Toggle sidebar

Bracketts : how long to drink?

  • PATRONS: Did you know we've a chat function for you now? Look to the bottom of the screen, you can chat, set up rooms, talk to each other individually or in groups! Click 'Chat' at the right side of the chat window to open the chat up.
  • Love Gotmead and want to see it grow? Then consider supporting the site and becoming a Patron! If you're logged in, click on your username to the right of the menu to see how as little as $30/year can get you access to the patron areas and the patron Facebook group and to support Gotmead!
  • We now have a Patron-exclusive Facebook group! Patrons my join at The Gotmead Patron Group. You MUST answer the questions, providing your Patron membership, when you request to join so I can verify your Patron membership. If the questions aren't answered, the request will be turned down.
Barrel Char Wood Products
B

Boogaloo

Worker Bee
Registered Member
Sep 13, 2011
147
0
16
Silver Spring (right outside of DC)
Quick question about Bracketts. Can Bracketts be consumed earlier based on the percentage of honey to malt? For example, If a Brackett is 51% honey and 49% malt will it be ready to drink earlier than a 80/20 Brackett? Or will it still fall into the standard 6-12mos to drink range for Meads?

Boog
 
Boogaloo said:
Quick question about Bracketts. Can Bracketts be consumed earlier based on the percentage of honey to malt? For example, If a Brackett is 51% honey and 49% malt will it be ready to drink earlier than a 80/20 Brackett? Or will it still fall into the standard 6-12mos to drink range for Meads?

Boog
Click to expand...

Wish I were drinking my meads in the 6 to 12 month range, shit they usually are not even in the bottles yet lol ;D

The more honey the more aging. I usually do a 50/50 mix (give or take) and I'm usually drinking after 3 or 4 months, but I've also made some that I started drinking as early as 2 months. Gold Winning Mead at the Mazer Cup this year was only 5 months old (I'm old so my mind slips but I think it was by Medsen)
 
Time-to-drink has less to do with ingredients and more to do with %alcohol, residual sugar, and any other flavors (intentional or flaws). As a general rule, more alcohol means more time to age. More sugar means less time. And strong flavors such as oak, spices, dark fruit, etc or fermentation faults like fusels generally add to aging time. Again, these are just trends and each mead/beer/whatever is going to do its own thing.

If your braggot/bracket is a "normal" beer strength of 4-6% abv, then it will be ready to drink in as little as a month. If it is "normal" wine/mead strength of 12-15% abv, it will take closer to a year or perhaps more.
 
akueck said:
Time-to-drink has less to do with ingredients and more to do with %alcohol, residual sugar, and any other flavors (intentional or flaws). As a general rule, more alcohol means more time to age. More sugar means less time. And strong flavors such as oak, spices, dark fruit, etc or fermentation faults like fusels generally add to aging time. Again, these are just trends and each mead/beer/whatever is going to do its own thing.
Click to expand...

Is this why JAOs are ready quicker despite being higher ABV than your typical beer?
 
Yes that is the main reason JAO is drinkable early. They "usually" end up finishing around 1.020-1.040, which is really quite sweet. The orange pith makes it seem less cloying though.

If you've taken a sample of your still-fermenting meads around 1.020-1.040, they usually taste pretty darn good as-is. Then they suddenly taste harsh and awful when the sugar goes away, only to taste good again months later.
 
Boogaloo said:
Nice.

Thanks for the info. I want to get into Bracketts more and wanted to know when I could start drinking them. I made my first Wheat Brackett last night.
Click to expand...

Good luck with your first braggot. I want to make one too, been researching it for a few weeks now, ready to start gathering ingredients and equipment.8)
 
Medsen Fey said:
If you are making barley wine strength braggots they need aging. If you are making beer-strength braggots they can be drinkable as fast as beer, though the honey aroma develops with more aging.
Click to expand...

I want both, lol. Something to drink now and something to age.
 
akueck said:
If you've taken a sample of your still-fermenting meads around 1.020-1.040, they usually taste pretty darn good as-is. Then they suddenly taste harsh and awful when the sugar goes away, only to taste good again months later.
Click to expand...

I'll have to agree with this one! I got almost insanely into making mead when I first started; I currently have 18 gallons under airlock. Two are five gallon batches. Sampling during fermenting tasted decent, but after I racked them off into clean carboys I sampled again and was convinced that I had made 10 gallons of drain cleaner. It was harsh and awful. Well, fast forward a few months, and I sampled them again... I was convinced that it wasn't the same stuff. It mellowed out, and while still young, was on it's way to becoming very, very drinkable.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Barrel Char Wood Products

Viking Brew Vessels - Authentic Drinking Horns

Top Bottom