Braggot

[Malkore]

That might work.

I don't suppose you have a kegging system? It would be too easy to just force carbonate this in a keg and then bottle.
One of those times where being a beer maker and kegger comes in handy.

 

[WildSeedGrrrl]

No I don't do beer often or have the space to devote to it, so force carbonating just won't be happening. I guess I'll settle for a still braggot this time around and see what happens with a new and different batch.

I have friends who will drink anything, so I'm not worried about being able to give this stuff away.


WSG

 

[St Allie]

What about those carbonation drops things you can buy at the homebrew shop? The ones for beer? I'm assuming, ( having never used them) that they leave minimal sediment? You'd have to bottle in champagne bottles though..

just a thought

Allie

 

[Malkore]

What about those carbonation drops things you can buy at the homebrew shop? The ones for beer? I'm assuming, ( having never used them) that they leave minimal sediment? You'd have to bottle in champagne bottles though..

just a thought

Allie

carb tabs are just dextrose and usually corn starch as the binding agent.
They'll leave the same amount of sediment as priming the bottling vessel with dextrose.


Don't suppose you know anybody that'd allow you to force carb and bottle at their place using their kegging system?

my lone braggot attempt was a lower ABV, barely 10%, so my yeast was capable of bottle carbonating the normal way (and I'm used to sediment in beer so sediment in braggot didn't bother me)

 

[WildSeedGrrrl]

Update: Damn thing won't ferment to dry

So I checked on the braggot today thinking if the SG had dropped significantly then I would go ahead and prime, bottle, then cap a gallon. I know it's still fermenting because there's tiny bubbles coming up and the brix is at 14. I didn't add any yeast energizer because it's still fermenting, albiet slowly. TThe sample I tasted is good though, sweet and beery, and so I know that it will taste amazing after it's been chilled.

WSG

 

[WildSeedGrrrl]

And the bonehead Award of the year...

Goes to me!!!!

Sure it was spur of the moment but I was already stabilizing my passion wine so why not go ahead and bottle that braggot. I have plenty of bottles and a capper and I have the time. Sure I was short a pair of hands but slow and steady and well organized workspace makes all the difference.

I dug out the caps, the rnissed and sanitized the bottles, pails, and equipment. I opened up the priming sugar. Before that I even went online to double check the amounts I would need for 2 gallons of braggot. I put the priming sugar in the bucket, racked the 2 gallons into the bucket and commenced to bottle.

I got 18 bottles and a plastic bottle (to follow the carbonation process by squeezing said bottle) filled. I put them in plastic tubs and in my foyer (the temp is more constant there) and then settled down to log this into my Wine log. Then midway through it hit me...I just put the priming sugar in the bucket. I didn't dissolve it in boiling water first.

{{APPLAUSE}}

Thank You! Thank You! I'd first like to thank the academy for acknowledging my skill at forgetfulness and sheer stupidity. Then I'd like to thank the shredded wheat cereal I had for breakfast because obviously that change in my little routine (of not eating until lunch) which filled my stomach and got my brain working. Without all the little things I would not have made such a spectacular mistake.

Damn. Well I'm hoping for the best (there was still enough fermentable honey) that I may get something but it won't be what I wanted.

WSG

 

[manku007]

I have friends who will drink anything, so I'm not worried about being able to give this stuff away.
WSG

WildSeedGrrrl people test things on rats or monkey, but hats of to u , u directly test things on human, just kidding don't get angry .....

 

[WildSeedGrrrl]

Funny. I plan on bringing these out towards the end of the party when everyone is well into their drunkenness.

WSG

 

[WildSeedGrrrl]

NEW RECIPE: Pale Bunny Braggot

3lbs Pale Malt
5lbs Clover Honey
1lb Caramunich Malt
2oz Fuggles or Cascade Hops
London Ale Yeast
Yeast Nutrient
Yeast Energizer

I'm going for some thing a little heavier in flavor but lighter in alcohol so this one should be about a 3 gallon batch. I happen to like the bitterness that hops adds to my beer so this time I'm going to not dry hop this batch (which is what I ended up doing with the first one) but add the hops to the end of the boil before I add the honey.

I know how these malts taste in the beers i drink but not how they work together or with honey. This one I'm taking better notes than the first attempt.

On a high note: The first braggot is actually carbonating. I can tell because the test plastic bottle is really hard to squeeze. I found that little piece of knowledge I think from someone here on the forum as a way to see if carbonation is taking place. In another couple of weeks I'm going to throw a few in the fridge, chill and hand the first taste to a willing victim....uhm friend.

 

[Malkore]

Are you only adding hops at the end of the boil?

I'm a beer maker too so if you have any questions on when to add hops to achieve bitterness, hop flavor, or hop aroma, let me know. They all require different times in the boil. And bitterness is not the same as hop flavor

 

[WildSeedGrrrl]

Thanx Malkore,

I'm still doing more reading and 'tasting' and asking about. The weather is too hot to do anything but damage control on my wines. Strangely, I like the sweet and the bitter so figuring out when to add for light bittering and what hops add more flavor. I'm using clover as the base honey since it's easy to get in large quantities.

I just picked up a beer making for dummies book and I"m hoping to start something easy for my first time out. The weather here in Minneapolis, MN is awful. HOT and HUMID! Too hot to be boiling water for hours, which makes sense why hardly anyone I know makes beer in the summer here.

 

[WildSeedGrrrl]

*New* BarleyWine Braggot

So this is a recipe I was putting together for another go at a braggot. Following a recipe for a BarleyWine beer, including hops and Ale yeast, only using more honey. This is for a 5 gallon batch. Shooting for a ABV between 6-8%

5# Honey (I'm pretty sure it's Cover)
1.5# Wheat Malt
3# Pale Malt
2oz Perle (60 min)
2oz Willamette (15 min)
Irish Moss
WyeastBelgium Abby

Any suggestions?

WSG

 

[Malkore]

My only thoughts is that this looks more like a strong honey beer, than a braggot.

but that really depends on your definition of braggot...where you draw the line on the amount of fermentables coming from honey vs. malt

are you looking for a LOT of hop flavor? if not, I'd cut the 15 minute hop addition back.
What's the projected FG and IBU's? You'll wanna make sure its reasonably balanced, and not too bitter or too sweet/malty for your tastes.

Also, you'll need the alpha acid levels of the hops. 2oz of Pearle hops doesn't mean anything unless you know the ALA %

Saaz or Spalt hops might make good 15 minute additions too, if you're on the fence about Willamete or can't find em. Both are European hops which would fit well since you're using a Belgian yeast.


None of this is gospel by any means. Just my 2 cents

 

[WildSeedGrrrl]

My understanding of the BJCP definitions is that the over 50% has to be honey, a stated beer style and/or honey type. Most of the recipes I've seen use wine or mead yeasts, not beer yeasts which might explain why when a beer yeast is used it gets classified as a 'honey' beer. I'm trying to get my hands on the commercial braggots on the market to taste and find any books I can about it.

I'm pretty much just winging it and learning as I go.
Alpha Acids Hops range: 4-5% for aroma and 6-7% for flavoring. I'm trying to remember my notes. I know that depending on this years crop of hops, the acid levels. Luckily, the guys from Midwest have said that they have been pretty consistent with getting quality hops that are well within the general range, for whatever thats worths. They have Saaz, Willamette, and Perle.

I tend to like alot of hop flavor but as time and my knowledge grows that might change. I'm working from bits and pieces of writings and the fact that folks do a combination of beer/wine or majority one or the other.

Right now I'm trying to practice and learn with recipes I find and gathering knowledge as I go. I'm an academic by training in social sciences unfortunately not physical sciences so though I like to think I have a scientific method it is not as refined as say a chemist.

Call it an obsession. LOL. Thanks Malkore for the suggestions. keep adding your .02 because eventually that'll add up to a lot. I appreciate your input and I'll send you a revised one after I make a run to the brew supply place.

 

[Malkore]

Ok, you don't have an 'aroma' hops addition though...

You have bittering hops at 60 minutes, where much of the flavor adn ALL the aroma is lost.

15 minute hop addition won't give you much bitterness, will add some flavor, and a small amount of aroma.

I ran a rough IBU calculation for you:
Batch Volume (Gal) 5 Wort Gravity (O.G) 1.060

Weight (oz.) Alpha Acid (%) Boil Time (min) IBU
Addition 1 2 6 60 51.4
Addition 2 2 4 15 17.1
Total IBU: 68.5

It'll be bitter...like Pale Ale bitter. Of course I had to guess which hop was which alpha acid level, and guessed an OG around 1.060 based on the estimated ABV you're after (I probably low-balled the gravity)

here's the calculator I used: http://www.rooftopbrew.net/ibu.php

 

[WildSeedGrrrl]

Thanks. Ok so that was way more than .02 I'm thinking your words are right up there in the .10 to .15 range. See everything is adding up nicely. I'm just going to pick your brains for awhile. I've never used that calculator. I'm thinking that I don't want it too bitter. What I like about this hobby is that trial and error makes for interesting brews. So I have some playing around to do with this new tool.

WSG

 

[Malkore]

yeah...I got a little wordy helps to be a beer brewer when dealing with hops.

I'll mention that the residual sweetness (i.e. final gravity) will have a LOT to do with how bitter those IBU levels will be perceived. A really dry beer (or mead) will be more bitter at 20 IBU's than one that's still got some residual sugar (say a FG of 1.010).