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Mead Journal: Racking the Chocolates
Dec. 30th, 2011 10:22 amOk, I have racked the chocolates, Was able to find the oaking on one that I put in. Wow that's going to be some really heavy oaking. I think it was in a month. I put oak in the other one. So now they are both oaked.
Predicablly, the chocolate is tasting like antaseptic and not incredibly chocolately. The chocolate flavor will come back as will the sweetness with aging. It may be a little less sweet than I want but It should be good. The color is just beautiful. Nice Brown that has a transparent quality about it. I may only end up with 5 gal each but it will be worth it. I plan on hitting it up with some sparkloid next time I rack it, which will be the final racking prior to bottleing. Hopefully I will bottle these two no later than march. That would mean that the earliest I would want to open a bottle of this is around mile hi con in 2013, fall that is. I really must do another chocolate with nuts and maybe some coconut. Hell if I am going to have such a long aging then why not put coconut in two. As I understand it both Chocolate and Coconut have many oils in them that need time to break down. But Oh, I can't wait to try these.
Didn't bottle the Blueberry Lemon. Plan on trying on Monday as I have this off.
Also plan on putting in the primary two of the Orange Blossum honeys. This will be destined for strawberry batch and mango batch.
In the Spring, I hope to be able to do another Blueberry, a Blueberry Vanilla for my friend Robz who hasn't had a decent drink in years and when it's ready to drink will be able to. I am flattered that he has requested a sweet blueberry for his choice. I plan on using some of the buckwheat honey for this.
Also in the spring I hope to start the Bamboo Jasimin mead, with buckwheat honey and orange blossum honey, what's left, I think of what I have now. This is for the 10 year anaversery of my Shinia club. Which by the time that comes around it should be aged about 2 years or so. Well and good.
In the spring I also hope to bottle the Rockbitter Trinary toast, making next year around this time or so when it will be aged. I should also rack the Pumpkin Hazelnut soon. It's been on the pumpkin aboutwhat 3 weeks? Or has it only been 2. Will need to check my own journal for that.
Summary:
Bottle Blueberry vanilla, clean 2 carboys.
So 4 batches planed:
Strawberry: primary on monday or a week later
Mango: Primary on monday or a week later
Bamboo Jasmin Primary in Spring
Blueberry Vanilla Primary in Spring
Carboy Juggling: BB=Brew bucket, 6 is a 6 gal glass, 5 is a 5 gal glass.
Current configuration:
Brew Bucket BB1: Chocolate
Brew Bucket BB2: Chocolate Mint
Brew bucket BB3: Pumpkink Hazelnut
Glass 6A: Blueberry Lemon
Glass 5A: Trinary Rockbitter
Glass 5B: Trinary Rockbitter
Glass 5C: Trinary Rockbitter
Glass 5D: Empty and Dirty
Monday:
Glass 6A: Bottle, empty and clean.
Glass 5D: Clean.
Monday or a week or two from monday:
Glass 6A: Primary of orange blossom honey (Strawberry)
Glass 5D:Primary of orange blossom Honey (Mango)
Febuary:
BB3: Rack off of Pumpkin, and Oak and Postasium Sorbate.
Late Febuary
BB3: Backsweeten, Buckwheat honey and Sparkloid
Spring-ish:
Glass 5A: Bottle
Glass 5B: Bottle
Glass 5C: Bottle
Glass 5A: Primary of Buckwheat (Blueberry Vanilla)
Glass 5B: Primary of Buckweat/orange blossum mix (Bamboo Jasmin)
BB3: Rack to 5C
(At this point I have BB3 empty)
Don't know from here. Juggling takes some time to figure out.
That is all for now.
Dave
Predicablly, the chocolate is tasting like antaseptic and not incredibly chocolately. The chocolate flavor will come back as will the sweetness with aging. It may be a little less sweet than I want but It should be good. The color is just beautiful. Nice Brown that has a transparent quality about it. I may only end up with 5 gal each but it will be worth it. I plan on hitting it up with some sparkloid next time I rack it, which will be the final racking prior to bottleing. Hopefully I will bottle these two no later than march. That would mean that the earliest I would want to open a bottle of this is around mile hi con in 2013, fall that is. I really must do another chocolate with nuts and maybe some coconut. Hell if I am going to have such a long aging then why not put coconut in two. As I understand it both Chocolate and Coconut have many oils in them that need time to break down. But Oh, I can't wait to try these.
Didn't bottle the Blueberry Lemon. Plan on trying on Monday as I have this off.
Also plan on putting in the primary two of the Orange Blossum honeys. This will be destined for strawberry batch and mango batch.
In the Spring, I hope to be able to do another Blueberry, a Blueberry Vanilla for my friend Robz who hasn't had a decent drink in years and when it's ready to drink will be able to. I am flattered that he has requested a sweet blueberry for his choice. I plan on using some of the buckwheat honey for this.
Also in the spring I hope to start the Bamboo Jasimin mead, with buckwheat honey and orange blossum honey, what's left, I think of what I have now. This is for the 10 year anaversery of my Shinia club. Which by the time that comes around it should be aged about 2 years or so. Well and good.
In the spring I also hope to bottle the Rockbitter Trinary toast, making next year around this time or so when it will be aged. I should also rack the Pumpkin Hazelnut soon. It's been on the pumpkin aboutwhat 3 weeks? Or has it only been 2. Will need to check my own journal for that.
Summary:
Bottle Blueberry vanilla, clean 2 carboys.
So 4 batches planed:
Strawberry: primary on monday or a week later
Mango: Primary on monday or a week later
Bamboo Jasmin Primary in Spring
Blueberry Vanilla Primary in Spring
Carboy Juggling: BB=Brew bucket, 6 is a 6 gal glass, 5 is a 5 gal glass.
Current configuration:
Brew Bucket BB1: Chocolate
Brew Bucket BB2: Chocolate Mint
Brew bucket BB3: Pumpkink Hazelnut
Glass 6A: Blueberry Lemon
Glass 5A: Trinary Rockbitter
Glass 5B: Trinary Rockbitter
Glass 5C: Trinary Rockbitter
Glass 5D: Empty and Dirty
Monday:
Glass 6A: Bottle, empty and clean.
Glass 5D: Clean.
Monday or a week or two from monday:
Glass 6A: Primary of orange blossom honey (Strawberry)
Glass 5D:Primary of orange blossom Honey (Mango)
Febuary:
BB3: Rack off of Pumpkin, and Oak and Postasium Sorbate.
Late Febuary
BB3: Backsweeten, Buckwheat honey and Sparkloid
Spring-ish:
Glass 5A: Bottle
Glass 5B: Bottle
Glass 5C: Bottle
Glass 5A: Primary of Buckwheat (Blueberry Vanilla)
Glass 5B: Primary of Buckweat/orange blossum mix (Bamboo Jasmin)
BB3: Rack to 5C
(At this point I have BB3 empty)
Don't know from here. Juggling takes some time to figure out.
That is all for now.
Dave