Batch 8-002: Root Beer Mead

I started a new batch of root beer mead the other day! I have loved root beer ever since I first visited an A&W when I was a boy. Back then A&W was a drive-in eatery that poured root beer (and root beer floats) in frosty glass mugs and served salty, greasy hamburgers with even saltier, greasier onion rings on the side. Ah yes... the good ole days!

My first attempt to make root beer mead was a crowd-pleaser, but I hope to improve on the finished product this time. My previous attempt was still and I now think that a carbonated mead will better open up some of the flavors. Also, I added some citrus to further curb the cloying aspects of the extract. In addition, I used wildflower rather than clover honey in order to keep more complexity. Hopefully, this batch will better match that flavor of root beer out of the bottle (while delivering a kick) rather than a root beer flavored still mead. Here is the recipe:

8-002

Primary

• 1 gal wildflower honey
• 2 oz Gnome Root Beer Extract
• Juice from 1 large lemon
• 5 tsp yeast nutrient
• 1 pkt Lavlin EC-1118
• Water to 5 gal
• OG: 1.102

Secondary

• 2 vanilla beans

Bottling

• 3/4 cup priming sugar

Wassail!

Safari Bob