Another great video guys, thanks. The Maya did make mead, it is called balché, made from native stingless bees from the melipona family. They mixed it with a local bark from a tree for flavoring. They still make this mead in Yucatan, Mexico. The Aztecs also had bees and traded it from neighbors to make mead. The Inca made "chicha" with blue corn and honey, I guess that's technically a mead also. No cinammon though, that came with the Europeans.
Easily the best "The Red Bucket of Sanitization" (first take). Made me laugh This brew sounds great, I need to give it a try. I recently got some Pepper X hot sauce and I've been on a hot kick lately.
So... the rest had been finished in an entirely different style at great expense and at the last minute. Probably, needed at least 142 Mexican Whooping Llamas.
Heya. First off, I have to say, thank you guys for doing this channel. I have started homebrewing because of these vids, and it's been a great experience learning the craft. Secondly, I've been wanting to try a spicy mead for a little while, and this seems like something to experiment/ expound upon. thanks!
I've gotten like Derica as I've gotten older. Used to make hot sauces and now I can't really do it anymore. That said, this has just shot up to the top of my list to brew. Super in love.
I love the recipe variety on this channel. Not everyone can keep making fruit meads. That being said... I won't be making this. 😂 I'm nervous enough brewing a peach habanero right now, I don't want to ruin 5lbs of peaches lol.
Thanks again for the great video guys! I have thought about straining my brew before, but was scared it would aerate it. But since your success! I'll will try it in the future aswell.
I usually add a tiny pinch of sugar when rehydrating yeast. That gives a tiny bit of foam if the yeast is active since they have something to work with.
Derica is dedicated. I also saw it with the Molasses Wine, immediate distain but continued to move the beverage around in her mouth instead of just immediately swallowing it (or spitting it out). She is very dedicated to the task. lol.
I’ve used cacao nibs in one brew so far which was a coffeemel. I had put 2oz in primary and then another 2oz song with some vanilla in conditioning. Total amount of time on nibs was probably about 3ish months of I remember correctly. Wound up with a nice blend of cold brew coffee and dark chocolate notes.
how fun! I just started a couple batches of the Habanero recipe you did. 1 batch I will rack as is, the other I'll do the pineapple rum addition. This might be the next recipe.
I'm feeling inspired to try this! I love the chocolate/honey combo. Crio brew is a good tip, although I have some cacao nibs right now that I'm trying out. I was also thinking I might do a whole chile and then some without seeds since I can't handle a ton of spice.
I need to try this chocolate crio bru, but I might cut back on the chili peppers and just get the ‘ghost of a hint’…a quiet whisper, that it’s in there. I’m like Derica…”I fear!” 😄 I love that you guys try these things first. Great video! 🍻
been growing a carolina reaper plant this year. So far i've only made oil and hot honey. Tempted to make a capsicumel just using one pepper, but have a feeling i would be the only one to drink it, haha! This looks promising though! i love aztec style hot chocolate, so why not mead it up!
Capsaicin actually dissolved really well in ethanol. Initially there's simply no ethanol in the brew yet. You can try adding the peppers at a later stage after primary fermentation and chop them finer. You can even try dried peppers. Remember that they are a fruit and all the things you can do to make fruit work better in mead, like freezing, drying, roasting etc. Could all be tried in your next batch.
I think I will make this but use a pepper tincture at the end to make sure I don't get it too hot. I have a jalapeno and a habanero tincture made already but might try a cayenne or serrano pepper and make tincture of them also.
Ok... I just found your store. I know you talk about it all the time but as you know I watch you on TV mainly and have to pull out my phone to comment and such. Anyway, I just saw some of the shirts and hoodies and I know what I'm getting myself for Christmas now!!! Official Brew Day shirt shall be mine!
While this was interesting to watch and learn from, this will not be on my list to make. I like spicy food and I like hot chocolate but I have never been interested in things like pepper jelly or Aztec hot chocolate. I am glad you are enjoying it Brian.
Man, I need a new stomach so I can enjoy these kinds of mead!!! Sounds just lovely 😢 I did use my bottling wand from the link you gave me. Kinda difficult without the lovely assistant, but just a wonderful product 👌 I told you about that one mead that I need to debottle and back sweeten. I was thinking about possibly putting a little bit of it in a pot and heating it up to make it easier for the honey to melt and mix evenly. Would that mess with any of the taste? I wasn't going to boil it, just heat it up enough to make mixing easier
Hi guys. Still love your videos as usual. Anti funnel fill up strategy: Put a metal hook from a clothes hanger on the mouth of the fermenter in other words under the funnel to create a gap and the air can escape from the vessel for the volume that the pouring honey occupies. Or pull the funnel from the ear a bit to one side so it does not seal the mouth of the fermenter so the air can escape again. If I have a point just say thanks💡not LOL.
I definitely want to try this after I get some more experience with the basics. I'm curious if you've tried adding a very small amount of instant espresso powder to a chocolate mead? Often it's used in baking and really brings out dark chocolate flavors, but despite what you might think doesn't impart any coffee flavor at low amounts (1-2tsp).
Love the video and you gave me an idea I’m making a Franklin but using peppermint extract and I’m gonna add chocolate for Christmas wine man can’t tell you if the ideas yall give me
@@CitySteadingBrews Safrole is an oil that is in edible spices, including sassafras, sarsaparilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, star anise, ginger, black and white pepper. Safrole is a class I chemical and considered to be cancerous in large doses. Distillation is how one extracts the oil. Another reason distilling is illegal. Sassafras and sarsaparilla root is available on amazon. DEA might question large purchases.
Have you tried heating up a portion of mead, mixing the crio brew in, and then pouring the fully saturated slurry into your batch? It seems like it would help with the foamy mess that forms on top.
I love crio bru for meads! I’ve used it on a s’mores bochet and a chocolate covered strawberry mead. I added crio bru in conditioning for both. How would adding it in the primary work?
Hey guys sorry to hijack the comments but i just racked a 6 gallon batch of mead. It was super clear, however it tastes very bland. I think it was the honey i used. Would adding spices help save this unremarkable batch? I was thinking of using the spices from your pumpkinless spiced wine. Thanks
How old is it? What other ingredients did you use? Whats the ABV and did it go dry? Lots and lots of variables here but if you just racked it then I’d give it more time. Maybe get an oak stick or add some spices
@@dillonweigel3101 It was sitting about 6 weeks or so and at 1.000. It was approximately 18lbs of honey 6 cups of black tea for the tannins water and a full packet of DB7 yeast. Id have to check my notes on the ABV but you can taste the alcohol just not the honey flavors. Its almost watery with a slight hint of the honey. To be fair I orderd some bulk honey from amazon and it may not have been 100% honey. I have made several batches with other honey and they came out great.
Could you put the Crio Bru Ecuador French Roast in the rumble jar to infuse or would not infuse enough of the flavor? My traditional is finished and ready for the next stage.
Have you tried to make a licorice mead or wine, something like Sambuca which is made with Anice and some other spices, I think it's 17 spices, I like the idea of a black Licorice Mead
Poor Derica is dying trying to get thru the tasting & Brian is going to claim the llamas did it!! I feel your pain, Derica. I loved spicy stuff "back in the day", but now I must refrain from such fare lest my insides become my outsides 😢
One reason people use Cacao Nibs instead of Crio Bru is Cacao Nibs can be purchased at the local beer/wine making shop for a few dollars. The smallest quantity of Crio Bru is like $17 plus shipping. Maybe a group buy is in order. :)
I'm a capsicumel fan too. I might have to try that one! Sounds good to me. Question for Brian, I've noticed over the last year or so of watching your videos that your pens all have a little tape flag on them. Are those the left-handed pens? 🤷😂
I have a question about the points of gravety pr gallon thing 🤔 wow does that scale 🤔 like.. im from Denmark and uses metric so a gallon would be 3.785 liters right so would it just be 0.035/3.785=0.00925 pr liters then or does the gravety scale differently 🤔
It should work across metric or american numbers, but you need to see what you're actually doing there. That's not a pound of honey now, it's 1/3.785 lbs or 0.26 lbs or about 120 grams. I normally tell those on metric that 120 grams of honey is about .035 in a liter of must.
Alright I have a question. I have an agaveglyn that is ready to be racked from primary. My cousin who requested this batch has requested that I add chilies and crio bru to make it closer to what yall made during conditioning. I have never done any kind of capsicumel so would fresh or dried chilies be best for the application in question? Input would be greatly appreciated.
A moose once bit my sister.... Mynd you, moose bites can be pretty nasti. My brother and I did come face to face with a moose, hiking in Denali back in the late 1900's. We stopped, quietly discussed whch way each of us would run, and waited until it moved on. That was an exciting moment! But in the end, llamas did it. Serious question: if not adding capsaicin (due to an allergy to peppers, even bell), would you balance with more cinnamon, or would you balance with something else?
While I undestand that the Lamas did it this way, but how would it turn out if you add the jalapenos when you add the chocolate and cinnamonnnn to allow for maximum fermentation?
when making a mead, specifically in clearing/ second fermentation (bascally i racked it and I am letting it clear), is it okay that that the lees is a dark color? It's dark grayish brown.
To what you have said about Polish meads, it's true, but it's not all of it. Traditionally we have 4 types of meads labeled by proportion of volume (honey : water) 1 : 0,5 ratio, 1 : 1 ratio, 1 : 2 ratio and 1 : 3 ratio. 1 : 0,5 (półtorak) is the one that do needs the most time, haven't made it yet, but generally they need at leat 10 years of aging. 1 : 1 (dwójniak) is one that needs to age for at least 1,5 year 1 : 2 (trójniak) is a semi sweet mead and generally ages for at least a year. 1 : 3 (czwórniak) takes at least 6 months of aging. If you would be interested I'll gladly translate some recipes for you.
There is a local Mass-market wine up here in the northeast and the gravity is 1.020. Does not taste sweet. Knowing that I aim for a 1.012 and have had wines that taste sweet at 1.006 or 1.018. So that balance is definitely a large contributing factor. I also suggest if there is a wine you like take reading of it. It will give you a jumping off point for your own wine\ mead making.
If I cut open some dried chilis and sanitize them before putting them into conditioning would be safe? I’m gonna use chile de arbol dried chilies. I’m probably only gonna use one now that I’ve seen the scoville.
@@CitySteadingBrewsI told my boyfriend about this one and he got really excited (he’s half Mexican) so I am excited for his reaction and I have a feeling I will have to make a bigger batch the next time. I’m making the brew today. ❤
Absolutely amazing! Ended up adding 2 chilies and now half of his family is excited to try it. It’s so good! Love the spice! This might be some people’s birthday presents.
Okay, so you made a statement about hot UPS trucks. As a UPS driver I can attest to the fact that when the temperature reaches 100 degrees outside, the temperature in the back of our trucks, which have translucent tops, basically mobile greenhouses, can reach 140 degrees +. I've had days when it's so hot in the back of the truck that I have to hold my breath because it's too hot to breathe the air back there. I often tell people not to ship chocolate or candles during summertime but now I'm going to add "yeast" to that statement.
The Polish meads are not fermented with the full amount of honey. 4 lbs of honey is the highest I have read. The rest of the honey is added progressively until the proper proportion is reached. This way you end up with honey diluting the ABV toward the end. The 1-to-1 meads only take 3-5 years to fully age. The 1.5-to-1 meads take 5+. The 1-to-2 Trojniak take only 1-3 years so the Trojniak is not really any longer than a regular mead. Most of my meads are Trojniaks an some I drink before the year is up while others will age properly.. either way, they taste great.
Do you have a link for the immersion circulator you use? Im considering getting one. Ive been using the sink and boiling water method, taskes way too long. Thanks!
"Clearing" happens due to all solids dropping out (duh). As the mead degasses, it will keep minute particles, proteins, etc suspended causing cloudiness. Once all the gas is out everything can settle out. Edit: unless you have pectin or something else that just won't settle.
The honey used by the ancient Mayans was stingless-bee honey, which has a higher water content and ferments very easily and quickly. This type of honey has a distinctly sweet-and-sour flavor and is considered very medicinal. Just for the sake of another fun experiment and historical accuracy, may I please encourage this experiment?
I’m making a mead and I want it to taste candy like? So I was going to use fruits like pineapple, mango, blackberrys, and raspberries and might throw in honeydew.. would those go good together and how would one even ferment pineapple without it basically eating yeast?
@@CitySteadingBrews oh okay that’s awesome! But would those fruits go well together to make something smooth and fruity? Or are there any other suggestions?
on the ph issue I'm writing mid video but you should check the waters ph and see if it was high and check the honey source as well just to know what the issue was i know you guys record in advance so its a little late but testing the water in the start of a recipe will at least let you know if you are likely to need acid .It might also be a step that will make viewers think more about there water especially if they use tap that will vary wildly depending on there treatment cycle
@@CitySteadingBrewsThanks. I really like your videos guys. I do have a suggestion though. When you back sweeten so heavily you should really adjust your abv. You started with about 110oz of 13.5% mead. I estimate you added about 18oz of stuff to it so that makes your finished abv about 11.6% which is quite a bit different than 13.5%. Again, very nice videos overall!
It's all just estimation. Even commercial wineries only need to be within +/- 2 percentage points. Sure it dilutes it a bit but really a one or two percent change is meaningless.
Homebrewing and calculations just don't make for good accuracy. The only way to know is to send it to a lab. Even that 13.5 is probably not. Could be 12 to 14 or thereabouts.
@@CitySteadingBrews From 13.5 to 11.6 is a 14% change in alcohol content by volume. But I see what you’re saying. I realize it may not be accurate but if you’re going to be calculating an abv in the first place then we should probably try to be as accurate as possible and adjust for dilution since it’s so easy to do. If anything, it would educate your viewers a bit more.
First... it's very very rare in mead or homebrew. Second, most brews are low enough to make botulism irrelevant. Third, fermentation causes pH to drop. That said... STARTING a brew with too high a pH "could" activate botulism if it was even there at all, but it most likely isn't. But... if would die off during most all fermentation as the pH goes below 4.6.
@@CitySteadingBrews Do you have any book recommendations for beginner fermenting and brewing? Thanks for answering!! I don't really understand the whole process so I just follow your recipes. I made the raisin and black tea mead with bread yeast. It tastes almost watery. Very dry not sweet at all. I wanna make a sweet mead with lower abv.
Another great video guys, thanks. The Maya did make mead, it is called balché, made from native stingless bees from the melipona family. They mixed it with a local bark from a tree for flavoring. They still make this mead in Yucatan, Mexico. The Aztecs also had bees and traded it from neighbors to make mead. The Inca made "chicha" with blue corn and honey, I guess that's technically a mead also. No cinammon though, that came with the Europeans.
Easily the best "The Red Bucket of Sanitization" (first take). Made me laugh
This brew sounds great, I need to give it a try. I recently got some Pepper X hot sauce and I've been on a hot kick lately.
No "spaddle" joke? I don't know if I can continue watching anymore 😂
Those responsible for the lack of "spaddle" jokes have been sacked.
@matthiaskilpatrick5182 there's be no one left, lol.
So... the rest had been finished in an entirely different style at great expense and at the last minute.
Probably, needed at least 142 Mexican Whooping Llamas.
The rumble jar when racking, brilliant. I use a small one every day for my ground coffee hit, the thought never crossed my mind!
Heya. First off, I have to say, thank you guys for doing this channel. I have started homebrewing because of these vids, and it's been a great experience learning the craft. Secondly, I've been wanting to try a spicy mead for a little while, and this seems like something to experiment/ expound upon. thanks!
Glad we could help.
My UPS driver calls his truck his personal easy bake oven.
Love the video, this will be on a to do list
Sounds about right!
Hi , I would like to thank you two so much for all help
With the meed making
All my meeds are so good and all are about 18% alcohol
Thanks Nick
Amazing video yet again - love the step by step breakdown and homely feel to the vids ☺
Glad you like them!
I've gotten like Derica as I've gotten older. Used to make hot sauces and now I can't really do it anymore.
That said, this has just shot up to the top of my list to brew. Super in love.
Nice video, thank to you I did my first mead a few weeks ago, my family love it!!
It's cool, that Derica takes care about Brians alcohol consum in a special way.
Thanks Derica!
This sounds delicious. Definitely going to try this.
It's a spoon, it’s a paddle, it's a spaddle!!!
I came to this video after watching your why use an airlock video! Llamas did it!! yay!
This sounds delicious! ❤
I love the recipe variety on this channel. Not everyone can keep making fruit meads. That being said... I won't be making this. 😂 I'm nervous enough brewing a peach habanero right now, I don't want to ruin 5lbs of peaches lol.
Thanks again for the great video guys! I have thought about straining my brew before, but was scared it would aerate it. But since your success! I'll will try it in the future aswell.
I usually add a tiny pinch of sugar when rehydrating yeast. That gives a tiny bit of foam if the yeast is active since they have something to work with.
Derica is dedicated. I also saw it with the Molasses Wine, immediate distain but continued to move the beverage around in her mouth instead of just immediately swallowing it (or spitting it out). She is very dedicated to the task. lol.
I’ve used cacao nibs in one brew so far which was a coffeemel. I had put 2oz in primary and then another 2oz song with some vanilla in conditioning. Total amount of time on nibs was probably about 3ish months of I remember correctly. Wound up with a nice blend of cold brew coffee and dark chocolate notes.
how fun! I just started a couple batches of the Habanero recipe you did. 1 batch I will rack as is, the other I'll do the pineapple rum addition.
This might be the next recipe.
I have four baby "llamas did it", but they enjoyed this video on the TV and watching dada make some cider
I'm feeling inspired to try this! I love the chocolate/honey combo. Crio brew is a good tip, although I have some cacao nibs right now that I'm trying out. I was also thinking I might do a whole chile and then some without seeds since I can't handle a ton of spice.
I need to try this chocolate crio bru, but I might cut back on the chili peppers and just get the ‘ghost of a hint’…a quiet whisper, that it’s in there. I’m like Derica…”I fear!” 😄
I love that you guys try these things first. Great video! 🍻
I've made one like this. Fantastic! ❤
been growing a carolina reaper plant this year. So far i've only made oil and hot honey. Tempted to make a capsicumel just using one pepper, but have a feeling i would be the only one to drink it, haha! This looks promising though! i love aztec style hot chocolate, so why not mead it up!
I have a traditional mead I’ve been bulk aging for 6 years. It just keeps getting better. Will be bottling this winter (need the carboy lol)
This was very interesting fellas, keep it up.
Greetings from west mexico
Serrano and chocolate sounds interesting. I've only had red chili and chocolate together.
I just got my rumble jars. I've never been happier
Would love a deep dive video on different ways of flavouring alcohols with chocolate 👍
In our experience, crio bru works best. Not much for a deep dive, sorry!
I don't think it needs more flavor but you can lock in a concentration of flavor that way.
Capsaicin actually dissolved really well in ethanol. Initially there's simply no ethanol in the brew yet.
You can try adding the peppers at a later stage after primary fermentation and chop them finer. You can even try dried peppers. Remember that they are a fruit and all the things you can do to make fruit work better in mead, like freezing, drying, roasting etc. Could all be tried in your next batch.
I thought it worked just fine as we did it 👍, but of course there are many ways to do things.
Those darn llamas, they will shank you in the alley if you look at them wrong.
Lol
In a Soux Indian spaghetti western voice - strong flavored mead, Big Medicine.
I think I will make this but use a pepper tincture at the end to make sure I don't get it too hot. I have a jalapeno and a habanero tincture made already but might try a cayenne or serrano pepper and make tincture of them also.
Llamas did it 😂❤
Llamas did it, but we still love watching your videos!
I find it best to just use the seeds, last time I put a while chili in I could taste the vegetable after taste in the mead
Ok... I just found your store.
I know you talk about it all the time but as you know I watch you on TV mainly and have to pull out my phone to comment and such. Anyway, I just saw some of the shirts and hoodies and I know what I'm getting myself for Christmas now!!!
Official Brew Day shirt shall be mine!
Y’all been on a roll recently!
While this was interesting to watch and learn from, this will not be on my list to make. I like spicy food and I like hot chocolate but I have never been interested in things like pepper jelly or Aztec hot chocolate.
I am glad you are enjoying it Brian.
Ok... that's fine. Everyone has preferences.
Man, I need a new stomach so I can enjoy these kinds of mead!!!
Sounds just lovely 😢
I did use my bottling wand from the link you gave me.
Kinda difficult without the lovely assistant, but just a wonderful product 👌
I told you about that one mead that I need to debottle and back sweeten. I was thinking about possibly putting a little bit of it in a pot and heating it up to make it easier for the honey to melt and mix evenly. Would that mess with any of the taste?
I wasn't going to boil it, just heat it up enough to make mixing easier
You can heat it so it's easier to pour sure.
@@CitySteadingBrews as long as the llamas will be okay with it
Hi guys. Still love your videos as usual.
Anti funnel fill up strategy:
Put a metal hook from a clothes hanger on the mouth of the fermenter in other words under the funnel to create a gap and the air can escape from the vessel for the volume that the pouring honey occupies.
Or pull the funnel from the ear a bit to one side so it does not seal the mouth of the fermenter so the air can escape again.
If I have a point just say thanks💡not LOL.
Thanks.
@@CitySteadingBrews 🥂
I definitely want to try this after I get some more experience with the basics. I'm curious if you've tried adding a very small amount of instant espresso powder to a chocolate mead? Often it's used in baking and really brings out dark chocolate flavors, but despite what you might think doesn't impart any coffee flavor at low amounts (1-2tsp).
Sure, you can do that.
Llamas did it!!!!!!!! but yum on the recipe.
Love the video and you gave me an idea I’m making a Franklin but using peppermint extract and I’m gonna add chocolate for Christmas wine man can’t tell you if the ideas yall give me
Glad we could help!
Llama did it!!! For sure!!!
Very informative, and love the back and forth. Never trust the llamas with your camera footage, for sure. lol
Thank you!
I'm the same way with perfumes and scents Derica, to the point where I've had asthma attacks from other peoples perfume/cologne.
Brian when you said “she drank every last bit of it”, shameless.😂 Also you should watch “Chocolat”, it is scrumptious.
Not sure what was shameless? Also... saw it a looong time ago but could see it again.
@@CitySteadingBrews Just joshing because you switched glasses😅
Ahh, was being kind as she really didn't want the rest.
Been waiting on a homemade root beer mead video, but apparently the llamas got a hold of it. Llamas did it, again.
We have problems with a root beer video because some of the ingredients are hard to get due to legality.
@@CitySteadingBrews Safrole is an oil that is in edible spices, including sassafras, sarsaparilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, star anise, ginger, black and white pepper. Safrole is a class I chemical and considered to be cancerous in large doses. Distillation is how one extracts the oil. Another reason distilling is illegal. Sassafras and sarsaparilla root is available on amazon. DEA might question large purchases.
Darica, to help with the capsaicin burn, have some fruit afterward. I got this from a Mexican. Mango or citrus works best.
This has inspired me to put Hot Choc Stout on my list...
Have you tried heating up a portion of mead, mixing the crio brew in, and then pouring the fully saturated slurry into your batch? It seems like it would help with the foamy mess that forms on top.
The foam is from mixing and aerating which you would still want to do.
There you go. 1 cocktail mead. Just brew a cup of 2tbs high fat cacao in 8oz hot water and 3oz of your mead. Perfect winter drink. Cheers.
Have you considered maybe using a brew bag for dry ingredients like that with a weight so that it can get fully submerged?
We have and decided without worked better. Bags often inflate with gas and come out of the liquid anyway.
I love crio bru for meads! I’ve used it on a s’mores bochet and a chocolate covered strawberry mead. I added crio bru in conditioning for both. How would adding it in the primary work?
Dang it! I didn’t wait to the end to comment! Lol
Lol
Hey guys sorry to hijack the comments but i just racked a 6 gallon batch of mead. It was super clear, however it tastes very bland. I think it was the honey i used. Would adding spices help save this unremarkable batch? I was thinking of using the spices from your pumpkinless spiced wine. Thanks
How old is it? What other ingredients did you use? Whats the ABV and did it go dry? Lots and lots of variables here but if you just racked it then I’d give it more time. Maybe get an oak stick or add some spices
@@dillonweigel3101 It was sitting about 6 weeks or so and at 1.000. It was approximately 18lbs of honey 6 cups of black tea for the tannins water and a full packet of DB7 yeast. Id have to check my notes on the ABV but you can taste the alcohol just not the honey flavors. Its almost watery with a slight hint of the honey. To be fair I orderd some bulk honey from amazon and it may not have been 100% honey. I have made several batches with other honey and they came out great.
How big of a batch? Sounds like it's just higher ABV and dry. You can sweeten, spice, oak, add acids, tannins or fruits to fix up the flavors.
It could be fake honey too, as that is a thing.
@@CitySteadingBrews I think this is my problem. I dont want to waste it so im just gonna add spices and prehaps back sweeten. Thanks for the reply
Could you put the Crio Bru Ecuador French Roast in the rumble jar to infuse or would not infuse enough of the flavor? My traditional is finished and ready for the next stage.
I would think you could do long as it all gets to liquid since it can easily get packed.
Have you tried to make a licorice mead or wine, something like Sambuca which is made with Anice and some other spices, I think it's 17 spices, I like the idea of a black Licorice Mead
Sadly neither of us are fans of the licorice flavor.
Poor Derica is dying trying to get thru the tasting & Brian is going to claim the llamas did it!!
I feel your pain, Derica. I loved spicy stuff "back in the day", but now I must refrain from such fare lest my insides become my outsides 😢
One reason people use Cacao Nibs instead of Crio Bru is Cacao Nibs can be purchased at the local beer/wine making shop for a few dollars. The smallest quantity of Crio Bru is like $17 plus shipping. Maybe a group buy is in order. :)
Maybe true, but you get a lot more use out of crio bru as well.
I'm a capsicumel fan too. I might have to try that one! Sounds good to me. Question for Brian, I've noticed over the last year or so of watching your videos that your pens all have a little tape flag on them. Are those the left-handed pens? 🤷😂
That is MY pen, lol.
I have a question about the points of gravety pr gallon thing 🤔 wow does that scale 🤔 like.. im from Denmark and uses metric so a gallon would be 3.785 liters right so would it just be 0.035/3.785=0.00925 pr liters then or does the gravety scale differently 🤔
It should work across metric or american numbers, but you need to see what you're actually doing there. That's not a pound of honey now, it's 1/3.785 lbs or 0.26 lbs or about 120 grams. I normally tell those on metric that 120 grams of honey is about .035 in a liter of must.
@@CitySteadingBrews arrrh thank you so much 😄😄 great content btw I love you videos and have watched allot of them 😅😄
Oh yeah it's pr pound not pr gallon 😅🤣 doh! 🫣😝
Alright I have a question. I have an agaveglyn that is ready to be racked from primary. My cousin who requested this batch has requested that I add chilies and crio bru to make it closer to what yall made during conditioning. I have never done any kind of capsicumel so would fresh or dried chilies be best for the application in question? Input would be greatly appreciated.
You can use either, but... it's not going to taste the same since we ferment on the chiles.
Just for my couresity have you ever tested a tea wine vs mead from my experience I get orange from the wine but not the mead just course
Hmm, haven't done that no.
Was there any thought to back sweetening with meadowfoam for the marshmallow taste? :)
There is no marshmallow in Aztec hot chocolate.
A moose once bit my sister....
Mynd you, moose bites can be pretty nasti.
My brother and I did come face to face with a moose, hiking in Denali back in the late 1900's. We stopped, quietly discussed whch way each of us would run, and waited until it moved on. That was an exciting moment! But in the end, llamas did it.
Serious question: if not adding capsaicin (due to an allergy to peppers, even bell), would you balance with more cinnamon, or would you balance with something else?
Hmm. Kind of becomes a chocolate metheglin really. Use all the pumpkin spices and more cinnamon I suppose?
No pain no gain 🥵
🎶 "Drinking chocolate, tongues are burning singing hot hot hot!" -The Guilty Llama
While I undestand that the Lamas did it this way, but how would it turn out if you add the jalapenos when you add the chocolate and cinnamonnnn to allow for maximum fermentation?
We did get pretty much max fermentation. 12 points is really not much. I don't think it would have as much of the Chile fruitiness personally.
when making a mead, specifically in clearing/ second fermentation (bascally i racked it and I am letting it clear), is it okay that that the lees is a dark color? It's dark grayish brown.
Sure.
To what you have said about Polish meads, it's true, but it's not all of it. Traditionally we have 4 types of meads labeled by proportion of volume (honey : water) 1 : 0,5 ratio, 1 : 1 ratio, 1 : 2 ratio and 1 : 3 ratio.
1 : 0,5 (półtorak) is the one that do needs the most time, haven't made it yet, but generally they need at leat 10 years of aging.
1 : 1 (dwójniak) is one that needs to age for at least 1,5 year
1 : 2 (trójniak) is a semi sweet mead and generally ages for at least a year.
1 : 3 (czwórniak) takes at least 6 months of aging.
If you would be interested I'll gladly translate some recipes for you.
Thanks but not at this time. The 1:3 actually is about the same as many we have made. It's mostly the higher ones most people are interested in.
There is a local Mass-market wine up here in the northeast and the gravity is 1.020. Does not taste sweet. Knowing that I aim for a 1.012 and have had wines that taste sweet at 1.006 or 1.018. So that balance is definitely a large contributing factor. I also suggest if there is a wine you like take reading of it. It will give you a jumping off point for your own wine\ mead making.
The Llamas did it!
How did you come up with the divide by 3 on your score card? Just genuinely curious ❤
To get a 1-10 score and give less importance to aroma and appearance.
If I cut open some dried chilis and sanitize them before putting them into conditioning would be safe? I’m gonna use chile de arbol dried chilies. I’m probably only gonna use one now that I’ve seen the scoville.
I don't sanitize dried chiles. Should be fine.
@@CitySteadingBrewsI told my boyfriend about this one and he got really excited (he’s half Mexican) so I am excited for his reaction and I have a feeling I will have to make a bigger batch the next time. I’m making the brew today. ❤
Absolutely amazing! Ended up adding 2 chilies and now half of his family is excited to try it. It’s so good! Love the spice! This might be some people’s birthday presents.
Those were some amazing faces being made. 😅
Okay, so you made a statement about hot UPS trucks. As a UPS driver I can attest to the fact that when the temperature reaches 100 degrees outside, the temperature in the back of our trucks, which have translucent tops, basically mobile greenhouses, can reach 140 degrees +. I've had days when it's so hot in the back of the truck that I have to hold my breath because it's too hot to breathe the air back there. I often tell people not to ship chocolate or candles during summertime but now I'm going to add "yeast" to that statement.
Yup. I heard that from a UPS driver.
The Polish meads are not fermented with the full amount of honey. 4 lbs of honey is the highest I have read. The rest of the honey is added progressively until the proper proportion is reached. This way you end up with honey diluting the ABV toward the end. The 1-to-1 meads only take 3-5 years to fully age. The 1.5-to-1 meads take 5+. The 1-to-2 Trojniak take only 1-3 years so the Trojniak is not really any longer than a regular mead. Most of my meads are Trojniaks an some I drink before the year is up while others will age properly.. either way, they taste great.
Yup. They are sort of step fed. Otherwise they wouldn't ferment.
Looks like the mesh thing mess up your auto siphon, does it worth the cleaning afterward?
It doesn't mess it up at all... but keeps it from getting clogged.
@@CitySteadingBrews would it work better if use at the other end? My "clapet" got glogged when working with fruit and other solid.
We use it wherever seems best for the time.
🎵Every yeast is sacred.🎵
Oh no. Another brew I need to do.
Oh no!
I like spicy hot chocolate:)
Do you have a link for the immersion circulator you use? Im considering getting one. Ive been using the sink and boiling water method, taskes way too long. Thanks!
amzn.to/47CyAYv
"Clearing" happens due to all solids dropping out (duh). As the mead degasses, it will keep minute particles, proteins, etc suspended causing cloudiness.
Once all the gas is out everything can settle out.
Edit: unless you have pectin or something else that just won't settle.
Mostly, yup. I have seen semi gassy brews clear though.
The honey used by the ancient Mayans was stingless-bee honey, which has a higher water content and ferments very easily and quickly. This type of honey has a distinctly sweet-and-sour flavor and is considered very medicinal. Just for the sake of another fun experiment and historical accuracy, may I please encourage this experiment?
If by some chance we get some of that honey. But, not sure what there is to test here, other than to make a mead with it and taste it.
What would probably work better for Derica is one chilli instead of four
I’m making a mead and I want it to taste candy like? So I was going to use fruits like pineapple, mango, blackberrys, and raspberries and might throw in honeydew.. would those go good together and how would one even ferment pineapple without it basically eating yeast?
Pineapple doesn't eat yeast...
@@CitySteadingBrews from what I read the enzymes nearly kill or stop yeast from doing what it does.
Not in my experience. I suppose with enough maybe.
@@CitySteadingBrews oh okay that’s awesome! But would those fruits go well together to make something smooth and fruity? Or are there any other suggestions?
Caaaaarrrrlll! That deletes footage, Caarl!
Llamas Did It!
Packet thwackers
Chocolate is a fruit pod grown on a tree. Oftentimes, vanilla orchids are grown on Chocolate trees.
Interesting!
Could you use cocoa powder?
It will not work well. It normally just makes a mess.
@@CitySteadingBrews Well dang. Thanks for the reply, love your work!
Was that a TRBOS spasm?
Hmm? Oh... she just flubbed the line, lol.
So is that the 32 ounce rumble jar?
I believe so?
on the ph issue I'm writing mid video but you should check the waters ph and see if it was high and check the honey source as well just to know what the issue was i know you guys record in advance so its a little late but testing the water in the start of a recipe will at least let you know if you are likely to need acid .It might also be a step that will make viewers think more about there water especially if they use tap that will vary wildly depending on there treatment cycle
It wouldn't matter really as you want to check the mixture anyway.
So what’s the alcohol percentage of your finished mead?
Pretty sure we said, but... this was 13.5%.
@@CitySteadingBrewsThanks. I really like your videos guys. I do have a suggestion though. When you back sweeten so heavily you should really adjust your abv. You started with about 110oz of 13.5% mead. I estimate you added about 18oz of stuff to it so that makes your finished abv about 11.6% which is quite a bit different than 13.5%.
Again, very nice videos overall!
It's all just estimation. Even commercial wineries only need to be within +/- 2 percentage points. Sure it dilutes it a bit but really a one or two percent change is meaningless.
Homebrewing and calculations just don't make for good accuracy. The only way to know is to send it to a lab. Even that 13.5 is probably not. Could be 12 to 14 or thereabouts.
@@CitySteadingBrews From 13.5 to 11.6 is a 14% change in alcohol content by volume. But I see what you’re saying. I realize it may not be accurate but if you’re going to be calculating an abv in the first place then we should probably try to be as accurate as possible and adjust for dilution since it’s so easy to do. If anything, it would educate your viewers a bit more.
So should I test all my meads???
Test for...?
@@CitySteadingBrews the ph? Now I'm freaking out about botulism!
@@CitySteadingBrews Ive only made two brews so far! So very new to this.
First... it's very very rare in mead or homebrew. Second, most brews are low enough to make botulism irrelevant. Third, fermentation causes pH to drop. That said... STARTING a brew with too high a pH "could" activate botulism if it was even there at all, but it most likely isn't. But... if would die off during most all fermentation as the pH goes below 4.6.
@@CitySteadingBrews Do you have any book recommendations for beginner fermenting and brewing? Thanks for answering!! I don't really understand the whole process so I just follow your recipes. I made the raisin and black tea mead with bread yeast. It tastes almost watery. Very dry not sweet at all. I wanna make a sweet mead with lower abv.
Llamas did it!