are generally lacking (in my opinion) in most meads. Have at it and let us know how it works for you.

 

[Phish_on2k]

I've had very good results with peach herbal teas(no actual tea in it) in secondary to boost peach flavor and aroma without so many peaches(gotta play with ratios)...also use Apricot juice along peach...it seems to help boost flavor as well...

few years back was at brew competition...there was 2 professional Mead makers judging BOS...and had one of them asking me how I got so much peach flavor in my entry...was buzzed and jabbered on about my process...should have invoiced him for consulting fee...his peach mead offering got much better...lol

 

[DBhomebrew]

I've had success using Bray Denard's (BOMM fame) process in his Fidnemed recipe. He makes a double strength tea and uses it as part of his primary water.

[Edit: Now that I look at it, pretty much @MrClint's process. I like 16oz/gal. Also, I make a 250ml DME SNS starter and pitch the whole thing on top of the gallon must. It leaves just a slight touch of residual sweetness and gives me a full gallon to bottle.]

For green tea, be sure to use water at the appropriate temp. >~175° can get too tannin-y.

 

[Dan O]

I may try a straight peach mead, though I really don't have all that many peaches. Some of these peaches will get added to this, slowly in progress, mead.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/superstition-peacher-creature-clone-attempt.725217/
It is currently dry with a light peach flavor that I want to bump up some more. I only have ~1.25 gallon and have been waiting for my 3 gallon stainless keg to get free so that I have a vessel to transfer to, and add more peaches. Once in the keg, I'll purge the O2 with CO2 and let it extract the peach flavor and sugars. I'm guessing I will add about 2 Lb of the frozen peach to it.

I don't know how much peach flavor you're looking for, but from my own personal experience, whatever you think is enough, double it.
Peach is such a delicate flavor that it takes a lot for that flavor to be up front when tasting.
Skins add vital tannins to balance the sugars.

 

[Dan O]

@MightyMosin , I'm getting ready to empty out my freezer & will be doing a big batch of peach as well.
Mine will be mostly made up of white flesh peaches (32 lbs), but it will also be getting 12 lbs each of organic yellow peaches & organic nectarines.
1/3 of the total fruit will go into primary & the rest in secondary.
For the final touches to lend to the peachy notes I'll be adding dried unsulfured apricots & a blend of honeys, some of which will be bocheted.
Ceylon cinnamon, Ecuadorian tahitientis vanilla & amburana wood cubes will finish it out.
Kveik Voss will be the yeast of choice for this one.
I can't wait!

 

[MightyMosin]

Damn that sounds good

 

[Dan O]

Damn that sounds good

Thank you. I'll be posting when I make it, hopefully I remember to take more pictures....somehow I always get to the end before I realize I forgot to take any

 

[Ren06]

Bottled up 1.6 gallons of Sweet potato pie mead.

 

[Ren06]

Brewed 2 gallons of bourbon blueberry Acerglyn

 

[Dan O]

Brewed 2 gallons of bourbon blueberry Acerglyn

Did you put this in the how many gallons post, too?

 

[Ren06]

Did you put this in the how many gallons post, too?

Thank you forgot all about that

 

[MightyMosin]

I recently bottled my first batch of Marshmallow Bochet.

(5) 750ml and
(16) 375ml bottles.

 

[Sailingeric]

I have this Tupelo Honey mead I made 2020 and I have sampled bottles along and along and people have loved it and I did not not like it but I did care for it, just something slighly off and today I cracked open my last bottle and after 3 years of aging it is now damn fine. I may have to give it another go and have ready for my 52 B-day

 

[MightyMosin]

The last bottle and it's finally great... I know that pain.

 

[MightyMosin]

After working outside today, I enjoyed my Wildflower Blueberry Cyser... carbonated and delicious at a healthy 12%ABV.

It tastes like a 6%, so I have to be careful with it .

 

[MightyMosin]

Today I racked, filtered (10 micron) and oaked 19.5 gallons of an Orange Blossom Viognier pyment into stainless steel kegs.

It will oak about 2 months and then I'll check the oaking level.

 

[Wrendelar]

Today racked the Blackberry Malomel so it can begin conditioning and clearing.

Took a final gravity too

SG: 1.130
FG: 1.010

ABV 15.6%

Will most likely have to back sweeten it a bit but that is up to the swimbo..

 

[MightyMosin]

Cleaned with PBW (3) 7 gallon fer-monsters and (2) 5 gallon carboys... Hurray for the keg cleaner and the CIP ball to make this pretty easy to do.

 

[Todd Peterson]

Cleaned with PBW (3) 7 gallon fer-monsters and (2) 5 gallon carboys... Hurray for the keg cleaner and the CIP ball to make this pretty easy to do.

Is your setup DIY or a commercially available tool.

This is on my list to make my mead making life a little easier.

I’d love to hear some details as to equipment and process.

PBW soaking all vessels is for the birds

Todd Peterson