Maple Mead anyone????

Anyone tried Maple?

I've googled a few recipes and haven't come across my experiment yet.

I started a 5 gal batch with 13 lbs of clover honey, pack of energizer and the remainder is about 25 brix maple sap...( sap 1/2 boiled down to syrup), 1122 yeast.

I didn't take a OG reading, mostly because i started the batch at 2 1/2 gallons because i didn't have enough sap and didn't want my sap to spoil. Later got some sap from a local syrup maker to top up.

Any predictions on how it will taste?

I'm sure it's going to have a maple flavor, just a Qn of how much. Most of my meads i use about 16 lbs of honey , the unknown is how much equivilant suger was in 5 gal of 25 brix syrup?

Any takers to figure that one out?:s

I have read in the forums somewhere that it takes a REAL long time to mellow out.... But when it does, it is pretty good. It might have been at gotmead.com I dont remember

I've had it in beer and love it. "Tommy Knockers Maple Nut Brown" is some fine ale. They actually filter out the yeast and add the maple @ the end so its not used as a fermentable but sure is good.
I bet that mead would bee great w/ a maple flavor in it. Good luck!!!!

i'll guess you wont taste anything but maple.

if you added it at the end, you better make sure your yeast is killed off, or you will get a second round of fermentation. And if it is bottled, either bubbly mead or lots of cleaning up sticky broken glass!:doh:

It was added 5 days after initial pitch. No worries.

I did some pear in the fall, haven't tasted since around christmas...but it had a bit of a strong twang to it....hope it comes around.

I was just talking with someone about weather Maple Mead would work well... Let us know when you move to taste testing.

will do:thumbsup:

I've made a maple wine using grade B dark maple syrup from PA. It was a nice curiousity item but not worth keeping around. It was better young. I am not up on my brewing terms but it got more chemically tasting as it aged. If it matters the syrup was made thru reverse osmosis and boiling.

If the taste vs age pattern is the norm for this style, mixing with honey to ferment presents some problems. My experience is that meads taste better with time.

I do plan on making a batch of maple mead, with about half of C6H6O12 from each. I plan on using the darker syrups again to add flavor.

If anyone ever comes for breakfast I'll be happy to open a bottle to share.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by nursebee

I've made a maple wine using grade B dark maple syrup from PA. It was a nice curiousity item but not worth keeping around. It was better young. I am not up on my brewing terms but it got more chemically tasting as it aged. If it matters the syrup was made thru reverse osmosis and boiling.

If the taste vs age pattern is the norm for this style, mixing with honey to ferment presents some problems. My experience is that meads taste better with time.

I do plan on making a batch of maple mead, with about half of C6H6O12 from each. I plan on using the darker syrups again to add flavor.

If anyone ever comes for breakfast I'll be happy to open a bottle to share.

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Grade B is the way to go, more flavor, and cheaper.

the chemical taste, nail polish remover maybe? solvent tasting?
most cases with off flavors with mead are fermentation temperature related, most people ferment to high, keep it between 65-72F
here is a link to a handy print out of off flavors.
http://www.bjcp.org/docs/Beer_faults.pdf

OP:

I have made a batch of acerglyn, or maple mead, here are my suggestions.

use grade b syrup
use 3-4 lbs per gallon
use only syrup, no honey or fresh sap.
double up on your yeast and nutrient

I know I'm bringing out an old thread, but I'm new to the forum and doing some reading...

I've done two different variations on Maple Mead. Being in Vermont we're big on both bees and trees, so I'm in the right area.

The first batch I did was a simple dry mead that I let complete and sweetened with a touch of grade B maple syrup (1/2 cup per gallon dry mead). It's a sweet, flavorful mead that is one of my wife's favorites. Another batch I've got running is pure sap (would be grade B) boiled down 50% and mixed with 3 lbs honey/gallon. It's still sitting, but the first rack gave me a little taste, and it's pretty good! Not as sweet or as strong a maple taste as the first try, which I personally like better: Just enough maple to know it's there.

Maple's a funny one. I've always wanted to tap some sap and use it as the water for a mead in the hopes of retaining some aromatics, which naturally boiled off hours ago in processed sap.

just polished off a glass of "acerglyn", 0% honey, just maple syrup, maple mead has honey in it. just bottled it and have some left overs, it may be green but it is good! but I do look forward to using my own honey someday for mead.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by pelz

just polished off a glass of "acerglyn", 0% honey, just maple syrup, maple mead has honey in it. just bottled it and have some left overs, it may be green but it is good! but I do look forward to using my own honey someday for mead.

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I just bottled my second batch of maple wine (acerglyn). I have trees, so this was from my own sap boiled down, no sugars added. (I did add yeast nutrient for the ferment.) It has its own unique flavor (not overly maple-y), and I'm savoring my first gallon. I've read it takes a long time to come into its own, so I plan on cellaring this for 18+months before testing.

I really like the idea of diluting my honey with sap for a mead. I'll have to try that next spring.