want to make braggot

[Bobbyisstrange]

Hello,

I am new to making braggot and or honey beer...does anyone have a recipe that is ready to drink after a month or so? I am to impatient to wait 9 months or longer. Thanks!

 

[loveofrose]

Your only chance would be a Braggot BOMM. It hasn't been tried yet, but it's on my list. I'll give you a recipe if you want to be the first!

Braggot BOMM - 1 gallon test batch
Add 1.5 lbs Golden LME to 3/4 gallon of water.
Boil for 1 hour.

Hop schedule:
0.5 oz Fuggles 10 minutes
1 oz Fuggles 1 minute.

Cool via cooling coil or ice bath.
Add 1.5 lbs Orange Blossom honey. (2 cups)
Add 1/4 tsp DAP and 1/2 tsp of Fermaid K.
-add this again at 1.085 & 1.052ish.
Add 1/4 tsp K2CO3
Pitch 1 smack pack of Wyeast 1388 activated >2 hours.
Top off to 1 gallon.

SG - 1.111
FG - 1.017
IBU - 11

You could use a different malt. I wouldn't get too heavy with hops as it tends to dominate delicate honey flavors. Citra hops would also be a good choice here in place of Fuggles.

If you try it, please post a meadlog. I would love to hear how it turns out.

 

[Bobbyisstrange]

I was thinking about starting with 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

Any ideas how long it should be bottled for before cracking it open?

 

[loveofrose]

Sound good. I calculate your SG at 1.067, but still no problem for that yeast. I would knock the boil time for the hops down to 20 minutes to lower the IBU to 11 and to get some of the aroma.

Carbonation time depends on yeast activity and temperature. I could take 3 days or 2 months depending on what you do. I generally try a bottle after 2 weeks and go from there.

 

[Bobbyisstrange]

Awesome, I will definetly do that...however I am going to use Safale us-05 dry ale yeast...will that pose any problems?

 

[loveofrose]

Actually, US05 is my second favorite ale yeast. It will do great!

 

[Bobbyisstrange]

Good to hear!

I have a few more questions.
1. I have heard from multiple brewers that they are no longer using a secondary unless they are adding more ingredients to the wort or mead, is it ok to not transfer the wort if there is nothing being added?
2. Is it ok to let it wait a couple more weeks in the carboy before priming and bottling?

Thanks!

 

[loveofrose]

Good to hear!

I have a few more questions.
1. I have heard from multiple brewers that they are no longer using a secondary unless they are adding more ingredients to the wort or mead, is it ok to not transfer the wort if there is nothing being added?
2. Is it ok to let it wait a couple more weeks in the carboy before priming and bottling?

Thanks!

1. Yes, it is fine as long as you don't mind bottling cloudy Braggot. It will eventually clear in the bottle leaving sediment.

2. As long as the Braggot is protected from light and oxygen, it can stay in the fermenter with US 05 up to 2 months for sure. After that, all bets are off.

 

[SilentJimbo]

I've got a similar recipe on the go at the moment, and have done a few more in the past. I'm still gradually improving my recipe, but here's what I have so far:

20oz Greek Honey
4oz Light Crystal Malt
1/2oz Hops (20min boil)
1/2oz Hops (dry hop, 36hrs)
Water to 1 gal
Yeast: S-04

I've not used any DME here, as I find too much malt overpowers the honey, and it ends up tasting like slightly watery beer. You may find otherwise though.

For the honey, I'm recommend something strong so the flavours don't get drowned out by the hops. Also, if you know of any honeys that don't finish dry (from previous experience, the particular honey I'm using leaves about 5 points per pound), it might help to balance out the bitterness from the hops.

For yeast, I've used several of Fermentis's yeasts (S-04, US-05 and S-33) for low OG meads/braggots, and they've all turned out drinkable within a month.

For hops, as loveofrose suggested, at 60mins you'll get alot of bitterness but not much aroma (most of the oils will have boiled off), so you might want to consider reducing the boil time (or adding some more hops to it for the last 10mins). I find 40-50 IBUs works well, but it depends on just how bitter you want it.

For carbonation time, you could always do a single plastic bottle, and then you can feel how much pressure it has. When the plastic bottle's solid, the rest should be ready too.

 

[Thomas Riisbjerg]

Try the Golden Bough Braggot: http://www.gotmead.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7528

I served a variation of it at the annual beer festival in Copenhagen years ago and it was extremely popular among guests and myself*. It was still slightly sweet from some residual priming sugar when I served it, the portion that I bottled ended up considerably drier.

I made the beer part using 50% pilsner malt and 50% wheat malt with a target OG at around 1.035. If I were to make this again, I'd throw in some (5-10%) light caramel malt to retain some sweetness, and/or mash at around 69° C. Then mix honey into the cooled wort until you've doubled the OG. I don't have access to Orange Blossom honey in Denmark, so I found some local spicy spring honey. Back then I fermented the braggot with Safbrew T-58, today I'd probably use WLP570 or Wyeast 1388, but any Belgian strain will be fine.

* I probably served myself more than a liter of my own 9% beer, on top of all the other barrel aged barley wine/double imperial stout/etc I had that day. Worst. Hang-over. Ever.