Caramel liquor

[crochetman_sf]

I'm not even sure if I should be posting this here -> Gotmead. The reason I think it is so is that there seems to be some question as to if caramel will ferment or not, so I decided to try this out.
So far (12 hours later) it seems things are progressing quite nicely. The must is bubbling away at a nice comfortable pace and my first taste test is very promising.

4 1/2 pounds sugar
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 water

Heated (kept to just under a boil) until it got to softball stage, or if you prefer - nice warm caramel tones in color.

Added 1 quart water, 1/8 cup Molasses and 2 small boxes of Sunmaid raisins. Waited for it to cool down and added 1 Tbs. Fleishmann's Bread Machine (only yeast I have right now) yeast and topped off with water to 1 gallon carboy.

 

[wayneb]

Hi, crochetman_sf! Welcome to "Gotmead"!!

Here at Gotmead we're focused on meadmaking, but we do expand our horizons a bit. There's absolutely no problem posting a general fermentation related question or comment, and you've found the right forum categories for this kind of posting -- although I'd think that your recipe might be more classified as a caramel wine experiment, since liquors are distilled (whereas liqueurs are generally infusions into high proof spirits or alternately fermented things that have been fortified with high proof alcohol), and I don't think you want to distill this one -- or do you? ;D

About your recipe -- carmelized sugar does contain some fraction of simple sugars that have not been carmelized, and so you in general will get some fermentation. It would be great if you could take a specific gravity reading of a batch like this before pitching any yeast, and then again after all fermentation has finished, to see how much in the way of fermentable sugars actually got converted into ethanol in the process. Do you have access to a hydrometer?

 

[crochetman_sf]

Well then it will be a liqueur because when it is done fermenting, I plan to add some 151 everclear, butter and cream (then age) -> I am aiming for a butterscotch/creme liqueur. If I had a distiller, I would.
No, I don't have a hydrometer, but as a cook for a few years, I have a pretty good sense of taste and will let the people know (within 1-2 %) roughly what the alcohol content will be.

 

[wayneb]

Sounds potentially very yummy, although it might take a while for that added ethanol to fully integrate and mellow out. Still, with residual sweetness and cream, it may be smooth enough right from the get-go. Let us know how it turns out!

 

[crochetman_sf]

That is exactly what I am hoping for. ;D

 

[crochetman_sf]

I aerated (shook the piss out of it) twice today.

 

[crochetman_sf]

Just aerated again today, I think I'll leave it alone after this. I bubbled like crazy.
Another reason I am doing this experiment is to see roughly how much it ferments and how much residual sweetness is left over to find out how much to add to my next honey mead. I want a pronounced caramel flavour with a moderate sweetness and around 14-16% alcohol.

 

[crochetman_sf]

It has been about 6 1/2 weeks and there is a very fine layer of sediment on the bottom. The final product has about 3-4 proof, a noticeable - but pleasurable level of a beer/ferment flavour with a bit of a bitter finish toward the back and side of the tongue. Sweetness has been reduced by about a third, the caramel flavour is almost unchanged.
I will try adding vodka, butter and some cream to see how the likker works out.