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Braggot turned out nice...I want to tweak it a bit...suggestions?

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Bobbyisstrange

NewBee
Registered Member
Feb 18, 2014
17
0
0
I made a braggot using this recipe.

3 lb. light DME (Dry Malt Extract)
4.5 lb. wild flower honey
1 lb. 20L crystal malt
1 oz. cascade hops
1 tsp. irish moss
1 packet ale yeast (Danstar Windsor)


Heat one gallon water to 160F and steep crushed crystal malt at 160 - 165 for 20
minuets. Remove grain bag, heat to boiling and add DME and hops, boil 1 hour.
Remove from heat, cool to about 150F and add honey. Rack too a six gallon carboy
with 2 gallons of cool water, top up too 5 gallons, add active yeast starter when
temperature is 85F or below. Rack after 2 weeks. Keep in secondary for 2 weeks,
when clear prime with 2/3 cup corn sugar or honey boiled in a little water and
bottle.

Starting sg. 1.054


It's very good but my brewing buddy wants the alcohol content a little higher, for this do I just add more honey?....I also would like more of a sweet honey taste...not to much sweeter though...any suggestions? Thanks.
 

wayneb

Lifetime Patron
Lifetime GotMead Patron
You can add more honey, which will boost the net ABV assuming that fermentation hasn't stopped, but in doing so you'll actually end up with a slightly thinner bodied beverage that will taste drier than it does now. Since the sugars in honey are 100% fermentable, the honey sugars will essentially be completely converted to ethanol.
 

SilentJimbo

Worker Bee
Registered Member
Oct 9, 2012
159
5
18
Hampshire, UK
If you want more residual sugars, swapping some of the DME for more Crystal Malt next time would work. Might also give you the body for adding more honey without thinning it out.
 

SilentJimbo

Worker Bee
Registered Member
Oct 9, 2012
159
5
18
Hampshire, UK
As a rough rule-of-thumb, crystal malt gives 16ppg (points/pound/gallon), of which about 50% is fermentable. That is to say, adding 2oz per gallon will raise the OG by 0.002 and the FG by 0.001. DME will give you 2 to 3 times the sugars per ounce. So for a 5 gallon batch, to increase the FG by 0.001, you'd want to swap around 4oz of DME for an extra 10oz of crystal. Note that this will make for a slightly darker brew, but at 20L you should be able to add a fair amount more without it becoming too dark.

Incidently, I make a fairly similar braggot with 6oz crystal (30L) per gallon, and no DME.
 
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