Irish Red Braggot

[HB_in_Subic]

I am looking to make my first Braggot with one of my favorite beer recipes (an Irish Red Ale). I would appreciate any input on whether this on the right track or not..

Here is the recipe;

Steep the following grains for 20 minutes at 155F:
1/2lb Caramel/Crystal Malt 120L
1/2lb Caramunich Malt
1/2lb Pale Malt (2 Row)

60 minute Boil
2lbs Amber Dry Extract
4lbs Extra Light Dry Extract
1.5 oz Hallertau Hops

15 minutes
1/2 oz Hallertau Hops
1/2 oz Cascade Hops

5 minutes
1/2 oz Cascade Hops

7.5lbs honey after cooled down below 100F

2 packs of Lallemande Abbaye Belgian Ale Yeast (dry)

according to Beersmith;

SG 1.092 FG 1.003 = 11.7%ABV
SRM 12.9
IBU 34.9

Do you think that there will be enough viable yeast left to carbonate? As I want to make this a carbonated beverage unlike my meads. This yeast is capable of 12+% ABV, just not sure if having malt and honey in the scenario will hamper that or not.

 

[Squatchy]

I have no idea. I will be following this because I want to make a braggot.

 

[HB_in_Subic]

Thanks Squatchy. Still waiting for the ingredients to come in. It's gonna be a 5 gallon batch. I am leaning towards the Lallemande Belgian Ale Yeast over Muntons Premium Gold due to the higher ABV but may pitch a sachet of both (the Belgian rehydrated with honey and the Muntons rehydrated with malt).

 

[Shelley]

I recently brewed a 2.5 gallon braggot that has a pretty similar base (Belgian Pale, Crystal 40, Chocolate, 3lbs honey), and it's carbonating a bit slower than some of our other beers, but it is carbonating.

 

[Mazer828]

I have never made a braggot. Technically. However I have brewed beer for years and years, and several have had small honey additions (1-2 pounds for 5-gallon batches). Never had a problem with bottle conditioning. Malt extract is very high in nutrients and will support your yeast very well. My guess is that this braggot will feel much more like making a beer than making a mead. You'll have a primary ferment that's done in about a week, and depending on your preference, a stabilization period that can be as short as 2 weeks, just to confirm fermentation is done. It goes into your priming bucket with the right amount of priming sugar, and gets bottled, and 2-3 weeks later you're drinking braggot! No need to wait for this one to go super clear in secondary because you're bottle conditioning anyway. You need some yeast to be left, and it'll settle to the bottom when it's done carbonating anyway.

You've made me want to try this now! Lol.

One question though: why so many hop additions? I'm a hop head, make no mistake about it, but it seems out of line for the style. IMHO

 

[HB_in_Subic]

Sounds like a plan for the bottling.

On the hops, it is what the recipe called for that I got from AHS. I have made it plenty of times and wasn't too hoppy. The recipe makes it 32IBUs which would be 4 above the normal range (17-28).
I had a typo on the OP, it's at 32.4IBUs according to Beersmith.

 

[HB_in_Subic]

I brewed this up on 1/24 with a minor alteration. I pitched the yeast with one pack of Munton's Premium Gold Yeast (rehydrated and started with wort) and one pack of Lallemande's Abbaye Belgian Ale Yeast rehydrated with honey and nutrients. I went with the combo as I wanted the taste of the Munton's and the Abbaye to finish it whatever is above 10% (the limit of Munton's). I am planning to bottle at 4 weeks, so more than halfway there.

 

[Squatchy]

You might want to read up on the Lallemand web site about rehydrating protocol. When you rehydrate dry yeast their membrane is not able to regulate what passes through it into the cell. Subsequently, it absorbs things that will damage it in the long run and make them less able to do their job correctly. They say to just use plain tap water, or, much better yet, they have a product that will make the yeast much stronger if you rehydrate the yeast with Go-ferm, or Go-ferm protect.
The "protect" is even better for our mead making due to the rough conditions we put the yeast into.