What can I do with Mesquite Honey

[BoatShark]

Hi, new to the forum.
I used to make mead many moons ago. I was in Trader Joes and saw Mesquite and decided right then I had to try it in a mead. Then I realized I wasn't sure what to do. I looked around several forums and the only suggestions were a show mead and prickly pear melomel. I decided to make 2 1 gallon show meads, let them sit through primary and decide what to do next. I was thinking of adding mixed berries to both during secondary and then adding ginger to one and chipotle to the other.

Since I'm not familiar with the flavor profile of the mesquite mead I'd like to know what others think. Will berries taste ok with this honey and will ginger work? I'm guessing the chipotle will be ok, but not sure how much to use or if I should rehydrate the peppers or not?

1 gallon Show Recipe was:
3 lbs Mesquite Honey
Lalvin EC 118
1 Tsp Yeast Nutrient
OG 1.110
Brewed on 5/7/13

 

[SouthernGorilla]

Ginger works great in a mead. We just did a ginger mead with 4 oz of ginger in a one gallon batch.

As for the honey... I'm probably going to start a war over this... but I have yet to see any real difference in my meads despite using a variety of honeys. But I always use other fun things like coffee or berries or spices in my meads. So there isn't much opening for all the subtle flavors of honey to come through.

 

[Bluespark]

I have three traditionals going with three different honeys and they are radically different tasting.

You should be able to taste the honey and come up with decent pairings for it, for example I just did a carmelized rewarawara tropical fruit melomel. I felt the prominent flavour would stand up well to the fruit, and the caramel aspect would nicely complement the banana.

Often Ingredients from the same area work well together, and a delicate varietal should be paired with a milder flavouring agent. Light, buttery, fireweed I would not choose for a capsacumel, nor would I nessesarily put buckwheat with a more delicate flavor, like a dandelion mead. Our local, very floral, wild flower should pair very well with local Saskatoon berries in late summer.

 

[centworthy]

Hmm I can't imagine what mesquite honey would taste like. I got great advice from one of the seasoned pros on this forum when I was wondering what type of mead to make from an unusual honey. His advice: dilute a spoonful in some water (about a half cup) then smell and taste it. Turns out that diluting it removes the overpowering sweetness and allows you to taste and smell the flavors that will likely come out in the mead. I have found it much easier to decide what type of mead to make as these flavors and smells tend to guide me in a direction I may not have gone had I not done the dilution test. It's a great way to get creative with your mead

 

[Meadiator]

Just from the sound of it... I think racking onto lightly toasted oak chips and maybe some coffee bean would be a nice touch... Not familiar with "mesquite" though.

 

[BoatShark]

Coffee beans and oak chips sounds very interesting. How much of each would I need in a one gallon batch and how would I prepare them to be added to the must?

 

[MarshmallowBlue]

I made a bochet with that same Mesquite honey, the 3lb Trader joes for 9.99. Turned out Awesome, I have a picture floatingaround the mead picture thread, and on my blog in the bochet post.

 

[Meadiator]

Coffee beans and oak chips sounds very interesting. How much of each would I need in a one gallon batch and how would I prepare them to be added to the must?

As far as oak chips go, about eight oz. will probably be fine for a 1 gallon batch. I'd probably say anywhere from 2 oz. to 16 oz, depending on how much coffee flavor you like try experimenting with ingredient levels in both do you know what you like in the future. Keep in mind that you should only add this in secondary, not primary, and be sure to taste test and rack again where the flavor is at a stage you like. Take this all with a grain of salt, of course. I am by no means an expert in this field. Good luck!

 

[MarshmallowBlue]

As far as oak chips go, about eight oz. will probably be fine for a 1 gallon batch.

8 oz. of oak is WAY too much for a one gallon batch! A lot of people use 1 oz for 5 gallons. I'd start with 1/2 oz for a week or two and see where you're at.

 

[BoatShark]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I decided that I'll add 1/2 oz. oak chips and one dried chipotle and test it after one week, then add more based on the taste. I have some Jack Daniels oak chips for my smoker. I was thinking about rinsing them and then soaking in some JD to sanitize over night. Second batch will be 2 lbs. mixed berries & 1/4 oz. ginger, just want to compare the 2 flavors with this honey.

 

[LBussy]

Just to pick nits ... a mead with yeast energizer is not a show mead - that would be a traditional mead. The mead police are very picky sometimes. :cross:

Definitely taste it diluted as centworthy suggested. I've had mesquite honey and I liked it very much. Unlike SouthernGorilla I can definitely taste a difference in varietals and making a traditional mead is an excellent way to appreciate them.

SouthernGorilla, make a traditional with 100% clover and then one with 100% buckwheat and then come back and tell me you can't taste the difference.

 

[BoatShark]

Just to pick nits ... a mead with yeast energizer is not a show mead - that would be a traditional mead. The mead police are very picky sometimes. :cross:

Definitely taste it diluted as centworthy suggested. I've had mesquite honey and I liked it very much. Unlike SouthernGorilla I can definitely taste a difference in varietals and making a traditional mead is an excellent way to appreciate them.

SouthernGorilla, make a traditional with 100% clover and then one with 100% buckwheat and then come back and tell me you can't taste the difference.

Pickin' Nits is great - only way I'm gonna learn!

 

[MarshmallowBlue]

Just an addendum to nitty pickin nit pickers: If your yeast needs a charge, you can boil bread yeast in a bit of water to use as nutrient. And since it's still yeast, it's still a show!

 

[centworthy]

Just to pick nits ... a mead with yeast energizer is not a show mead - that would be a traditional mead. The mead police are very picky sometimes. :cross:

Definitely taste it diluted as centworthy suggested. I've had mesquite honey and I liked it very much. Unlike SouthernGorilla I can definitely taste a difference in varietals and making a traditional mead is an excellent way to appreciate them.

SouthernGorilla, make a traditional with 100% clover and then one with 100% buckwheat and then come back and tell me you can't taste the difference.

Oh my buckwheat honey in a traditional mead. I had a gallon of buckwheat and after the dilution test decided to go with a bochet. It burnt the barn yardness right out of it. Can't imagine how a traditional mead would taste with buckwheat, yikes

 

[huesmann]

Mesquite honey still tastes like honey. If there's a distinct flavor to it, I can't tell. I made my first batch of mead from TJ's mesquite honey. Turned out great.

 

[RachmaelBenApplebaum]

Coming from the southwest I've used mesquite a lot. I can say nix the ec-1118 and go with something less attenuative, D-47 is a really nice one if you can keep the fermentation temps down. Mesquite is also not so good bone dry but i've never aged any that came out dry to see if it improves. I'd say less aggressive yeast, good fermentation temp control, a good oak adjunct (American cubes are good for the Mesquite flavors) and a medium dry (1.006-1.010) to sweet finish is fantastic. I recommend a long and complete fermentation and aging on oak, then stabilize with sorbate/sulfite or sterile filter and bottle, then lay down for 6+ months, though with a medium sweetness it'll be acceptable around 3 if the alc% isn't greater than 14% or so.

EDIT:
I used mesquite honey for a roasted hatch green chile batch I did and it came out superb, the honey aroma lifts out from the glass long after the mead is gone, and the heat is flavorful and reminds me of late august in my city when there's roasted hatch green chile vendors everywhere and the smell permeates the mountain rain-soaked air. Sorry for the tangent, I love mead

 

[BoatShark]

Brewed the 2 meads on 5/6. I racked off one of my batches on 5/15, added 2 lbs of pureed mixed berries and 1 oz of ginger. Hydrometer reading was 1.004. Within a week there was a significant amount of what looked like spent yeast floating on the top. On 5/23 I tested for flavor - hot but not bad so I racked off to clean carboy and removed the ginger. I seem to be loosing a lot of mead every time I rack so need to look in to a filtration system. My second batched fermented a bit longer, wasn't ready for primary until 5/20. I added 1 oz od oak chips I soaked in JD and a large brown chipotle pepper, will check it in a few days. Forgot to take a reading when I racked.