Berries and balance - what'sup?

[Johanneskai]

I made this Hydromel: Clover Marionberry, and the flavor is outstanding compared to the other hydromels. The bite is very little and the mead tastes well balanced.

Where is this coming from? Are there properties in berries that help smooth out these beverages?

 

[fatbloke]

I made this Hydromel: Clover Marionberry, and the flavor is outstanding compared to the other hydromels. The bite is very little and the mead tastes well balanced.

Where is this coming from? Are there properties in berries that help smooth out these beverages?

Damned if I know..... I had to google "Marionberry" to find out what that is.........

So with a bit of reading, I can only suggest that it would be to do with the acidity of the fruit balancing the sweetness of the honey.

Either way, if it's a "good 'un", then make sure that you document it fully so both you and others can try and replicate it.

I'm guessing that the "Marionberry" thing is a commercial hybrid so enable various commecial entities to be able to use it as "blackberry" seeing as how it's the same family of plants.... long spines though, apparently. I'd let someone else do the picking/harvesting.....

hey ho!

regards

fatbloke

 

[Medsen Fey]

Berries add lots of things including acids, phenolic compounds, tannins, colors, and a variety of aroma and flavor compounds. This is why melomels are so popular.

 

[wayneb]

To amplify a bit on what Medsen has said, berries (or any dark colored fruit) bring a wealth of flavor, color and aroma compounds to the mix, and you can hide a lot of problems (such as the results of stressed or hot fermentations) with those additional elements.

That is why it is much more difficult to make a very good traditional mead than it is to make a very good melomel or metheglyn. In the traditional mead - it is just your technique, and the honey. You have no fruit or spices to hide behind! ;D

 

[akueck]

That is why it is much more difficult to make a very good traditional mead than it is to make a very good melomel or metheglyn. In the traditional mead - it is just your technique, and the honey. You have no fruit or spices to hide behind! ;D

To expand even more, the same idea can be extended to beer or food too. A high gravity ale with tons of dark malts is almost impossible to screw up. Even if it's not exactly what you wanted, it will still taste fine because so much is going on. Try to make a simple 3% ABV beer, and then things get tricky. Food is the same--with enough spices you can cover any manner of sin.

 

[AToE]

To expand even more, the same idea can be extended to beer or food too. A high gravity ale with tons of dark malts is almost impossible to screw up. Even if it's not exactly what you wanted, it will still taste fine because so much is going on. Try to make a simple 3% ABV beer, and then things get tricky. Food is the same--with enough spices you can cover any manner of sin.

There's such a thing as 3% beer?! Wow, I think that's what we sell to kids as de-alcoholized up here.

 

[akueck]

Hey, you can make some really great 3% beer. I very much enjoy Milds and Berliner Weisse (which can actually be below 3%). Really hard to hide flaws though.

 

[AToE]

Hey, you can make some really great 3% beer. I very much enjoy Milds and Berliner Weisse (which can actually be below 3%). Really hard to hide flaws though.

Don't worry about me, I have a weird Canadian sense of humour when it comes to beer. I'm sure there are some fantastic 3% beers, I found a 4% (pretty rare up here) and it was quite good, can't remember the brewery though.

 

[fatbloke]

Don't worry about me, I have a weird Canadian sense of humour when it comes to beer. I'm sure there are some fantastic 3% beers, I found a 4% (pretty rare up here) and it was quite good, can't remember the brewery though.

Hum? haven't "stella tortoise" just started selling "wife beater" at the lower strength of 4% and they're even using it as a marketing point.....

I suspect that all the "chavs" who drink it would rather carry on drinking stronger stuff so they can get drunk quicker.........

Personally, here, if a drink has beer incorporated into it, then if it's not sold as an alcoholic beverage it has to be lower than 2%, plus there's always stuff like "Mackesons Stout", which is about 3 to 3.5%. It's considered "old man's beer". It's been around for a long time and is very smooth, very dark and IMO excellent. When I'm stuck parked in my truck for the night (you'd have to understand EU driving hours for truckers), I can have a couple of cans in the fridge (they only seem to make small 330ml cans) and I can have a drink with my meal and not worry about being pulled over and breathalysed....

Hey ho!

regards

fatbloke

 

[AToE]

Hum? haven't "stella tortoise" just started selling "wife beater" at the lower strength of 4% and they're even using it as a marketing point.....

I suspect that all the "chavs" who drink it would rather carry on drinking stronger stuff so they can get drunk quicker.........

Personally, here, if a drink has beer incorporated into it, then if it's not sold as an alcoholic beverage it has to be lower than 2%, plus there's always stuff like "Mackesons Stout", which is about 3 to 3.5%. It's considered "old man's beer". It's been around for a long time and is very smooth, very dark and IMO excellent. When I'm stuck parked in my truck for the night (you'd have to understand EU driving hours for truckers), I can have a couple of cans in the fridge (they only seem to make small 330ml cans) and I can have a drink with my meal and not worry about being pulled over and breathalysed....

Hey ho!

regards

fatbloke

I think you might be right about Stella having a light beer now, haven't had Stella in several years though.

Up here if it's beer and non-alcohol it's always below 1%.

If I could find some quality lower alcohol beers I would actually really enjoy that. I dislike that most of my favorite beers are higher alcohol, which means I can drink less... not good for obvious reasons.

I'll have to do some looking around the stores to see what there is.

 

[akueck]

I tried Dogfish's Festina Peche, and I liked it. Something like 4.5%, which is actually strong for the Berliner Weisse which they styled it after (usually those are 3% or so). I'm making a BW myself right now, which will also come out a little strong at something like 3.7%. Very refreshing, when made right--lots of lactic acid. Plus you get to play with bugs, always a fun time.

 

[Jagland]

I agree with what Fatbloke said.....errr uh in his first post.....in his uh... 1st line.

anyway, good luck with the hydromel.

Regards,

Jagland

Webster.
Marionberry: a variety of blackberry