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Agave mead?

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Commander Toasty

NewBee
Registered Member
Jun 9, 2005
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I was looking through the site for Mountain Meadows Mead and see they have one mead made with blue agave! Now as a Tequila fan this really intrigues me, and I have never heard of an agave mead before. Here is their little blurb:
Trickster's Treat Agave Mead (semi-dry)
(Silver Medal - International Mead Festival 2003)
Made from organic Agave Nectar and honey. Enjoy with grilled foods. Substitute for Tequila for a light Margarita.

So I'm wondering if anyone has tried this, and how it was? And perhaps someone has a recipe?
 

Michael_Ng

Premium Patron
Premium Patron
Dec 9, 2004
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www.kwmeads.com
Commander Toasty said:
Substitute for Tequila for a light Margarita.

Well, I can vouch for the fact that it makes an excellent Margarita... ;D

I had a Margarita made with it as a direct substitute for Tequilla and it resulted in a Margarita with the same flavor you expect, but a lot smoother. (There was no harsh Tequilla bite to it.)

I have a few taster comments on my website...

http://www.kwmeads.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=MM0Agave0XX-750

Definitely one of the more unique Meads to come out of Mountain Meadows Mead.

If you want more details, I can dig into our tasting notes to see what else was said about this wonderful drink.

Michael
 

Oskaar

Got Mead Partner
Administrator
Dec 26, 2004
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Hmmm,

The stuff that I made, and the ones that I've tasted haven't really tasted alot like tequila because they haven't gone throught the charring, mashing and distilling process that really gives tequila a lot of it's unique characters.

There were very recognizable characters, but that earthy, smokey, very smooth across the palate pungent character wasn't there.

I'll have to check out that link Michael. Thanks so much!

Oskaar
 

byathread

NewBee
Registered Member
Mar 8, 2005
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Boulder County, CO
I imagine Oskaar is quite right. As I recall, Tequila is made from the base of the blue agave. After the leaves are removed, the above ground bulb is pit-roasted (or otherwise slow cooked) to convert all those complex carbohydrates to simpler sugars before being fermented and distilled. All the meads I've heard of are fermented with Agave syrup which is the concentrated sweet sap that flows up the flower stalk. So, while similar, I'm sure the differences in the fermentables and the process would make that Tequila character hard to reproduce.

Just my 2 cents...

However, for all you Tequila fans out there I'll be happy to sample the results of your experiments ;)
 

Oskaar

Got Mead Partner
Administrator
Dec 26, 2004
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It's funny because a few weeks ago I received an email from Clayton Cone of Lallemand in response to one that I had fired off to him. He was writing from Mexico, and was in the Tequila region working with some of the Tequila producers there. Evidently they use a lot of Lallemand yeast and Mr Cone was there advising and monitoring how they do their fermentations.

I had to ask him, what the heck kind of yeast do they use for Tequila? He said that they use a lot of K1V-1116 an 71B-1122! Man, that K1V is one of the most versatile yeasts around. I like it more and more as I use it.

My cousin, who lives in Esenada, Frontera Baja California, used to bring us this wonderful Tequila from a small family producer in the Tequila region who was evidently a cousin of his wife related by marriage or some other really distant relation. The Tequila was called Santa Barbara, and it was incredible stuff and very inexpensive. Unfortunately Santa Barbara is no longer, and I don't get any of it any longer, but my cousin still shows up with some other Tequilas from Microproducers that is excellent.

Cheers,

Oskaar
 

Dmntd

NewBee
Registered Member
Apr 18, 2005
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So I went out to the brew shop this morning to pick up some tools and supplies I need for the mead I'll start sunday, while looking around I spot 100% agave nectar and on impulse I buy a three pound jar. The only reason it caught my eye, was I had just read a couple of post about it. I put it up with the other stuff I got but really don't have any idea what I'm going to do with it.

One thought is to blend it with an equal amount of honey (by weight) and go for a two gallon batch of mead, another is to mix it with water to make one gallon pitch some 71B into it and let it run till it stops.

Any thoughts?

Anthony
 

Brewbear

NewBee
Registered Member
May 10, 2005
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Hey Dmntd,
Search for margamel..margamead, I think it is in the recipes or brewlog. How much was the stuff?

Ted
 

Dmntd

NewBee
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Apr 18, 2005
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Thanks, I will. $5.00 a pound. I didn't look for the price on the 12 or 60 lb pails.
 
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