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What yeast and what honey

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Squatchy

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So last year I added a boat load of prunes into secondary in a BOMM that I had going on. It turned out way better than it sounds. It was very good to be exact. I have been trying to figure whay honey and what wine yeast I should use to make some more. I'm having a hard time and was wondering what you might have to say :)

Thanks for your input!

Ryan
 
I have to go by memory. Unfortunately I mistakenly poured it into a mel that was too dry, thinking it was an overly sweet JOAM. I realized what I had done just as I finished setting the empty down.

It was very round in the mouth. Had a great balance between sweet and acidic. It had a nice nose to it, semi sweet but also a hint of oxidation much like a port would have. It was somewhere between prune/raisins and plumbs. The big purple ones I ate off grandmas tree as a young boy. It was warm (not alcohol) but inviting. It was earthy but not in a musty way. A fresh earth note, clean and bright. A nice long finish with just a little heat from the alcohol but not in an unpleasant way. It was just a little bit spicy (cinnamon,cloves,nutmeg, alspice,cardamon) in an undiscerneble way. Now that I think about it more I may have tossed a few juniper berries in as well. Somewhat along the lines of a madeira but not quite as much berry notes and not as much oxidation either. With some fortification and a little more purple notes it would have slipped into that family. It was however, some what light and refreshing and not as heavy as it might sound. It could go warm or chilled, and, I think it was delicate enough that it would invite you to come back for more, rather then feeling like one is enough.

I'm not very good at trying to describe something I have only tasted a couple times and a couple months back.

I realize some of my discriptive's evoke feelings more than flavors. I wish I had some to get a fresh taste again. I was quite bummed out when I realized what I had done.

This is the second time I had some left over mead that I just tossed some mystery stuff in it and didn't bother to make any notes, and later wished like hell I did. I have another mystery mead that I have not clue what type of juices I used for a base.

I have thought to maybe use some clover honey. It has some spicey in it as well as some acid. I could use those. And at the same time it wouldn't be such a strong honey to overpower everything.

When I was very young we would go on rode trips and we would cut out the center of apples, mix raisins,cinnamon,sugar together and press the ingredients into the apples and wrap them in tin foil and place them up on the dash. They would cook in the heat from the window/dash. Tasting the mead made me reminisce.
 
loveofrose said:
From everything you are describing, I would go with black locust/acacia honey. You can get it at honey harvest farms. That honey has a fine port-like quality that would go quite well.


Better brewing through science!

See my brewing site at www.denardbrewing.com

See my Current Mead Making Techniques article here:
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/current-mead-making-techniques.html
Click to expand...

Thanks Brae

Have you found a wine yeast that sorta taste like the 1388? I read in one of your post that you "test" things with the 1388 and when you have something that works you then make it with a wine yeast.
 
That's not quite right. If there is a wine yeast that I think can do better, I use it. Often, the Wyeast 1388 is the best yeast (meadowfoam traditional, for example). My go to wine yeast is DV10 for now. It has a nice floral characteristic I really enjoy and is quite clean (for a wine yeast). EC1118 is quite neutral similar to Wyeast 1388, but you may as well use Wyeast 1388 because the difference is minimal between young 1388 and aged EC.

This weekend, I am starting a new yeast experiment. We will see if that adds a few more tools to the toolbox.


Better brewing through science!

See my brewing site at www.denardbrewing.com

See my Current Mead Making Techniques article here:
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/current-mead-making-techniques.html
 
loveofrose said:
That's not quite right. If there is a wine yeast that I think can do better, I use it. Often, the Wyeast 1388 is the best yeast (meadowfoam traditional, for example). My go to wine yeast is DV10 for now. It has a nice floral characteristic I really enjoy and is quite clean (for a wine yeast). EC1118 is quite neutral similar to Wyeast 1388, but you may as well use Wyeast 1388 because the difference is minimal between young 1388 and aged EC.

This weekend, I am starting a new yeast experiment. We will see if that adds a few more tools to the toolbox.


Better brewing through science!

See my brewing site at www.denardbrewing.com

See my Current Mead Making Techniques article here:
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/current-mead-making-techniques.html
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. It will be interesting to see what you find in your new experiment. Keep us posted, and thanks for all you do around here :)
 
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