NewBee Making a Braggot

[Sadie Lady]

No, I haven't got to do anything for weeks! Had two different groups of company and then went out of town. So maybe this weekend if I can get everything else caught up.

Here's a recipe I found for a Braggot with hops. (http://mead.bravehost.com/index.html). I was searching on Danstar Windsor when I found it. I think it's the same place you got your recipe, just a different version of it.

Start date: May. 31, 2004
Bottle date: July. 02, 2004
5 gallon batch
Ingredients:

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

June 14, 2004 - Rack
July 02, 2004 - Prime and bottle.

 

[TAKeyser]

Remove grain bag, heat to boiling and add DME and hops, boil 1 hour.

I would suggest adding only 1 to 1 1/2 lbs of the DME for the whole boil and than add the rest in the last 10-15 minutes. DME has a tendency to Darken while it boils and this looks like it should be a light colored Braggot.

Also use the largest pot you can and after steeping the Crystal Malt add the DME and at least another gallon of water (more if possible but be sure to leave room for the DME foaming, or get fermcap from your LHBS), this will give you better Hop utilization.

 

[Sadie Lady]

I would suggest adding only 1 to 1 1/2 lbs of the DME for the whole boil and than add the rest in the last 10-15 minutes...

Thanks for the tip! I know nothing about brewing beer, but the instructions seem pretty easy. My son and son-in-law are going to be here in mid June and both love micro brewery beers, so really want to have one of these ready by then. I found this one also. I'd give you the website, but I don't know where I got it. I don't know that I'd boil the honey, but add it after everything else is done:

Rocky Raccoon's Honey Lager

This is the original and internationally acclaimed Rocky Raccoon's Honey Lager with only improved modifications. Use the lightest malt extract available, the freshest hops and light honey. It is a clean, crisp, exceptionally light beer with a mellow, aromatic hop flavor. The use of honey encourages a very complete fermentation and subsequently high alcohol content.
The lightness of flavor really can do justice to your finest hops. This recipe should be your foundation for a wide variety of experimenting with toasted malts, hops, other grains and unusual ingredients. It is a real delight and hundreds of homebrewers have won first-place awards at state fairs
around the United States with this or a variation of this recipe.

This beer will change its character with age; most who have appreciated Rocky's consider age with respect and happily raised eyebrows of disbelief.

Rocky's has a slight resemblance to the character of some stronger types of very light Belgian Ales.

Ingredients for 5 gallons (19 l):

3 1/2 lbs. (1.6 kg) plain extra light dried malt extract
2 1/2 lbs. (1.1 kg) light clover honey
1 1/2 oz. (42 gm) Cascade hops (boiling) 7.5 HBU (210 MBU) or try 2 oz. (56 gm) Saaz for a pilsener-like character
1/2 oz. (14 gm) Cascade hops (finishing)
American lager or Pilsener type yeast
3/4 c. (175 ml) corn sugar or 11/4 c. (300 ml) dried malt extract (for bottling)

O.G.: 1.048-1.052 (12-13)
F.G.: 1.004-1.008 (1-2)
Bitterness: 23; Color: 4 SRM (8 EBC)

Add the malt extract, honey and boiling hops to 1 1/2 gallons (5.7 l) of water and boil for 60 minutes. Add the finishing hops during the final 2-4 minutes of boiling. Strain, sparge and transfer immediately to 2 gallons (7.5 l) cold water and fermenter. Top off with additional water to make 5 gallons (19 l). Add the yeast when cool and ferment to completion. Bottle when fermentation is complete.

 

[TAKeyser]

I've made the Rocky Raccoon's before, it comes from Charlie Papazian's book "The Complete Joy of Homebrewing". It's a nice basic Braggot (probably more of a Honey Beer than a Braggot, but that's semantics). My suggestion on the DME and using as much water for the boil as you can still apply

The recipe calls for the lightest DME you can get which is probably Pilsen Extra Light which any LHBS should have.

 

[HunnyBunz]

Here's a recipe I found for a Braggot with hops. (http://mead.bravehost.com/index.html). I was searching on Danstar Windsor when I found it. I think it's the same place you got your recipe, just a different version of it.

Yup. That's where I got my recipe. That was before I discovered Gotmead and didn't quite know what I was doing. I followed the "Easy Braggot" recipe and altered it a little - both intentionally and unintentionally.

 

[hepcat]

This makes sense. At first, it sounded like it might be a little out of balance without hops, and then I saw you added oak and thought "hmm, now that sounds good."

Btw, if you like hops, I've had moderate success with hoppy braggots made with orange blossom honey.

I wanna try that.