It is true that some beer does get better with age. When I brewed this braggot three years ago, I thought I had a winner but the end result was a little strange and deemed “yucky”. In this video, we harken back to a time where beer and mead hybrids were brewed with no clue about how they would turn out and if years of storage would elevate the braggot to be something worth tasting.
This Braggot’s History
I was inspired by Nelson Sauvin hops because they are supposed to have white wine flavors and aromas. I thought I could brew a braggot that used light-colored honey, light-colored malt, white wine yeast, and Nelson Sauvin hops and it would be a tasty little Riesling type beverage.
My brew date was in December 2014 and we tasted it for the first time in May of 2015. Since then, a few bottles have been sitting in my basement to age with the hope that the braggot would improve.
Notes on How The Braggot Tasted This Time
It was a fascinating experience to taste this braggot. Mike said the aroma had a grapeseed oil aspect and it seemed like it had white table wine essence.
It had a grape-y, honey finish and the body was some legs to it.
Did it improve? Well, it certainly had changed. The honey fermentation characteristics have taken over fully. There isn’t much beer aspects to it. If I were to brew this again, I would shift the percentages of fermenatables to be more malt-derived than honey-derived.
All in all, we challenged our palate and appreciated what this beverage allowed us to do, which was to refine our palette even more.
I still have a bottle or two left in my basement. Let’s see how it tastes in a few years. See you again in 2020.
Brew On!
Alan
Try boiling the honey to caramelize it, works way better in a Braggot.
John
Thanks – I may try that next time. Boiling honey has been discouraged in mead making but maybe I can try something different in a more beer-forward beverage.