#braggot

Hidden Moon Honey IPA Braggot (Picked up at Windmill Farms). A 3 of 4. Very different than usual -- very subdued nose with some faint honey and floral notes, and almost this slightly sweet roasted quality. Relatively bitter up front with quite a bit more rich honey notes, and some earthy/herbal hops are present in the body. Finishes dry. This is quite tasty and very interesting -- definitely worth having for its uniqueness.

Wouldn't be a dark braggot without homegrown Fuggles. 5g for 25 mins followed by 20g for the final 5 mins. Looking for those floral earthy flavours to pair against the sweet honey and bitter roast. Then I fermented with a few flakes of Hornindal Kveik which I dried last year. Took a bit of time to get going, even at 30c. Because I had to fit this in one of my large FVs I couldn’t really see much activity from the airlock due to the large headspace, but there did appear to be a small krausen. OG was only 1.070 for this one, I didn’t want it too strong. I just checked the gravity after 3 days at it’s at 1.009, so I’ll leave it a couple more days and check again but I think the Hornindal Kveik destroyed this one pretty well.

Overall, the braggot is more like a dry, hop-bitter doppelbock now. I am curious how it will develop further!

This is something I brewed myself that I’m really excited about. I’ve been getting into learning about mead (fermented honey) both because of its history with the ancient peoples of Northern Europe and also because of the flavors, process, etc. Also, I think turning something created by the flowers and bees all around us into a delicious drink is a pretty cool way of interacting with the natural world and the ecosystem surrounding us. 🌸🌼🐝🍯👉🏻🍺 So this is a style of mean known as a “braggot.” A braggot is a mead made with BOTH honey and malted barley. I used pilsener malt, and a locally produced honey from @swarmbustinhoney It’s their fall wildflower honey made from bees that pollinated wildflowers that bloom specifically in the fall. The honey had this amazing smoky flavor almost like honey and maple syrup combined, and these flavors do come through in the finished product. I used mugwort to bitter it, which would have been consistent with a braggot made in the dark ages or ancient times when various herbs were used in the brewing process before the advent of hops. I used an ale yeast (s-04) to ferment it. In addition to the honey characteristics, there are some strong fruity and citrus notes. I’m thinking this was imparted from the yeast as we had a few hot days during its fermentation. A final gravity of 1.000 yielded an ABV of 7.0% It’s definitely a really nice summer brew. ➖ #celtichammerclub #mead #braggot #ale #historicalbrew #makeyourown #localhoney #norse #nordic #celt #celtic #meadhall #beowulf #thor #odin #nectarofthegods #homebrew #homebrewing #meadery #beer #oldways #heathen #asatru #makemead #nature #wildflowers #naturalworld #bees #honey #pollen https://www.instagram.com/p/ByJaWlLHR-9/?igshid=1li4v6d6b08bg

I had planned on letting the braggot ferment for three weeks before bottling, so that’s what I’ll do. 

I don't want to BRAGgot but this is going down too easy for a 15 pounder! #Beer #CraftBeer #DrinkCraft #CraftBrew #instabeer #beerstagram #Beergasm #BeerPorn #braggot #mead #Nightcap #flyingfish #brewtography

Braggot, an ancient beverage that no respectable person I know has ever heard of. Honey, malt and champagne yeast brought my batches ABV to 11.29%. After tasting the sample I was tripping in ancient Sumer. Will let it age until Thanksgiving before trying again. #braggot #homebrew #homebrewer #homebrewing #homebrewed #recipes #batch12 #ancientbrew (at Monrovia, California)