Ty520
Senior Member
- Joined
- Oct 7, 2020
- Messages
- 280
- Reaction score
- 393
Feb 22, 2021
Hi All,
Despite session mead being the trend right now, I've been on a fortified wine kick.
Wanted to share some of my recipes.
Others to follow...
If you try any of these recipes, I just ask that you please attribute properly.
I'm pretty proud of this little guy, and plan to keep it in the regular line-up.
Ty's Fortified Spiced Cyser
1 gallon batch
(*note: I prefer to fortify after fermentation is complete rather than adding liquor to halt active fermentation; this method allows me add minimal liquor, and keep the flavor profile mead-centric)
Ingredients:
-4 Lbs Honey (heather or wildflower)
-1 gallon Apple cider
-32 oz Apple Brandy (I get mine from a local distillery called Flying Leap)
-1 sachet Red Star Cotes de Blancs yeast
-pectic enzyme
-1 gram cinnamon stick (for me, this was approximately 1 quarter of a stick)
-1 clove
-1 vanilla bean, split
-0.5 oz medium toast american oak
-goferm
-fermaid O
Method:
-Hydrate yeast per instructions in 4 ounces of reserved cider + goferm
-Add honey to primary fermentation vessel. Add cider until OG reaches 1145.
-pitch yeast
-pitch pectic enzyme
-stir vigorously to incorporate and aerate
-degas twice daily for the next five days, and add nutrients per TOSNA protocol
-upon completion of fermentation at ~1040 FG/14% abv, add brandy and very gently stir to fully incorporate, bringing your abv to ~20%. Add cinnamon and clove.
-sample mead at 2 weeks - pull spices if at desired flavor; if not, check each week thereafter until you reach desired flavor.
-Rack mead after pulling spices; add vanilla.
-sample mead at +1month after adding vanilla; pull or continue sampling each week until desired flavor has been reached. I prefer heavy vanilla profile and pull at 2 months; add oak.
-sample mead at +2 weeks after adding oak. pull if at desired flavor, otherwise continue checking each week. I usually pull oak at 1 month
-2nd rack @ +3 months from pitch date
-3rd rack @ +6 months from pitch date
-if necessary, rack again @ +9 months from pitch date - otherwise, bottle and allow to age until at least +1 year, or longer if you are one of those crazy weird people who have 'patience'
Hi All,
Despite session mead being the trend right now, I've been on a fortified wine kick.
Wanted to share some of my recipes.
Others to follow...
If you try any of these recipes, I just ask that you please attribute properly.
I'm pretty proud of this little guy, and plan to keep it in the regular line-up.
Ty's Fortified Spiced Cyser
1 gallon batch
(*note: I prefer to fortify after fermentation is complete rather than adding liquor to halt active fermentation; this method allows me add minimal liquor, and keep the flavor profile mead-centric)
Ingredients:
-4 Lbs Honey (heather or wildflower)
-1 gallon Apple cider
-32 oz Apple Brandy (I get mine from a local distillery called Flying Leap)
-1 sachet Red Star Cotes de Blancs yeast
-pectic enzyme
-1 gram cinnamon stick (for me, this was approximately 1 quarter of a stick)
-1 clove
-1 vanilla bean, split
-0.5 oz medium toast american oak
-goferm
-fermaid O
Method:
-Hydrate yeast per instructions in 4 ounces of reserved cider + goferm
-Add honey to primary fermentation vessel. Add cider until OG reaches 1145.
-pitch yeast
-pitch pectic enzyme
-stir vigorously to incorporate and aerate
-degas twice daily for the next five days, and add nutrients per TOSNA protocol
-upon completion of fermentation at ~1040 FG/14% abv, add brandy and very gently stir to fully incorporate, bringing your abv to ~20%. Add cinnamon and clove.
-sample mead at 2 weeks - pull spices if at desired flavor; if not, check each week thereafter until you reach desired flavor.
-Rack mead after pulling spices; add vanilla.
-sample mead at +1month after adding vanilla; pull or continue sampling each week until desired flavor has been reached. I prefer heavy vanilla profile and pull at 2 months; add oak.
-sample mead at +2 weeks after adding oak. pull if at desired flavor, otherwise continue checking each week. I usually pull oak at 1 month
-2nd rack @ +3 months from pitch date
-3rd rack @ +6 months from pitch date
-if necessary, rack again @ +9 months from pitch date - otherwise, bottle and allow to age until at least +1 year, or longer if you are one of those crazy weird people who have 'patience'
