Batch 8-005: Honey Blonde Braggot

Last Saturday, I taught a class on mead making at Sograte BBQ & Brew in celebration of Mead Day 2012. During the class, we sampled six different kinds of honey and three types of mead. As a group we also made a cream soda mead that should be tasty! Cary may even make it available on tap when it is ready.

As part of the class, I attempted my first braggot. I have always wanted to try to make one and the class offered a great opportunity for me to research and brew one. Here is the recipe:

8-005

• 6 lbs Golden Light Malt Extract
• 1 lb Golden Light DME
• 1 lb honey malt
• 1 lb flaked wheat
• 1 oz Fuggle 4% hops @60 min
• 1 oz 7C's hops @2 min
• 12 lbs orange blossom honey
• 1 pkt Safale US-05 Dry Ale Yeast
• water to 5 gal
• OG: 1.142

Wassail!

-Safari Bob

Mead Day 2012 at Sograte BBQ & Brew

First organized in 2002 by the American Homebrewers Association (AHA), Mead Day is a national event to increase mead awareness and foster camaraderie among meadmakers (or mazers). This year I will be celebrating Mead Day at Sograte BBQ & Brew who is kindly hosting a Mead Class at 11:00am where we will be brewing a braggot as well as making a sweet batch of the Cream Soda Mead. I will be bringing samples of different kinds of honey and a few bottles of different styles of mead. If you are in the area, come on by and enjoy the glory that is MEAD!

Mead Day 2012
August 4, 2012 at 11:00am
Sograte BBQ & Brew
8405 Ash Ave
Lubbock, TX 79404
http://sograte.com/

Wassail!

- Safari Bob

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

2012 Arizona Mead Cup

Oh yes! Competition season is starting and it's time to get in gear. This year I am sending a couple of entries to the 2012 Arizona Mead Cup sponsored by the Brewmeisters Anonymous homebrew club in Phoenix Arizona and is taking place 31 March & 1 April. This contest is part of the Great Arizona Homebrew Competition.

I love homebrew contests although I did not do so well last year (only one ribbon). Still, my goal is to win at least one ribbon in some cider category this year and I will hopefully snag a couple for mead as well. Of course, each contest seems to privilege different kinds of entries and I am trying to adapt my strategy accordingly. For instance, sweeter meads did well at the Cactus Challenge last year while dry meads scored higher at the Bluebonnet.

In any event, it is always fun to see what others think about your homebrew. What are you sending this year? What competitions are you going to enter?

-Safari Bob

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UPDATE: 8 April 2012

Kokopelli, a hard cider with habanero, won silver in the 28D: Special Cider & Perry - Other category with a score of 40!