Autumn Spice Braggot

Not my recipe, but a darn good one.  Have you tried this? Made it, tasted it?  What did you do differently? Please let me know what you thought!

6.5 lb wildflower honey

2 lb Briess 2-row malt

3 lb amber malt extract

½ lb 120L Crystal malt

¼ lb peppercorns (not cracked)

1 oz Cascade hops

1.5 oz Hallertau hops

4 oz fresh ginger, grated

1 lemon, zest and juice

Wyeast Forbidden Fruit yeast smackpack

 

Mash grains @155F 1 hour

Add extract, Cascade hops, peppercorns and bring to boil

@ 15 mins add 1 oz Hallertau

@ flameout add ½ oz Hallertau and honey (I think I only added 5 lbs here)

Cool and pitch yeast

 

@ 1 week rack and add tea made from ginger, lemon zest and juice of the one lemon and another pound of honey

Racked to secondary in 2 weeks, onto 2/3 c honey in 1/5 c water

 

12/19/2009 SG 1.02 3% Balling 5-6

Not much carbonation.  Racked to bottles and keg with sugar water.

3/09/2010 Now it’s a gusher!  Watch the carbonation sugar!  FG 1.000.  Racked for competition.

As it ages, the pepper character becomes stronger.  I prefer it before then.