Batch 29: Ice Show Citrus Kicker Melomel

Batch Timeline

Batch #	Batch Type	Date in Primary	Date in Secondary	Date Racked	Date Racked	Date Filled
29	Melomel	1/17/14	1/30/14	5/9/14	Racked 2	Bottled

Yeast Type:  Red Star Pasteur Champagne
Ingredients:

1 medium navel orange, zested and juiced (poorly, since I didn't have a juicer)

1.6 lb Pioneer Hill spring honey

4.8 oz sugar

1 cinnamon stick

1 clove

~1/2 gal Brita filtered water.  

Comments:
Small scale batch (1 gallon) brewed in P-Heights by Charles.

Having cleared the primary of batch 28 and having all I needed to start a new batch and some free time since the family was at the ice show- why not?

Heated the mix to near boiling and held hot for 15 minutes.  

Cooled by adding another ~1/2 gal Brita filtered water to the bulk.  

Rehydrated 1/2 pkt Red Star Pasteur Champagne yeast in 100 F water. 

Cooled bulk further by putting pot in cool water in the sink.  Added bulk to primary at ~80 F.

Mixed in 1 tsp yeast nutrient. Pitched yeast.  Got a QC sample since I forgot to retain some prior to adding yeast and froze it.  Beat must with slotted spoon.  

1/18/14- beat must with egg beater mixer attachment on the electric mixer.  Krausen noted.

1/30/14:  Racked and collected sample for QC, then froze it.

2/1/14:  Gathered Pre-Fermentation and Post-Primary QC data on frozen samples.  pH of the must seems unusually high, especially with the juice of an orange.  Tasted light, mouthfeel lacking.  Not as much need for mellowing as earlier brews which were all honey higher ABV.

5/9/14:  Charles racked again.  Tasted tart, some small amount of residual sweetness, perhaps higher sugars from the honey that are more difficult to ferment and take longer, or unfermentable sugars.  Added 3 drops of cardamom extract.  

Batch Data

Measurement	Pre-Ferm (PF)	Post-Primary (PP)	Post-Second (PS)	At Bottling (AB)
Specific gravity (hyd)	tbd	tbd	tbd	tbd
% Potential ABV (hyd)	tbd	tbd	tbd	tbd
%mas sacc (refrac)	20	7.5	tbd	tbd
° Oechsle (°Oe) (refrac):	81	30	tbd	tbd
KMW (refrac)	19	6.5	tbd	tbd
pH (pH meter)	4.7	3.4	tbd	tbd
% alcohol (vin)	N/A	6.0	tbd	tbd

Batch 28: Charles' Winter Break Spiced Bochet

Batch Timeline

Batch #	Batch Type	Date in Primary	Date in Secondary	Date Racked	Date Racked	Date Filled
28	Bochet (mead)	12/28/13	1/17/14	5/9/14	Racked 2	Bottled

Yeast Type: Cotes de Blanc
Ingredients: 
1.5 lb Pioneer Hill Spring Honey
4.8 oz table sugar
QS to ~1 gallon with Brita filtered water
~1/2 oz chopped ginger
5 peppercorns
3 cloves
1 tsp yeast nutrient 
Comments:
12/28/13:  This is a small scale (1 gallon) solo batch produced by Charles:

    -Boiled 1.5 lb Pioneer Hill Spring Honey plus 4.8 oz table sugar for approx 20 minutes in a SS pan on the stovetop, stirring nearly continuously to caramelize the honey/sugar and invert the sugar. I think the sugar addition really sped up the process as I expected this process would take >1 hour.

    -This stuff was hot!  I made hard candy (and a second or third degree burn) on my index finger by stupidly trying to get a sample for tasting!  

    -Stopped by removing from heat and adding some Brita filtered water when honey/sugar mix was dark brown, and the spouse and children complained that the house stunk sufficiently like burnt honey.    

QS to ~1 gallon with Brita filtered water

Added ~1/2 oz chopped ginger, 5 peppercorns, 3 cloves and since I already boiled the honey, I decided to 'pasteurize' spices by heating to ~160 and holding to for 'a little while' to avoid initial chemical addition.  

After hold, removed ~ 1/2 of the chopped ginger. Cooled slightly

Put in 2 gallon primary, added and mixed 1 tsp yeast nutrient.  Cooled to 90 F.  

Beat the must.  Added 1/2 packet Cote de Blancs and beat must again (did not wait 24hrs due to pasteurizing everything instead of killing with Campden).  Put in kitchen cabinet.

Beatings are planned to continue for the next three days- or until morale improves.

Note:  Recipe initially generated for 3 lb Honey.  Decided to radically rework recipe after tasting Dad's bottle conditioned dry ginger-cherry mead on Christmas- which I judged to be more pleasing to my individual taste preferences than a semi-sweet or sack strength mead.

Beat must with slotted spoon 3x daily for first three days in primary.  Fizzing was noted while beating the must- no or minimal krausen was noted in the primary. 
Racked 1/17/14.  Very compact lees.  Mini racking cane worked great.  Left all spices and lees behind.  Dark amber color and spicy smell-a small sample tasted great-it was not totally dry.  Hopefully it gets better as it ages.  Sample collected from top of lees and frozen for QC testing (%ABV by vinometer).  

2/1/14:  Gathered Post-Primary QC data on frozen sample.  Tasted light, mouthfeel lacking.  Not as much need for mellowing as earlier brews which were all honey higher ABV.

5/9/14:  Charles racked again.  Tasted tart, some small amount of residual sweetness, perhaps higher sugars from the honey that are more difficult to ferment and take longer, or unfermentable sugars. 

10/18/14:  Some weeks ago Charles bottled this.  On 10/18/14 he brought a 22 to brew night and we all tried it.  He adjusted with cardamom extract and ginger extract due to an unpleasant nose.  The ginger could not be tasted and the cardamom was too heavy, leant a slightly bitter taste.  It was a beautiful caramel color, but lacked mouthfeel and could use a bit of residual sweetness to balance the cardamom bitter note.  The other three bottles will have glycerol added.   Overall this was a success.

Batch Data

Measurement	Pre-Ferm (PF)	Post-Primary (PP)	Post-Second (PS)	At Bottling (AB)
Specific gravity (hyd)	tbd	tbd	tbd	tbd
% Potential ABV (hyd)	tbd	tbd	tbd	tbd
%mas sacc (refrac)	tbd	9.5	tbd	tbd
° Oechsle (°Oe) (refrac):	tbd	39	tbd	tbd
KMW (refrac)	tbd	8	tbd	tbd
pH (pH meter)	tbd	3.6	tbd	tbd
% alcohol (vin)	tbd	6.0	tbd	tbd