Sulfites & Braggots

[Kitchen]

Will adding sulfites to a weaker braggot (around 7% ABV) protect it like with a drier 10+% wine/mead?

I do not want to boil the honey, which would destroy the flavor, and would add it after the wort cools down. My concern is that, unlike wine or mead, a fair amount of complex sugars from the malt would be left in the braggot, allowing for a possible infection. I am just trying to determine a workaround.

Joe

 

[dmw_chef]

Beer likes to get infected, film at 11. Be on point with your sanitation. I've been told by people who know beer better than I that reasonable so2 levels won't interfere with bottle carbonation.

 

[Kitchen]

Beer likes to get infected, film at 11. Be on point with your sanitation. I've been told by people who know beer better than I that reasonable so2 levels won't interfere with bottle carbonation.

What do you mean by film at 11?

 

[dmw_chef]

It is an idiom that indicates that something isn't particularly newsworthy. You are correct in that the residual sugars in beer combined with typically lower ABV make it more susceptible to infection. Beer people solve/mitigate this with good sanitation and good process. PMB is used by some brewers, but their goal isn't microbial stability, it's the oxygen scavenging they're after.

 

[Ty520]

Sounds like you're planning to cold crash?

Yes, I would recommend it, but not for fear of going bad. The odds of going truly bad are really slim because of the presence of honey, alcohol and low ph, and hops if it will be a hopped braggot.

spontaneous re fermentation would be my big concern.

 

[Kitchen]

Thanks for the replies.

I am thinking about doing this with a Saison yeast to give a funky flavor. Also, I plan on mashing at 154F for more non-fermentable sugars, hoping to offset the loss in body from the honey being 100% fermentable. Of course, I am assuming a saison yeast would be just as effective at fermenting sugars as a wine yeast, meaning 100% of the sugars in the honey are fermentable.

Do you think this is the case?

 

[winemaker81]

Do you think this is the case?

Like people who eat frequently at McDonalds, yeast do not appear to be picky eaters within the range of things they like.

AFAIK, there is fermentable sugar and non-fermentable sugar, so I don't believe the variety of wine or beer making yeast matters in that regard. My concern would be keeping the SG within the range the saison yeast can tolerate, and I assume you're on top of that.

 

[Ty520]

It would all depend on your starting gravity. I don't think you'd really have much unfermentable sugars from the grain - it would just remain as starches. A home brewer can expect about 70-75% efficiency sugar extraction; a pound of grain has the max potential to provide about 37 points per gallon, so at 70%efficiency, expect about 26 points in reality. I would suggest first measuring the gravity of the wort after boil, then you can determine how much honey to add that will get you to the final gravity you want. You'll also need to be careful which Saison yeast you select - their alcohol tolerance can range from 7% for a French saison, to 15% for Belle saison

 

[Steve Wargo]

Things to consider when making homemade adult beverages, to avoid spoilage: Container and bottle Sanitization, beverage acidity, alcohol ABV, antimicrobial additions (hops, sulfites). organic honey also has anti-microbial properties (do not add honey to wort/must that is too warm), end-product storage conditions (the cooler the better). All these things contribute to spoilage prevention. Sanitization is tops on the list, else the rest is mute. If you are unsure of your sanitization process after cleaning bottles, it wouldn't hurt to put the empty bottles that will eventually contain your end product into a pot of water and bring water to a simmering boil. Remove and dry. Use Star San solution just before bottling. Don't expect a shelf life beyond 6 months to a year for beer. Maybe more if you kept storage conditions closer to freezing.