Rhodomel - Rose Petal Mead
This actually was flavoring of mead "left over" when I had too much mead for another batch, so the recipe starts with the original recipe.
Brought 1 gallon water to boil, then turned the heat off. Added:
* 21.14 pounds of honey from Lesser Farms (a local apiary that sells to the food co-op downtown).
* 5 tsp Royal Jelly
* 5 tsp yeast nutrient
* 2.5 tsp yeast energizer
Heated the mixture back up to 150 F, held it there for 10 minutes. Put 3 gallons cold water in the carboy, cooled the must to 100 F, then poured it in. Added water to the carboy's shoulder; must was 86 F, OG (adjusted for temp.) 1.138. Rehydrated and added:
* 2 packets Lalvin K1-V1116 yeast
Six weeks later, I pasteurized a watermelon and racked the mead on top; there was about a gallon and a half of mead left, which I used in this recipe.
I obtained an 850 gram canister of Shahi Rose Petal Spread from a local Indo-Pakistani grocery. This appeared to be rose petals (of a variety more perfumed and flavorful than the usual American bred-for-size-not-smell-or-taste flowers) preserved in sugar. I mixed it with a pint of water, and pasteurized the combination by heating to 150 F for 10 minutes. I poured it into the smallest carboy I could obtain locally (3 gallons), cooled it to 80 F, and racked the mead on top.
Four months later, I racked it off the sediment. I added 1 tsp Irish Moss (boiled in a pint of water), waited two weeks, and then racked it tonight.
Final Gravity: 1.048, 12.2% ABV. Further investigation shows that, before adding the rose petals, this had a specific gravity of 1.024, or 15.41% alcohol. There's enough rose suspended in this mead to mask 3.2% of the alcohol, from the hydrometer's perspective!
Pleasantly dry, with a flavor like the best of roses smell. I filled 16 beer bottles, with a bit left over for sampling once milady gets home tonight.
Brought 1 gallon water to boil, then turned the heat off. Added:
* 21.14 pounds of honey from Lesser Farms (a local apiary that sells to the food co-op downtown).
* 5 tsp Royal Jelly
* 5 tsp yeast nutrient
* 2.5 tsp yeast energizer
Heated the mixture back up to 150 F, held it there for 10 minutes. Put 3 gallons cold water in the carboy, cooled the must to 100 F, then poured it in. Added water to the carboy's shoulder; must was 86 F, OG (adjusted for temp.) 1.138. Rehydrated and added:
* 2 packets Lalvin K1-V1116 yeast
Six weeks later, I pasteurized a watermelon and racked the mead on top; there was about a gallon and a half of mead left, which I used in this recipe.
I obtained an 850 gram canister of Shahi Rose Petal Spread from a local Indo-Pakistani grocery. This appeared to be rose petals (of a variety more perfumed and flavorful than the usual American bred-for-size-not-smell-or-taste flowers) preserved in sugar. I mixed it with a pint of water, and pasteurized the combination by heating to 150 F for 10 minutes. I poured it into the smallest carboy I could obtain locally (3 gallons), cooled it to 80 F, and racked the mead on top.
Four months later, I racked it off the sediment. I added 1 tsp Irish Moss (boiled in a pint of water), waited two weeks, and then racked it tonight.
Final Gravity: 1.048, 12.2% ABV. Further investigation shows that, before adding the rose petals, this had a specific gravity of 1.024, or 15.41% alcohol. There's enough rose suspended in this mead to mask 3.2% of the alcohol, from the hydrometer's perspective!
Pleasantly dry, with a flavor like the best of roses smell. I filled 16 beer bottles, with a bit left over for sampling once milady gets home tonight.