Fellow homebrewers, I need some advice!
I've been brewing mead for years - mostly metheglin with ginger and vanilla, but I've done a few fruit meads too. I jump back and forth between D-47 and EC-118 yeast depending on my mood and I usually shoot for 16-18% ABV, fermenting dry and backsweetening before bottling.
But I'd like to shift gears a bit, and brew something sort of beer-like, and I'd like thoughts on what yeasts to try, fermenting time, and see if anyone has tried this. What I've got in mind is sort of akin to a braggot I suppose; what I plan to do is start by caramelizing my honey like a bochet with the addition of both bittering and aromatic hops at the appropriate times, then fermenting for a low ABV (somewhere between 5-7%). My goal flavor wise is something near a stout.
So - has anyone out there done anything like this? Thoughts on any of this? Thanks ahead of time!
I've been brewing mead for years - mostly metheglin with ginger and vanilla, but I've done a few fruit meads too. I jump back and forth between D-47 and EC-118 yeast depending on my mood and I usually shoot for 16-18% ABV, fermenting dry and backsweetening before bottling.
But I'd like to shift gears a bit, and brew something sort of beer-like, and I'd like thoughts on what yeasts to try, fermenting time, and see if anyone has tried this. What I've got in mind is sort of akin to a braggot I suppose; what I plan to do is start by caramelizing my honey like a bochet with the addition of both bittering and aromatic hops at the appropriate times, then fermenting for a low ABV (somewhere between 5-7%). My goal flavor wise is something near a stout.
So - has anyone out there done anything like this? Thoughts on any of this? Thanks ahead of time!