Dark strong honey
- Thread starter TimV
- Start date
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What do you mean"dark strong honey"? What does it taste like. smell like, the sweetness....
It will vary between what u think dark tasting honey is or dark smelling honey..
It will vary between what u think dark tasting honey is or dark smelling honey..
Damn, that sounds like a good one for a straight traditional mead that will be aged for years.
Similar to buckwheat ???
regards
fatbloke
A dark strong honey and sweet potatoes? Sounds like a match made in heaven!
Does it have that barnyard (or cat piss, as my son calls it) smell of eastern buckwheat? Or is it more like heather, which is dark and strong, but lacks that smell?
Molasses-like? Definitely goes with the sweet potatoes.
Does it have that barnyard (or cat piss, as my son calls it) smell of eastern buckwheat? Or is it more like heather, which is dark and strong, but lacks that smell?
Molasses-like? Definitely goes with the sweet potatoes.
No, it's more like heather. So would I cook up some sweet potatoes, then put a couple pounds of them mashed or cut up into the must? Would they give off so much sugar after fermenting that it would make the yeast stop due to alcohol? Or is there perhaps a recipe or formula?
Thanks!!!
Thanks!!!
Well, I used sweet potatoes in a batch of pumpkin mead and I did bake them, peel them, dice them and put 'em in a bag which I tossed in the honeywater. Still made a mess and lost a lot when racking.
I think instead I'll--and this fall will likely try it again--bake them, peel them, smoosh them, boil the bejezus out of them until the fermentables are in solution and the fiber is not (adding pectinase), strain it through a few layers of cheesecloth, THEN put it in the fermenter.
It's worth a shot, sez I.
I think instead I'll--and this fall will likely try it again--bake them, peel them, smoosh them, boil the bejezus out of them until the fermentables are in solution and the fiber is not (adding pectinase), strain it through a few layers of cheesecloth, THEN put it in the fermenter.
It's worth a shot, sez I.
Oh, and I did add a couple of vanilla beans in secondary. I love vanilla, so I try to find an excuse to add it to everything.
Oh, and a couple of pounds? For a gallon of mead, perhaps. I used I think 13-15 lbs of pumpkin/sweet potatoes in a 5 gallon batch (ended up with only 3 gallons, though).
The potatoes are mostly starch and won't add that much sugar unless you add some enzymes to break down starch.
I've not made mead with Avocado honey, but with dark strong honey you can get some odd medicinal flavors in some cases. You might want to make a test batch with 1 gallon as a traditional mead just to see what it smells and tastes like when you remove the sugar. If you like the result, then making a batch with sweet potato may be excellent.
Medsen
I've not made mead with Avocado honey, but with dark strong honey you can get some odd medicinal flavors in some cases. You might want to make a test batch with 1 gallon as a traditional mead just to see what it smells and tastes like when you remove the sugar. If you like the result, then making a batch with sweet potato may be excellent.
Medsen
Medsen, in your experience if I get the odd taste and I make it really dry will I be able to successfully back sweeten it to mask the odd taste?
And what kind of enzyme would you use for starch? I can order that along with the pectinase for the plums.
Thanks, all.
And what kind of enzyme would you use for starch? I can order that along with the pectinase for the plums.
Thanks, all.
Strong dark honeys usually do well for layering flavors. A pound or two of dark honey in a 3 gallon batch of wildflower/citrus/clover honey adds depth. They also stand up well to other strong flavors like berry or chocolate.
Is your palate trained? Can you identify specific notes in your honey? That will help in creating an appropriate flavor profile for a melomel or methiglyn. (sp?).
Is your palate trained? Can you identify specific notes in your honey? That will help in creating an appropriate flavor profile for a melomel or methiglyn. (sp?).
