I'm rather new to the mead game, but so far I very much enjoy it! A maintenance guy at my work gave me about a gallon-a gallon and a half of dark buckwheat honey. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions what kind of mead would be good to make with this kind of honey? Would a spiced mead be better or a melomel or something more traditional? If anyone has any related recipes they'd like to share too that would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for any and all help!
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Buckwheat dark honey suggestions/recipes
- Thread starter Smylle
- Start date
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I would suggest trying a 1 gallon batch of JAOM. I made some a couple months ago with buckwheat honey that was very good. Mind you, it won't help you learn how to make a good mead because it pretty much goes against all of the modern protocols for making mead, but it does make a tasty mead.
I looked up the JOAM recipe and I dont like the idea of using plain old bread yeast as well as some other aspects of it but I think the flavor profile of it might be good so I looked up the MOAM recipe and it seems much more to my liking so I might try it. Do you have any good recipes for a trad squatchy? Or any links to anything you'd recommend for someone wanting to make one that hasnt? I should have enough honey to make 5 gallons of both.
http://www.gotmead.com/forum/showthread.php/27887-Group-Make-along-for-a-traditional-by-Squatchy This is a "make along"
the link below is where people are commenting and asking questions about the make along.
http://www.gotmead.com/forum/showthread.php/27847-New-Group-Mead-make-along-by-Squatchy
the link below is where people are commenting and asking questions about the make along.
http://www.gotmead.com/forum/showthread.php/27847-New-Group-Mead-make-along-by-Squatchy
I looked up the JOAM recipe and I dont like the idea of using plain old bread yeast as well as some other aspects of it but I think the flavor profile of it might be good so I looked up the MOAM recipe and it seems much more to my liking so I might try it. Do you have any good recipes for a trad squatchy? Or any links to anything you'd recommend for someone wanting to make one that hasnt? I should have enough honey to make 5 gallons of both.
Use K1V and DV10
I did some late season buckwheat honey and it's not all backside and figgy-pruning. any flavor modifications can only help it (the honey I had anyways). The buckwheat honey likely has a deeply "uric" flavor. please consider the honey as it tastes before you mead-make it. if you don't like it before you may find you don't like it after, even with additives. flavoring buckwheat will take a reasonable exercise of experience and understanding of how to implement your personal flavor (go with Squatchy's suggestion). However, if you do a good job, on the results end of the process, your mead will reflect the taste of the honey you put into it, buckwheat can be very full flavored.
-T
-T
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Searching through for Buckwheat, I am designing my next traditional.
I have about 6 cups buckwheat from Mexico, which I am assuming is the western style. It has an earthy taste, even some banana-very lightly. I am warming it now to see if flavor changes, it was hard as a rock when I bought it.
I like the idea of prunes and dates on secondary, and I have K 1V and D47. K1V being more temp tolerant I am leaning this way, plus I have not used it before.
Recipe so far:
Dry Trad to be backsweetend, 10% ABV, SG 1.074, 1.8 gallon batch
K1 V- temp is 50-80, I should remain in the mid 60’s throughout
Medium nutrient requirement
I have an oxygen tank to aerate for 2 minutes occuring at 3 intervals
1- Before pitch
2- 12-15 hours later, but not before lag phase is finished
3- 5-6 hours later
go Ferm to rehydrate at .9 grams per gram of yeast= 4.5 grams go Ferm
Fermaid O for nutrient: 5.8 grams at medium requirements keeping ph at 4.0
Nitrogen requirements should be under 180 ppm at around 18-20Brix ( does this sound right at 1.074 1.080 OG?)
Dissolve 6 cups buckwheat into warm spring water, add Water to volume minus pitch
Aerate O2
Rehydrate Go Ferm 110* water
Record SG
Rehydrate yeast into Go Ferm at 104* let sit for 15 min
Attenuate yeast slurry 1/4 to 1 must
Let sit 15 min, check temp
Attenuate again if temp difference is over 18*
Question
***if I have 125 ml yeast I add 1 liter must? Or do I have this backwards? 32 ml must added to 125 ml yeast slurry?** want to ease into the pool!
Do I need to pay attention to ph at this point?
Pitch yeast, mix slowly
Cover bucket with cloth.
Questions:
Should I make up the must and let sit 24 hours with ( or without) k meta addition?
Degassing twice daily is still the norm?
Thanks for all input, looking to start this one this weekend!
-James
I have about 6 cups buckwheat from Mexico, which I am assuming is the western style. It has an earthy taste, even some banana-very lightly. I am warming it now to see if flavor changes, it was hard as a rock when I bought it.
I like the idea of prunes and dates on secondary, and I have K 1V and D47. K1V being more temp tolerant I am leaning this way, plus I have not used it before.
Recipe so far:
Dry Trad to be backsweetend, 10% ABV, SG 1.074, 1.8 gallon batch
K1 V- temp is 50-80, I should remain in the mid 60’s throughout
Medium nutrient requirement
I have an oxygen tank to aerate for 2 minutes occuring at 3 intervals
1- Before pitch
2- 12-15 hours later, but not before lag phase is finished
3- 5-6 hours later
go Ferm to rehydrate at .9 grams per gram of yeast= 4.5 grams go Ferm
Fermaid O for nutrient: 5.8 grams at medium requirements keeping ph at 4.0
Nitrogen requirements should be under 180 ppm at around 18-20Brix ( does this sound right at 1.074 1.080 OG?)
Dissolve 6 cups buckwheat into warm spring water, add Water to volume minus pitch
Aerate O2
Rehydrate Go Ferm 110* water
Record SG
Rehydrate yeast into Go Ferm at 104* let sit for 15 min
Attenuate yeast slurry 1/4 to 1 must
Let sit 15 min, check temp
Attenuate again if temp difference is over 18*
Question
***if I have 125 ml yeast I add 1 liter must? Or do I have this backwards? 32 ml must added to 125 ml yeast slurry?** want to ease into the pool!
Do I need to pay attention to ph at this point?
Pitch yeast, mix slowly
Cover bucket with cloth.
Questions:
Should I make up the must and let sit 24 hours with ( or without) k meta addition?
Degassing twice daily is still the norm?
Thanks for all input, looking to start this one this weekend!
-James
Only adjust the pH if you must.
No need to sulfit a must with jusy honey a d water.
No need to degass except to help keep your volcano down when feeding. Mix food in liquid first and stir well and you won't make any volcanoes
No need to sulfit a must with jusy honey a d water.
No need to degass except to help keep your volcano down when feeding. Mix food in liquid first and stir well and you won't make any volcanoes
Sweet,
Any thought on this over pitching?
I just don’t want to fool with keeping a half pack of yeast
Any thought on this over pitching?
I just don’t want to fool with keeping a half pack of yeast
I'd pitch the whole packet. When I first started, I would measure out half a packet for 1-2 gallon batches trying to stretch the yeast farther, but I learned here, the yeast is the cheapest ingredient and the whole packet is not over pitching even on a 1 gallon batch so don't bother trying to save half of it.
TLDR: Bochet the Buckwheat!!!
Buckwheat is my favorite variety of honey on things like toast, so when I first got into mead making, it was at the top of my to-do list. Others suggested using only a hint of buckwheat with the majority of the honey coming from clover or orange blossom to cover up the horrible flavor. My reaction was that if the flavor is horrible then why include it in the first place, and if the flavor is as amazing as buckwheat honey is on toast, then don't dilute it. Some sources said if you back sweeten it enough with a neutral honey it becomes good, but I like my mead dry – if I wanted it to be sweet I would just eat the honey. Also, I am pretty sure urine would be delicious if it were back sweetened enough (although I have not tried it). Others said they thought it would be better after aging and promised to post an update, but never did. Another source said it as having a "barnyard" taste, just like the honey. I don't think the honey has that taste, so I proceeded with hope.
The outcome tasted like someone took fresh-cut lawnmower clippings, brewed tea with it, and added alcohol. I tried a couple variations with the same results. I tried letting it age for 2 years. That took some of the edge off, but it was never something I was going to serve guests.
My last ditch effort was to try a recipe from Man Made Mead:
. The key step being to bochet the honey, then just for fun add rum barrel oak chips. Since bocheting is such an intensive process I wanted to get all the experimentation out of it that I could. I divided the batch into 4 portions and made each with a different yeast. Premier Rouge, Premier Blanc, Q23, and Kveik. All four were amazing! They needed a bit of age to reach their full potential, like any other, but they were delicious without any back sweetening. It was everything I was wanting a buckwheat mead to be when I started. I’m posting this on every forum I find, since it took me a good 3 years to get from goal to success. May this help you in your brewing journey!
Buckwheat is my favorite variety of honey on things like toast, so when I first got into mead making, it was at the top of my to-do list. Others suggested using only a hint of buckwheat with the majority of the honey coming from clover or orange blossom to cover up the horrible flavor. My reaction was that if the flavor is horrible then why include it in the first place, and if the flavor is as amazing as buckwheat honey is on toast, then don't dilute it. Some sources said if you back sweeten it enough with a neutral honey it becomes good, but I like my mead dry – if I wanted it to be sweet I would just eat the honey. Also, I am pretty sure urine would be delicious if it were back sweetened enough (although I have not tried it). Others said they thought it would be better after aging and promised to post an update, but never did. Another source said it as having a "barnyard" taste, just like the honey. I don't think the honey has that taste, so I proceeded with hope.
The outcome tasted like someone took fresh-cut lawnmower clippings, brewed tea with it, and added alcohol. I tried a couple variations with the same results. I tried letting it age for 2 years. That took some of the edge off, but it was never something I was going to serve guests.
My last ditch effort was to try a recipe from Man Made Mead:
