Metheglin / Braggot / Graff / Cyser

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Laripu
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Metheglin / Braggot / Graff / Cyser

Post by Laripu » Mon Sep 21, 2015 6:20 am

We're all familiar with the terms, but for reference:
Metheglin=mead with herbs or spices
Braggot=malt and honey fermented together
Graff=apple juice and malt fermented together
Cyser=apple juice and honey fermented together

What about all four? MetheGraBragser??

I had the following idea:
8 litres apple juice, refrigerated
1/2 to 1 kg of DME, boiled for 20 minutes with 120 grams of sliced ginger in 11 or 12 litres of water
10 lbs of cheap honey, introduced into the above liquid after the boil, left for 10 minutes to pasteurize
Cool the above, to about 90°F, then mix in your FV with the cold apple juice. Make sure the sliced ginger gets into the FV.
Ferment to completion, siphon to a secondary glass FV with finings, topped up to 23 litres (22.7?) and allow to age 3 months. Bottle in pressure capable bottles, having primed with 80g white sugar.
Start drinking 5 or 6 weeks after bottling.

Edit to add: should be 10 to 11% abv
Another edit: added cyser to the list
Last edited by Laripu on Sat Oct 10, 2015 8:17 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Secondary FV: As yet unnamed Weizenbock ~7%
Bulk aging: Soodo: Grocery store grape juice wine experiment.
Drinking: Mostly Canadian whisky until I start brewing again.

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Pinto
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Re: Metheglin / Braggot / Graff

Post by Pinto » Mon Sep 21, 2015 6:35 am

Laripu wrote: What about all three?
Lari is experimental brewing again.....:lol:

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Primary 1: Nonthing
Primary 2 : Nothing
Primary 3 : None
Secondary 1 : Empty
Secondary 1 : None
DJ(1) : Nowt
DJ(2) : N'otin....
In the Keg : Nada
Conditioning : Nowt
In the bottle : Cinnamonator TC, Apple Boost Cider, Apple & Strawberry Cider
Planning : AG #5 - Galaxy Pale (re-brew) / #6 - Alco-Brau (Special Brew Clone) / #7 Something belgian...
Projects : Mini-brew (12l brew length kit) nearly ready :D

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Laripu
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Re: Metheglin / Braggot / Graff / Cyser

Post by Laripu » Mon Sep 21, 2015 6:54 am

Pinto wrote:
Laripu wrote: What about all three?
Lari is experimental brewing again.....:lol:
That's metheglin, not methedrine. :lol:
Last edited by Laripu on Sun Oct 11, 2015 6:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Secondary FV: As yet unnamed Weizenbock ~7%
Bulk aging: Soodo: Grocery store grape juice wine experiment.
Drinking: Mostly Canadian whisky until I start brewing again.

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Laripu
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Re: Metheglin / Braggot / Graff / Cyser

Post by Laripu » Tue Sep 22, 2015 4:36 am

I'm thinking of not using apple juice.
Three lbs of DME and 10 lbs of honey, plus the ginger.
It's a crisis of confidence. :)
Last edited by Laripu on Sun Oct 11, 2015 6:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Secondary FV: As yet unnamed Weizenbock ~7%
Bulk aging: Soodo: Grocery store grape juice wine experiment.
Drinking: Mostly Canadian whisky until I start brewing again.

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Laripu
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Re: Metheglin / Braggot / Graff / Cyser

Post by Laripu » Sat Oct 10, 2015 7:07 pm

Doing it today. Boil will be 40 minutes. Total volume, 6 US gallons = 5 Imperial gallons = 22.7L.

2 US gallons (7.6L) of apple cider, refrigerated, added when wort is mostly cool.
1 lb of amber DME, boiled (left over from a previous batch of something)
130 g peeled ginger, minced finely, boiled, and dumped into FV
10 lbs of bog standard grocery store honey, added after the boil
Opale wine yeast, rehydrated according to instructions

I intend to carbonate in 1/3 litre bottles.
I'll let you know what it tastes like in 6 months or so. :)
Last edited by Laripu on Sun Oct 11, 2015 6:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Secondary FV: As yet unnamed Weizenbock ~7%
Bulk aging: Soodo: Grocery store grape juice wine experiment.
Drinking: Mostly Canadian whisky until I start brewing again.

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Laripu
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Re: Metheglin / Braggot / Graff / Cyser

Post by Laripu » Sun Oct 11, 2015 6:29 pm

The apple juice was sweet: 1.053
I estimate the OG of the batch to be 1.082 after topping up the secondary FV, and the ABV will be about 11%. Hence the name "Old 11-ish". (Which was the name the last time I made a ginger mead, in 1994. :))
Secondary FV: As yet unnamed Weizenbock ~7%
Bulk aging: Soodo: Grocery store grape juice wine experiment.
Drinking: Mostly Canadian whisky until I start brewing again.

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Re: Metheglin / Braggot / Graff / Cyser

Post by Laripu » Wed Dec 02, 2015 2:02 am

Last night I siphoned my ginger mead. There was a pint left over that I left that I poured off and left in the fridge to settle. I poured it off the yeast tonight and drank it.

Holy crap, it's f**kin' hallucinogenic. I haven't been this impaired since my 20s. I can barely control my mouth. Holy crap!

This is insane Ginger graff/cyser/braggot/metheglin.
Before siphoning to the next vessel, I added 150 grams of peeled ginger. This drink is going to be insane. :twisted:
Secondary FV: As yet unnamed Weizenbock ~7%
Bulk aging: Soodo: Grocery store grape juice wine experiment.
Drinking: Mostly Canadian whisky until I start brewing again.

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Re: Metheglin / Braggot / Graff / Cyser

Post by WalesAles » Wed Dec 02, 2015 12:31 pm

Lari,
Is it tasty?

WA

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Pinto
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Re: Metheglin / Braggot / Graff / Cyser

Post by Pinto » Wed Dec 02, 2015 2:49 pm

WalesAles wrote:Lari,
Is it tasty?

WA
He'll let you know when the psych ward discharge him :lol:
Primary 1: Nonthing
Primary 2 : Nothing
Primary 3 : None
Secondary 1 : Empty
Secondary 1 : None
DJ(1) : Nowt
DJ(2) : N'otin....
In the Keg : Nada
Conditioning : Nowt
In the bottle : Cinnamonator TC, Apple Boost Cider, Apple & Strawberry Cider
Planning : AG #5 - Galaxy Pale (re-brew) / #6 - Alco-Brau (Special Brew Clone) / #7 Something belgian...
Projects : Mini-brew (12l brew length kit) nearly ready :D

Join the BrewChat - open minds and adults only ;) - Click here

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Re: Metheglin / Braggot / Graff / Cyser

Post by far9410 » Wed Dec 02, 2015 6:51 pm

What yeast?
no palate, no patience.


Drinking - of course

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Laripu
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Re: Metheglin / Braggot / Graff / Cyser

Post by Laripu » Wed Dec 02, 2015 8:54 pm

WalesAles wrote:Lari,
Is it tasty?

WA
It was not mature, and yet already very good.

In 3 months or so, I'll bottle and carbonate. In a month or two after that, I'll be enjoying it. :)
Secondary FV: As yet unnamed Weizenbock ~7%
Bulk aging: Soodo: Grocery store grape juice wine experiment.
Drinking: Mostly Canadian whisky until I start brewing again.

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Laripu
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Re: Metheglin / Braggot / Graff / Cyser

Post by Laripu » Wed Dec 02, 2015 8:56 pm

far9410 wrote:What yeast?
Opale. It finished faster than I expected, so I added two packs of Lalvin Champagne yeast. I don't think that second addition did anything at all.
Secondary FV: As yet unnamed Weizenbock ~7%
Bulk aging: Soodo: Grocery store grape juice wine experiment.
Drinking: Mostly Canadian whisky until I start brewing again.

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Laripu
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Re: Metheglin / Braggot / Graff / Cyser

Post by Laripu » Mon Mar 07, 2016 1:17 am

I bottled it today, with priming sugar. On May 1, eight weeks from now, I'll try the first bottle. I'm not certain it will carbonate. Between the aging/siphoning and the ginger, the yeast may no longer be viable.

But it did taste good. :) And Mrs. Laripu liked the little sample's taste too.

I've decided to denote it "ginger cyser". At 10.5% abv, it's a bit short of the 11% target, but I'm still calling it "Old 11-ish".
Secondary FV: As yet unnamed Weizenbock ~7%
Bulk aging: Soodo: Grocery store grape juice wine experiment.
Drinking: Mostly Canadian whisky until I start brewing again.

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Laripu
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Re: Metheglin / Braggot / Graff / Cyser

Post by Laripu » Thu Mar 10, 2016 3:40 am

Corrected:
Image
Secondary FV: As yet unnamed Weizenbock ~7%
Bulk aging: Soodo: Grocery store grape juice wine experiment.
Drinking: Mostly Canadian whisky until I start brewing again.

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Laripu
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Re: Metheglin / Braggot / Graff / Cyser

Post by Laripu » Wed Apr 06, 2016 1:44 am

It's been a month in the bottle, and I'm drinking one now.

It didn't carbonate. I should probably have given it a new dose of yeast after all the months of bulk aging.

On the other hand, it does taste fantastic. Very gingery, bit of apple. A bit of honey, what you'd expect from cheap club store honey. Not quite as heady as it was when I first tasted it, but still strong. It went down my gullet with great celerity.

So all that's left to say is: :D
Secondary FV: As yet unnamed Weizenbock ~7%
Bulk aging: Soodo: Grocery store grape juice wine experiment.
Drinking: Mostly Canadian whisky until I start brewing again.

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