Braggot Experiment

[Algernon]

After following a couple of other threads I thought I'd have a crack at making one of these braggot things - they look like they have potential, so, I grabbed a couple of bits n bobs I had rattling about and got to work (in a slightly slap-dash, ill-planned kinda way).

Recipe:
1.5kg DME (amber)
1kg mixed honey (I used waitrose runny, set and a smidgen of cheap **** (asda possibly) to make it up to 1kg)
12l water
50g Dark Crystal malt
20g chinook hops
Gervin Ale yeast from Wilko

Equipment: (not ideal, but all I have in the kitchen)
2 largish saucepans (6l capacity)
large measuring jug (2l capacity)
funnel
sieve
smaller pan
handy 1l thermo-mug (dead good for micro-mashing small amount of grain - loses 2 degrees per hour)
2 5l DJ's
Pressure barrel

OG: 1.090 at 30 degrees C (I am too impatient to wait until it cools more, should be at 20 degrees).

Method:
Do bear in mind this is just an experiment and so much of what I am doing is far from ideal, but I am hoping it will still work out ok in the end...

Boil up 8 litres in 2 pans
Add DME to one of them when warm enough to dissolve and boil for an hour (I am not sure if a hot break is needed from extract or not :| )
Add the honey to the other one and bring to the boil, then leave lid on and leave to cool
Meanwhile, bring the smaller pan to the boil with 2 litres and add the bittering hops - I did this partly due to space constraints and partly because removing boiled hops is annoying at the best of times, and when they are all sticky it is worse. Also I believe high gravity wort makes hop efficiency lower. These also boiled an hour.
Once everything was cooked up it was poured into a sterile PB to use as a primary FV. I know it is not ideal, but I had planned to use the DJ's and a little less water, but then I read somewhere that Braggot erupts when fermenting and needs lots of space, so the spare PB was all I had.
Once it was in the PB and fully mixed I took a sample via the tap for my Hydrometer jar.
NOTE: the cap to the PB has been loosely placed over the top, to allow CO2 out but prevent ming from dropping in. I know an airlock would be ideal, but so it goes.
After a week I will let it out into the DJ's for a secondary fermentation (possibly using champagne yeast or a high tolerance mead strain) before bottling using a small amount of honey to prime bottles.
Looks like this needs to be left alone for months, so I guess the bottles will go in a bin bag and down into the cellar for a while.

SO, that's what I have done/made. I'll keep you posted if anyone is interested in how it progresses.
Al

 

[Intelekt]

I'm interested :wink:

Can't wait to see how this turns out!
I'm thinking maybe getting a 3 gallon demijohn to make things like this :thumb:

 

[Algernon]

Well, in keeping with tradition, I sampled the hydrometer jar. Not promising - I think I overboiled the hops into some kind of acrid bitterness. Tasted like I had been boiling up some kind of herbal poison it was that bitter. :sick:
Assuming that fades in time, the rest was a little insipid (I may add a hop-tea made of infused (but NOT boiled to buggery and beyond) hops).
As promised, updates as and when they happen - you heard it here first folks :-)

 

[JKaranka]

I made one that's really tasty! Used 50/50 malts and honey for the gravity, and a 60 minute boil of Goldings to bring it up to 7 or 8 IBU. I used dark crystal, chocolate malt and special B to steep as commercial braggots I have had tended to be very dry and somewhat tasteless. I added vanilla beans and cinnamon once fermentation was over.

 

[phettebs]

After reading the couple of braggot threads on here, I went home and looked in "The Compleat Meadmaker" by Ken Schramm. There are a couple of recipes in there. One is a monster. I think the OG was 1.120 or something. Of course, that's the one I want to make. :twisted:

Now I just need to visit my beekeeper!

 

[calumscott]

Well, in keeping with tradition, I sampled the hydrometer jar. Not promising - I think I overboiled the hops into some kind of acrid bitterness. Tasted like I had been boiling up some kind of herbal poison it was that bitter. :sick:
Assuming that fades in time, the rest was a little insipid (I may add a hop-tea made of infused (but NOT boiled to buggery and beyond) hops).
As promised, updates as and when they happen - you heard it here first folks :-)

Chinook is a VERY high alpha hop... You don't need a lot for big bitterness...

 

[Algernon]

Thx JK - that looks interesting. I may try the cinnamon idea, and I will also give it a splash of hop tea to add some taste

 

[Algernon]

Well, I have racked it into DJ's and despite my earlier misgivings it is at least smelling like a beverage rather than microbiological waste, which is progress of sorts.
The yeast is not up for dropping out at all, and there was not much trub/cake in the FV at the end. Lots of crappy dark brown Krausen dried onto the inside of the FV (another FINE reason not to use barrels as FV's, but I am sure a spot of bottle-brushing will sort it out).
So, I now have 2 DJ's of what smells like high-octane rocket fuel. I lack the testicular fortitude to sample it at this stage, and given the amount of floaty yeast I don't think there is much point yet. I am now contemplating adding flavourings to the DJ's to see what effect they have.
Options include:
Cinnamon bark - how to sanitise without losing flavour... hmmm
Hop tea
Vanilla extract
maybe some juice from some steeped dark crystal (will this start it fermenting again too much?)

Any thoughts very welcome - I feel I am making a balls-up of this brew :-)

 

[Algernon]

This has now been bottled and tested. Some has been primed with home-made cinnamon syrup (equal to 1tsp per 500ml) and the rest just with plain honey.
Flavour-wise, it is distinctly medicinal at the moment, but the horrible bitterness has eased from the pre-fermentation tasting. With conditioning and cinnamon as well I suspect I have created a good throat clearing winter beverage.
OG 1.090
FG 1.010
ABV 10.6 before priming. I am impressed by how hardy the yeast was.

 

[Monkeybrew]

I made a 7.2% brew with a Tarweiber kit plus 2.5 kg very runny honey, and after over 6 months it is still only OK Strong, but too much honey flavour and not enough malt to counter balance. :hmm:

 

[Algernon]

Yes, I suspect this might be ok for christmas drinking (2014). Still, you live and learn. I'll crack one around Hallowe'en and one round Christmas just to see.