New Plans and First Impressions
Firstly I am coming up on another purchase of supplies, which will likely include a corker and various supplies as well some ingredients for further brewing. I have two projects in mind. One is a Belgian ale, styled after a Trappist Dubbel. Dark malts, spicy yeast notes, dark sugars, held together with a restrained European hopping. Should be quite interesting, I'm finalizing my recipe now on it. The second possibility is what I have dubbed a "Black Braggot". A braggot is a fusion of ale and mead...technically a mead with a certain quantity of malt (and possibly hops) added. My version will be unique for its use of highly kilned black or dark malts, which will make this into an interesting hybrid of mead and Imperial Stout. My recipe for this, however, is far from finalized. If you (the reader) have any advice on the use of black patent malt, I'd be interested in discussing it with you.
As for first impressions, I finally tested my blackcurrant mead, which had been sitting in secondary for two months now. It had a gravity of 1.004, with a Brix reading of 10 degrees. After some computation this implies that the corrected original gravity (adding juice in the secondary threw off the initial reading) is 1.100, being a noticeably milder mead of 13% ABV, approximately. It has a wondrous nose of blackcurrants, without obscuring some honey notes. Also quite perceptable was the heavy char oak cubes, offering up a distinct vanilla/bourbon note. This was a very welcome bit of complexity, and I'll be using it again. It has a light body and was quite drinkable. And I can't forget to mention the colour...rich, jewel-like burgundy, with surprisingly impeccable clarity. I won't be using any finings on this mead!
Also, I forgot to mention, but I did rack the mead onto the ginger. Peeling and chopping the ginger was quite an undertaking, but I completed it. I'm a little worried the ginger, with around three weeks of age in the refrigerator, might have lost some of its potency, but that may have been my imagination. I'm sure no matter what it will be a beast of gingery goodness, and hey, if after a month I find it to be lighter on ginger than expected, I can always rack it onto a new bed of ginger!
I leave you with a saying that has somewhat stuck with me, and would be a worthy remembrance for just about anyone:
"Wine is a Good Servant But a Terrible Master"
As for first impressions, I finally tested my blackcurrant mead, which had been sitting in secondary for two months now. It had a gravity of 1.004, with a Brix reading of 10 degrees. After some computation this implies that the corrected original gravity (adding juice in the secondary threw off the initial reading) is 1.100, being a noticeably milder mead of 13% ABV, approximately. It has a wondrous nose of blackcurrants, without obscuring some honey notes. Also quite perceptable was the heavy char oak cubes, offering up a distinct vanilla/bourbon note. This was a very welcome bit of complexity, and I'll be using it again. It has a light body and was quite drinkable. And I can't forget to mention the colour...rich, jewel-like burgundy, with surprisingly impeccable clarity. I won't be using any finings on this mead!
Also, I forgot to mention, but I did rack the mead onto the ginger. Peeling and chopping the ginger was quite an undertaking, but I completed it. I'm a little worried the ginger, with around three weeks of age in the refrigerator, might have lost some of its potency, but that may have been my imagination. I'm sure no matter what it will be a beast of gingery goodness, and hey, if after a month I find it to be lighter on ginger than expected, I can always rack it onto a new bed of ginger!
I leave you with a saying that has somewhat stuck with me, and would be a worthy remembrance for just about anyone:
"Wine is a Good Servant But a Terrible Master"
posted by SQLFunkateer at 1:59 PM
2 Comments:
"and how does one become a cork soaker?"
Have you seen that snl skit? I hope so or that quote is just....out of place.
here's the transcript for that skit...how lude. ha.
http://snltranscripts.jt.org/03/03qcork.phtml
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