Specific gravity, that magic number that allows us to easily figure how alcoholic our brews are, or are likely to be; how sweet they may be, and something about their anticipated mouthfeel…lots to think about, with gravity.  I am making the assumption that a swift, efficient fermentation is best for [...]

This is an example of retroengineering to create competition documentation.  I don’t recommend it.  It’s true that when I created this recipe, which has always done well in competition, I took historical recipes into consideration.  I did not, however, take notes.  Back then I didn’t even keep a notebook.  When [...]

 When I first got this honey, it tasted like thistle looks – spiny, kind of hairy, very green.  It took a long time to age out (measured in years, not months), but once it did it was just lovely.  When it finally came of age, it was the best mead [...]

     My nephew Ross has been making cordials since college, but just recently knocked my socks off with this one and the Cranberry Cordial also on this site. Have you tried this? Made it, tasted it?  What did you think?      3 lbs peaches, pitted and quartered (I left the skins [...]

Have you tried this? Made it, tasted it?  What did you think?      16 oz. cranberries      1/2 peel lemon, scraped      1/4 peel orange, scraped      1.5 c vodka (I used white brandy)       1.5 c sugar syrup (simple syrup) Steep 4 weeks or until as smooth as you wish. [...]

What to do with a lot of brandy-soaked toasted English walnuts?  Let’s see…make butter brickle candy and coat it with dark chocolate, that’s what! Have you tried this? Made it, tasted it?  What did you think? The Recipe The recipe is completely and utterly modern. The ingredients all existed over [...]

I believe this recipe is of my own devising by now, though it started with someone else’s.  It was a favorite of my dear friend Elaine Koogler’s, known in the SCA as Sensei Minowara Kiritsubo. for 5 gallons       White Labs sweet mead yeast      20 lbs orange blossom honey [...]

This recipe is my own invention. I had mesquite honey, and was trying to match it with complimentary spices; it happened to correspond with teaching at a Middle Eastern- themed event.  This was the first mead I entered in competitions, and was a huge success everywhere I took it.  It definitely [...]

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 [...]