my closet

German Dark Lager

Used Marshall Schott's "May the Schwarzbier With You" recipe from Homebrew All-Stars. Brewed with my father. Cold-crashed too early. Some bottles were sweet, some were purely bitter. I don't have his notes on gravity & temperature readings, but this was my introduction to homebrewing. Lesson(s) learned? Homebrewing isn't complicated. Even though the beer wasn't great, I wanted to do more.

Thai Chili Mead

• Referenced this video.
• 1/2 packet Lalvin 71-B yeast
• 1c black tea
• 2.5lb honey
• 1/3 c Thai Chilis
• Enough water to produce ~1 gallon
• Started 20250126; racked 20250307

Thai Tea Wine

• Referenced this video.
• 1/2 packet Fleischman's bread yeast
• ~8c Thai Tea
• 2lb sugar
• Enough additional water to produce ~1 gallon
• Started 20250126; racked 20250209.
• Taste: floral, fruity, bright, full-bodied, sweet, peaches?.

Lemongrass and Galanga Mead

• 1.25tsp Fleischman's bread yeast
• 1c black tea
• 2.5lb honey
• 2-3tbsp sliced lemongrass
• 1/2 chunk sliced galanga
• Enough water to produce ~1 gallon
• Started 20250307 (OG: 1.09).

Pineapple Mint Kilju

• Referenced this video.
• 1.25tsp Fleischman's bread yeast
• 1c black tea
• 1lb 5oz sugar (goal was 1lb 12oz (can of pineapple was 4oz carbs; was thinking of the 2lb sugar for tea wine), but I didn't have enough sugar).
• 20oz canned pineapple chunks in juice
• .5oz mint leaves (from what I had on hand).
• Enough water to produce ~1 gallon
• Started 20250308 (OG: 1.07).

FAFO: molasses

• Using an empty jar of pasta sauce...talk about a microbatch.
• 4oz molasses
• Coffee
• Pinch o' bread yeast.

Future brews?

• Coffee mead and wine; Starbucks vs. local roaster
• New Mexico chili + mango
• Lime zest, fish sauce, chilis
• Another batch of Thai tea!!!
• Coconut lime
• Fruit: persimmon, pear, orange, raspberry.
• Flowers: rose, hibiscus.
• Tea: the chocolate one, Thai green.
• Pine / spruce?
• From Make Mead Like a Viking, by Jereme Zimmerman:
  • Horehound Ale (chap8)
  • Odin's Golden Tears of Honey Joy (chap7) - cinnamon, allspice, vanilla

resources

Online:

• Homebrew Talk (forum). Topic: fermented beverages and foods.
• City Steading Brews (Youtube). Topic: mead, wine. This channel has become my go-to for brewing mead. Very informative; the people behind the channel talk through the process and reasoning for why they do things (which, when you're making your own recipes, is useful.
• Man Made Mead (Youtube). Topic: mead.
• Baekusaeng Makgeolli (Youtube). Topic: makgeolli (Korean rice wine).

Books:

• Simple Homebrewing, by Drew Beechum and Denny Conn. Topic: beer.
• Homebrew All-Stars, by Drew Beechum and Denny Conn (featuring many other homebrewers). Topic: beer
• Make Mead Like a Viking, by Jereme Zimmerman. Topic: mead, honey-based fermented beverages.

tbr:

• Uncorking the Past, by Patrick McGovern
• A Second Handbook of Anglo-Saxon Food and Drink, by Ann Hagen
• Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers, by Stephen Harrod Buhner
• The Well of Remembrance, by Ralph Metzner
• The Cheeses and Wines of England and France, by John Ehle

Botanical chart from Make Mead Like a Viking, by Jereme Zimmerman

Tannin

Black tea, grape stems + leaves, fruits, red/black/coffee beans

Malic acids

Fruits, particularly cherry, lychee, banana, mango, peach, strawberry, grape, kiwi, lime, orange peel, pineapple; carrot

Citric acid

Lemon, lime, orange, clementine, tangerine, grapefruit, rhubarb, sourdough bread

Tartaric acid

Avocado, cherry, grape, lemon, plum

Ascorbic acid

Rose hips, hibiscus, citrus fruits, berries

Yeast chart from Make Mead Like a Viking, by Jereme Zimmerman (abbreviated for my uses)

• Lalvin EC-1118/K1-V1116 - all around.
• Lalvin QA-23 - dry melomel
• Lalvin 71B-1122 - sweet mead, melomel, cyser
• Lalvin ICV D-47 - dry and semi-sweet; may need extra nutrients
• White Labs WLP720 / Wyeast 4184 - melomel