February 15, 2010

Mead In Milwaukee


I recently discovered that bees make honey. Shortly thereafter, I learned that honey makes mead. And here I was under the impression that everything I need to know, I had already learned in kindergarten ... way to drop the ball on that one, Miss Eckhert!

Once I finally worked out how to read good, I scanned the words of Kenneth Schramm and then took it upon myself to watch the magic of meadmaking in action (Check out the lighter one on the left, OG 1.080). Then I was informed that a blend of barley and honey is called a braggot (or bracket) and so I brewed some using chocolate malt (it's the dark one on the right, OG 1.200+). Well, then I had an affair with some Vidal ice wine juice that I blended with honey to create a pyment (it's the other lighter one, OG 1.115). Then, somebody sold me some cherries, so I dropped a bunch of them - as though they were hot - into some honey, which then became a melomel (see the red one? OG 1.080). Wow, how fun!

Then I skimmed an article in the Dec 2008 issue of Zymurgy in which Mr. Charlie Papazian wrote about partying like it was 1949 in which he got to sample a baffling beverage called bochet. Interestingly, a bochet is made from scorched honey. Well, I just couldn't resist slapping some honey on a burner and watching it brown (feast your eyes on the half-full carboy in the center, OG 1.096).

Next up is a cyser (cider+honey). And then maybe a metheglin (spice+honey). And then it's nap time.

4 comments:

  1. How about sharing some recipes? ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love sharing!

    My mead (3gal):
    3# Orange Blossom Honey
    2# Ames Farm Artisanal Minnesota Honey
    1 satchet Lavlin 1122 yeast (with nutrients)

    My Braggot (3gal):
    9# Honey from a farm in Montana
    0.25# Simpsons Chocolate malt (no hops added)
    1 pkg Wyeast 4184 Sweet Mead yeast (with nutrients)
    1 satchet Red Star Premier Cuvee yeast

    Ice Pyment (3gal):
    4# Orange Blossom Honey
    1 gal Vidal Ice Wine Juice (32+ brix)
    2 satchets Lalvin D-47 yeast (with nutrient)

    Melomel (3gal):
    4# Basswood Honey
    5# cherries (treated with pectic enzyme) - primary
    4# cherries (treated with pectic enzyme) - secondary
    1 satchet Lalvin D-47 yeast (with nutrient)
    1 satchet Lalvin 1122 yeast (with nutrient)

    Bochet (2 gal):
    This one's a secret!

    Your Friend,
    --King

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ken Schramm's "The Compleat Meadmaker" has some excellent recipes in it and it is a great read. Check it out!

    ReplyDelete