Denard Brewing

Better brewing through science.

Froach BOMM

From the bonny bells of heather
   They brewed a drink long-syne,
Was sweeter far than honey,
   Was stronger far than wine.
They brewed it and they drank it,
   And lay in a blessed swound
For days and days together
   In their dwellings underground.
-Robert Stevenson, "Heather Ale"

As part of my historical mead series, I'm brewing a Scottish Froach mead. Froach means heather in Gaelic. From researching the basic recipe, it seems mostly heather tips were used (with a bit of psychedelic fungus that grew on them) with some meadowsweet and sweet gale. Based on the poem, it would be a sweet sack mead. So that's what this mead will be!

Froach BOMM - 1 gallon
1. Add 1 quart of water to a French press containing the following:
-10 grams dried Heather tips
-2 grams dried Meadowsweet
-2 gram dried Sweet gale
2. Allow to cool to room temperature. 
3. Add strained must to a carboy with 3 lbs of Heather honey plus 0.5 lbs Acacia honey to carboy (SG ~1.140).
4. Add 0.79 tsp Fermaid O, 0.4 tsp Fermaid K, and 0.25 tsp K2CO3. 
-Add 0.75 tsp Fermaid O at 1.076 & 1.043
5. Add cold water to half gallon and swirl vigorously until honey is dissolved. 
6. Add water to 1/2 cup shy of gallon.
7. Add a smack pack of Wyeast 1388. 
8. Allow to reach FG. 
9. Cold crash until clear and keg carbonate so that it has a frothy head when poured.

Specs
SG - 1.140
FG - 1.020
ABV - 15.7%

by denardb on Aug. 26, 2017, 6:30 p.m.