Pumpkin honey

[dogglebe]

Last December, I made a batch of pumpkin honey mead, not knowing what to expect. The honey, itself, has a strong honey taste without all the sweetness (honey-lite?).

SG: 1.088; FG: 1.002

Last night, I tried it. It tastes.... odd. Not very enjoyable. I'm going to try sweetening it with some leftover pumpkin honey, but I have doubts about the batch.

I'm not even sure if flavoring it at this point would help.


Phil

[Vicky Rowe]

Hi Phil,

I've heard from others that pumpkin mead doesn't always turn out.....I wish I had an answer for you, but I haven't made a pumpkin mead, nor come across any pumpkin honey yet....

Vicky

[dogglebe]

A little update on the pumpkin mead....

It's aging very nicely and (thanks to some acid blend I recently add) is tasting much better than it did a few months ago. I'm carbonating most of it; what didn't fit in the keg , I've put into bottles.


Phil

[JamesB]

Will you please provide a recipe for pumkin honey? Thanks. :P

[dogglebe]

Will you please provide a recipe for pumkin honey? Thanks. :P

No problem!!

Add 17# of pumpkin honey to 3 gallons of boiling water, Let simmer (not boil) for twenty minutes. Add four tablesoons of nutrient and two tablespoons of acid blend. Chill. Add to carboy and top off to 6.5 gallons.

Pitch starter with Red Star Dry Champagne Yeast.

O.G.: 1.088
F.G.: 1.002

I call it Stingy Jack's Pumpkin Mead.


Phil

[Jmattioli]

Sounds like way too much nutrients. Are you sure you don't mean teaspoons??? Otherwise that is 12 teaspoons of nutrients which is more than any reccommendation I have read from a nutrient supplier.

[dogglebe]

Sounds like way too much nutrients. Are you sure you don't mean teaspoons??? Otherwise that is 12 teaspoons of nutrients which is more than any reccommendation I have read from a nutrient supplier.

I normally use between three and four tablespoons per batch; I always have.


Phil

[Jmattioli]

I normally use between three and four tablespoons per batch; I always have.

Phil,
I'm curious from a scientific standpoint. Since you use that much nutrients, What is the typical aging time that it takes for your mead to become "drinkable" to you. Also how does it taste as soon as it clears and does it naturally clear for you or do you use a clearing agent? Thanks in advance for your response.
Joe

[dogglebe]

Phil,
I'm curious from a scientific standpoint. Since you use that much nutrients, What is the typical aging time that it takes for your mead to become "drinkable" to you. Also how does it taste as soon as it clears and does it naturally clear for you or do you use a clearing agent? Thanks in advance for your response.
Joe

I don't even sample taste my meads until they're a year old (minimum). They always drinkable at this point, except for the very strong ones, which I don't make anymore.

I always use fining agents.

Phil