I remember watching the making of this. How fast a year goes. I gotta say, I like seeing you guys back in this room with the various libations in the background. It brings back memories of when I initially found you when I was searching how to make Mead. I love the evolution over the years.
Wanted to let you guys know I've been watching your videos for close to a year and finally got the motivation about 3 months ago to start brewing. You've created a monster. I currently have 4 brews in primary. Thank you for inspiring my new favorite hobby.
I made a very similar brew around the same time... I couldn't make a bottle last a year. Mine was just apple juice with about 2/3 bochet honey and 1/3 honey. I also ended up back sweetening with honey as well. The few times I've tried bochet I have learned that there is a bit of finesse with heating the honey. If you go slow it will just take forever and doesn't seem to bring out the caramel and marshmallow flavors as well. Hot and fast will almost guarantee a mess and burnt honey flavor coming through. That might not be too bad if it was more of a smoked flavor profile, but it isn't. I found a medium temp with frequent stirring works well, but it also takes 20-30 mins. Personally I've noticed rich brews tend to coat and can even feel thick at room temp. This is great for some brews. However the richness tends to cut through and go down clean when it is cold. This can make it seem more refreshing because of the great flavors combined with a cool washing of your taste buds... I feel like it makes more sense in my head then I typed it though
I have found that medium heat and constant stirring is a preferred method for me as well, with my kitchen set up. Plus the less time the better, I swear every bug in a two mile radius seems to be attracted to the smell of cooked honey.
@@gamesforyoutwo Guess I've been lucky with no big influx of bugs, but definitely a good thing to keep in mind. After all honey is sweet and everybody likes sweet things! ... even if we really shouldn't indulge lol
I can say , being proud for it, tasting my - aged from December 2019- burbon bochet, almost 3 days ago, was SOMETHING of a lifechanging experience (hence the cudos from 4 different friends who "happened" to join the occasion)..possibly that caramel bochet you made with so much love was undeniably terrific! It was your video at that time that made it possible, many warm thanks for the passing of ur knowledge to us 😊😊
This was fantastic. During the bottling, you really didn't seem impressed, but I think you mentioned that apple usually needs some age. Sounds like that was absolutely the case. I'll have to give this a try some time. Next on the list is a cyser but using most of your metheglin recipe.
I just watched this mead from the start to here. I'm really glad that I found this one. I don't care for beer much unless it has body and flavor. I think I will try my hand at mead and some of your other drinks. I'm glad I found your channel. Keep up the great work.
I saw your video a year ago, made something similar to this last month and just racked it last sunday. I wanted something christmas-ey for next year and since Tonka Beans are legal where I live I just added two of those to my 5,5 gallon barrel. It's already ridiculously amazing right out of fermentation and extremely sweet at 1.036, 10.5-11% ABV, so it's definitely a desert bochet, which is perfect for christmas. The Tonka Beans added this incredible Vanilla/Marzipan flavor that perfectly rounds off the remaining tartness from the apple juice I used. I can't even imagine what this will be like after a year of aging. I'm considering adding a very small amount of medium toast oak cubes for some extra complexity.
I have a Caramel Apple Pycer (pie-sir, get it? 😄) in secondary. I took inspiration from your recipe but made quite a few deviations. I noticed your honey was very cooked; so I went for 30 minutes on a low heat while constantly stirring. After tasting it at 4 weeks, it had a hint of bitterness that wasn't overwhelming. It was smooth but I'm hoping that aging helps bring out the apple more.
Just watched all 3 videos for the caramel apple bochet mead, Wonder if like bread toast, it gets nutty and flavorful as it browns, but as soon as it goes black & burnt, it develops acrid flavors. That even if you have a bite of a mostly nicely toasted bread, but get some burnt part(black)...the whole thing tastes off. I also did a small amount in a pan, noticed the edges burn first and that when I removed from heat, my pan was still hot and continued to cook the honey and it got much darker. maybe you burnt some to much instead of caramelized it, giving that acrid taste along with the toasted caramelized taste? I haven't done any bochets myself. but am interested in trying it and just stopping way early, Both leaving more uncaramelized sugar & less fully burnt sugar...hopefully a good amount in between those two points
I made a bochet time ago and definitely overcooked the honey, as the bitterness was too pronounced. However, after some research, I found that the honey has to be between 70ºC/160F and 110ºC/230F to caramelize, if you go higher, it will burn. Knowing that you guys like to understand everything that happens in your brews, I thought you'd like to know this info too. But honestly? Even that, your caramel apple bochet looks stunning!
Great job guys I’ll take your advice more often on scoring because I made a similar thing happen with my coffee mead I let it get done fermenting and tried it and it was nasty waited another week it was just sour and nasty so I pitched it didn’t even try to back sweeten but with things y’all score and try I’ll try to make the higher ratings because the coffee mead isn’t my thing may try it with sugar next, even the smell was very rotten
hmmm I know from watching your video's that by no way you are 2 are drunk but derica does sound a little drunk tongued I hope you didn't do a 3th tasting that day because then I think you might come close to tipsy... anyway yet again with these 1year taste video's you make me want to make these meads so I AM BLAMING YOU GUYS for making me want to buy even more bubblers to make more mead. also I started in september with an apple mead, ingredients are wild flower honney from a local beekeeper and sweet sour bio apples from a small local resident that has way to many apples. and even though its young I can already taste the potential and man its gonna be hard to let it sit for a year.... so I might ask some friends of mine that don't drink alcohol to keep hold of those bottles... anyway thank you yet again for an entertaining and informative video that I love.
Now you’ve done it!.. I have to go back and watch the previous videos on this! I was wondering if you would consider making another bochet, but perhaps caramelise the honey even less? And maybe changing up the ingredients a little? I’m thinking along the lines of a dried apricot bochet…
Pour cam and ice cubes clinking in a glass ASMR. Only thing to make it more cozy would be a low fire in the background, a ligkt crackle, and the occasional coal crumling from the logs. Good times...
scoring is so arbitrary in the first place, its all about how much you like it love the videos anyway. numbers suck, drinking is fun keep up the great videos!
Came for the mead, stayed for the ASMR. Just kidding! This mead looks amazing! I definitely imagined standing at a caramel apple stand at a county fair.
I highly enjoyed this video, was hilarious as usual and made even better by you both being a wee bit tipsy lol. I have to thank you both for all the many brewing videos you've made, I watch them pretty much every day and all the pearls of knowledge have been immensely helpful. I have made 6 batches so far this year, including your "My First Mead", the "Viking Blood 2020", and the "Sack Mead". Just bottled the Sack mead, and while its at a modest 12.69%, it finished at a 1.022, so its lovely and sweet. I don't think any bottles will survive to be aged as I like it so much! I've even gone and bought a Little Big Mouth Bubbler from Northern Brewer and had to use a forwarding company to ship it here in the UK as Northern Brewer don't do it themselves. Decent wide mouth carboys are hard to come by over here. One of my latest batches is an Acerglyn Cyser, with cloudy apple juice but its pressed, not from concentrate (no additives though). Do you think that will clear in aging or will it always be cloudy as its brewed from cloudy apple juice? Thanks again, you guys are awesome.
I've brewed a couple small-batch fruit-based "wines", which ended up as a high ABV beverage. Kind of what you described in your video. Where is the line in which a higher ABV "wine" crosses into a Port or Light Liquor territory? Though they taste good, I don't think they tasted like wine. More like an after-dinner dessert sipping liquor. 18-22 ABV. This gives me an idea. I might try a double Fermentation. Possibly start the batch with 71b, or D47, or (?) until it reaches 10 ABV (for flavor) then step on it with enough additional sugars and EC118 to reach and 18 - 21 ABV. Then age it, oak it, and put it away for at least a year. A small batch (4-5 bottles) that is put away for the holidays or special occasions next to the fireplace. The ABV should keep it good for a very long time.
Isn't the purpose of chilling a drink to cover up any flaws in the drink anyways? It doesn't seem surprising that chilling it would be better. I hope you all will try one more bochet at least, maybe a lighter one, before deciding to give them up for good.
Your comments regarding cinnamon reminds me of a PSA for everyone. Mccormick Organic Saigon Cinnamon sticks: if you think it's small enough to use, use 1/4 of that 😬
@@cormac3367 Cinnamomum cassia (Saigon Cinnamon) This is most often found on supermarket shelves as Saigon cinnamon. It originates from Southeast Asia. It's pretty sweet, not super spicy. "Most of what's imported as Saigon cinnamon is actually Cinnamomum cassia, grown in Vietnam," says Frisch. "Saigon cinnamon is a misnomer because it was actually the trading point - there is no cinnamon grown near Saigon." Looked into the different types and evidently it's different from ceylon, if I'm understanding your comment
Yup! Nailed it. Saigon cinnamon can add bitter notes which is not ideal from cinnamon. It's also mainly made from China while high quality cinnamon comes from Indonesia and srilanka
I made this recently and bottled it about 3 weeks ago. It’s already really good. After watching you tasting it and Brian mentioning the burnt sugar flavour, I deliberately undercooked my honey slightly. I don’t like the burnt sugar flavour and so I didn’t want it. I can’t taste it in my brew so I think I was successful. Even after only 3 weeks in the bottle, it is already so yummy, I can’t wait for it to get to a year already.
Interesting, so the spice didn't seem to pull through so far as to where I am in the video 6:49. I wonder if you had of kept the spice in, or even added more after taking it out initially, if it would represent a little bit more in the final product?
Have you guys tried making a mead + whiskey? or something like .. or on the lighter side half mead half beer or half mead half seltzer. Those might be interesting combinations at some point. I've made a bochet myself but mine didn't turn out as dark as yours , you may have cooked the honey a bit longer than you guys both prefer?
@@CitySteadingBrews The perfect answer. Can I just say it's so good of you to respond and so quickly too. Love the channel, definitely inspired me to create all sorts. The coffee mead may well be next. Thanks again for your help. ❤️ From Deal, Kent, England.
It looked over cooked /Bocheted honey to me. It gets more bitter the darker it gets. It's a fine line between medium to dark. I am doing this recipe with caramelized table sugar and honey and back sweetening with honey
Do bochets actually taste like caramel? Like for real? Or is caramel a kind of magic connoisseur word that means something else? Kind of like a drink having a body. But it doesn't. It has taste and wetness and such but not a body. Body means something else, thats relevant for the drink. So does bochets taste kind of the real word caramel? Or is it more like "god I wish this crap tasted like candy instead of roasted buttcracks, so I'm just gonna call it caramel"? Because if it tastes like caramel for real I'm going to make them forever.
I remember watching the making of this. How fast a year goes. I gotta say, I like seeing you guys back in this room with the various libations in the background. It brings back memories of when I initially found you when I was searching how to make Mead. I love the evolution over the years.
Wanted to let you guys know I've been watching your videos for close to a year and finally got the motivation about 3 months ago to start brewing.
You've created a monster. I currently have 4 brews in primary.
Thank you for inspiring my new favorite hobby.
Are you still brewing? Curious if it was a lasting interesting, or a passing one.
For some reason watching Derica slam that glass down made a long hard day a little better.
Love the cameo in the background from the red bucket.
I made a very similar brew around the same time... I couldn't make a bottle last a year. Mine was just apple juice with about 2/3 bochet honey and 1/3 honey. I also ended up back sweetening with honey as well.
The few times I've tried bochet I have learned that there is a bit of finesse with heating the honey. If you go slow it will just take forever and doesn't seem to bring out the caramel and marshmallow flavors as well. Hot and fast will almost guarantee a mess and burnt honey flavor coming through. That might not be too bad if it was more of a smoked flavor profile, but it isn't. I found a medium temp with frequent stirring works well, but it also takes 20-30 mins.
Personally I've noticed rich brews tend to coat and can even feel thick at room temp. This is great for some brews. However the richness tends to cut through and go down clean when it is cold. This can make it seem more refreshing because of the great flavors combined with a cool washing of your taste buds... I feel like it makes more sense in my head then I typed it though
I have found that medium heat and constant stirring is a preferred method for me as well, with my kitchen set up. Plus the less time the better, I swear every bug in a two mile radius seems to be attracted to the smell of cooked honey.
@@gamesforyoutwo Guess I've been lucky with no big influx of bugs, but definitely a good thing to keep in mind. After all honey is sweet and everybody likes sweet things! ... even if we really shouldn't indulge lol
I can say , being proud for it, tasting my - aged from December 2019- burbon bochet, almost 3 days ago, was SOMETHING of a lifechanging experience (hence the cudos from 4 different friends who "happened" to join the occasion)..possibly that caramel bochet you made with so much love was undeniably terrific! It was your video at that time that made it possible, many warm thanks for the passing of ur knowledge to us 😊😊
Glad to hear it! Nicely done!
I'm so excited to see this and try it myself!
This was fantastic. During the bottling, you really didn't seem impressed, but I think you mentioned that apple usually needs some age. Sounds like that was absolutely the case. I'll have to give this a try some time. Next on the list is a cyser but using most of your metheglin recipe.
I just watched this mead from the start to here. I'm really glad that I found this one. I don't care for beer much unless it has body and flavor. I think I will try my hand at mead and some of your other drinks. I'm glad I found your channel. Keep up the great work.
Great video as always. Love that you have the old background back 😁
I saw your video a year ago, made something similar to this last month and just racked it last sunday.
I wanted something christmas-ey for next year and since Tonka Beans are legal where I live I just added two of those to my 5,5 gallon barrel.
It's already ridiculously amazing right out of fermentation and extremely sweet at 1.036, 10.5-11% ABV, so it's definitely a desert bochet, which is perfect for christmas.
The Tonka Beans added this incredible Vanilla/Marzipan flavor that perfectly rounds off the remaining tartness from the apple juice I used. I can't even imagine what this will be like after a year of aging. I'm considering adding a very small amount of medium toast oak cubes for some extra complexity.
I have a Caramel Apple Pycer (pie-sir, get it? 😄) in secondary. I took inspiration from your recipe but made quite a few deviations. I noticed your honey was very cooked; so I went for 30 minutes on a low heat while constantly stirring. After tasting it at 4 weeks, it had a hint of bitterness that wasn't overwhelming. It was smooth but I'm hoping that aging helps bring out the apple more.
Just watched all 3 videos for the caramel apple bochet mead,
Wonder if like bread toast, it gets nutty and flavorful as it browns, but as soon as it goes black & burnt, it develops acrid flavors. That even if you have a bite of a mostly nicely toasted bread, but get some burnt part(black)...the whole thing tastes off.
I also did a small amount in a pan, noticed the edges burn first and that when I removed from heat, my pan was still hot and continued to cook the honey and it got much darker.
maybe you burnt some to much instead of caramelized it, giving that acrid taste along with the toasted caramelized taste?
I haven't done any bochets myself. but am interested in trying it and just stopping way early,
Both leaving more uncaramelized sugar & less fully burnt sugar...hopefully a good amount in between those two points
I made a bochet time ago and definitely overcooked the honey, as the bitterness was too pronounced. However, after some research, I found that the honey has to be between 70ºC/160F and 110ºC/230F to caramelize, if you go higher, it will burn. Knowing that you guys like to understand everything that happens in your brews, I thought you'd like to know this info too.
But honestly? Even that, your caramel apple bochet looks stunning!
It still tasted good too but that is great info, thanks!
Great job guys I’ll take your advice more often on scoring because I made a similar thing happen with my coffee mead I let it get done fermenting and tried it and it was nasty waited another week it was just sour and nasty so I pitched it didn’t even try to back sweeten but with things y’all score and try I’ll try to make the higher ratings because the coffee mead isn’t my thing may try it with sugar next, even the smell was very rotten
hmmm I know from watching your video's that by no way you are 2 are drunk but derica does sound a little drunk tongued I hope you didn't do a 3th tasting that day because then I think you might come close to tipsy... anyway yet again with these 1year taste video's you make me want to make these meads so I AM BLAMING YOU GUYS for making me want to buy even more bubblers to make more mead.
also I started in september with an apple mead, ingredients are wild flower honney from a local beekeeper and sweet sour bio apples from a small local resident that has way to many apples. and even though its young I can already taste the potential and man its gonna be hard to let it sit for a year.... so I might ask some friends of mine that don't drink alcohol to keep hold of those bottles...
anyway thank you yet again for an entertaining and informative video that I love.
Been looking forward too this!
Now you’ve done it!.. I have to go back and watch the previous videos on this!
I was wondering if you would consider making another bochet, but perhaps caramelise the honey even less? And maybe changing up the ingredients a little? I’m thinking along the lines of a dried apricot bochet…
We might, yeah. There’s just sooo many brews to make!
Pour cam and ice cubes clinking in a glass ASMR. Only thing to make it more cozy would be a low fire in the background, a ligkt crackle, and the occasional coal crumling from the logs. Good times...
I love pecan pie, so I probably need to do this one.
scoring is so arbitrary in the first place, its all about how much you like it love the videos anyway. numbers suck, drinking is fun keep up the great videos!
Came for the mead, stayed for the ASMR. Just kidding! This mead looks amazing! I definitely imagined standing at a caramel apple stand at a county fair.
Sounds delicious 😋
I highly enjoyed this video, was hilarious as usual and made even better by you both being a wee bit tipsy lol. I have to thank you both for all the many brewing videos you've made, I watch them pretty much every day and all the pearls of knowledge have been immensely helpful. I have made 6 batches so far this year, including your "My First Mead", the "Viking Blood 2020", and the "Sack Mead". Just bottled the Sack mead, and while its at a modest 12.69%, it finished at a 1.022, so its lovely and sweet. I don't think any bottles will survive to be aged as I like it so much! I've even gone and bought a Little Big Mouth Bubbler from Northern Brewer and had to use a forwarding company to ship it here in the UK as Northern Brewer don't do it themselves. Decent wide mouth carboys are hard to come by over here. One of my latest batches is an Acerglyn Cyser, with cloudy apple juice but its pressed, not from concentrate (no additives though). Do you think that will clear in aging or will it always be cloudy as its brewed from cloudy apple juice? Thanks again, you guys are awesome.
It could still clear. There’s no correlation of cloudy juice to cloudy brew :)
I've brewed a couple small-batch fruit-based "wines", which ended up as a high ABV beverage. Kind of what you described in your video. Where is the line in which a higher ABV "wine" crosses into a Port or Light Liquor territory? Though they taste good, I don't think they tasted like wine. More like an after-dinner dessert sipping liquor. 18-22 ABV. This gives me an idea. I might try a double Fermentation. Possibly start the batch with 71b, or D47, or (?) until it reaches 10 ABV (for flavor) then step on it with enough additional sugars and EC118 to reach and 18 - 21 ABV. Then age it, oak it, and put it away for at least a year. A small batch (4-5 bottles) that is put away for the holidays or special occasions next to the fireplace. The ABV should keep it good for a very long time.
Port is fortified with spirits, that’s the main difference.
Love the video. Just about to start on a Blood Orange Bochet since they’re in season at the moment. Hopefully I can make something of substance.
You could definitely tell the effects of the 18.5% ABV on this one.
Isn't the purpose of chilling a drink to cover up any flaws in the drink anyways? It doesn't seem surprising that chilling it would be better.
I hope you all will try one more bochet at least, maybe a lighter one, before deciding to give them up for good.
The purpose? Dunno about that but it all comes down to enjoyment. Drink it how you like it. 👍
Never been a fan of Carmel,BUT, I could see adding banana to it 😃👍🙏
Did anyone else just find out that Brian has a ponytail?? Lol. Love the videos, thank you !
Had it for months, lol.
@@CitySteadingBrews to be fair I have been watching your ENTIRE backlog in the past 2 weeks lol
I normally face forward :)
Love the Black knight shirt.
Thanks!
I did this recipe and when I racked to carboy it had aroma of ripe bananas…..but on taste Carmel apple with spices
Wow been 2 years since I've seen yall Brian you look amazing 👏 good job
Ice tends to mute less pleasant, more offensive flavors. Removing the few off flavors would probably make a great brew better.
gotta love you guys
Dark like an oloroso sherry, or a dark rum, from the look of it.
Your comments regarding cinnamon reminds me of a PSA for everyone.
Mccormick Organic Saigon Cinnamon sticks: if you think it's small enough to use, use 1/4 of that 😬
There's your mistake Ceylon Cinnamon > Saigon
@@cormac3367
Cinnamomum cassia (Saigon Cinnamon)
This is most often found on supermarket shelves as Saigon cinnamon. It originates from Southeast Asia. It's pretty sweet, not super spicy. "Most of what's imported as Saigon cinnamon is actually Cinnamomum cassia, grown in Vietnam," says Frisch. "Saigon cinnamon is a misnomer because it was actually the trading point - there is no cinnamon grown near Saigon."
Looked into the different types and evidently it's different from ceylon, if I'm understanding your comment
Yup! Nailed it. Saigon cinnamon can add bitter notes which is not ideal from cinnamon. It's also mainly made from China while high quality cinnamon comes from Indonesia and srilanka
I made this recently and bottled it about 3 weeks ago. It’s already really good. After watching you tasting it and Brian mentioning the burnt sugar flavour, I deliberately undercooked my honey slightly. I don’t like the burnt sugar flavour and so I didn’t want it. I can’t taste it in my brew so I think I was successful. Even after only 3 weeks in the bottle, it is already so yummy, I can’t wait for it to get to a year already.
Interesting, so the spice didn't seem to pull through so far as to where I am in the video 6:49. I wonder if you had of kept the spice in, or even added more after taking it out initially, if it would represent a little bit more in the final product?
I'm making this tomorrow. I have so many apples from apple picking im never going to eat.
I am making a bochet Cyser right now. I really want to add your metheglin spices to it. Do you feel that would over power it or perfect it?
Just got my hands on tulip poplar, goldenrod and basswood honey... any experience with any of those
None of them, lol.
When you are caramelizing the apples/honey, keep it under 230 F and you won't get the burnt caramel flavor.
I'd like to try it hot. Do you ever taste mead heated? I do have a batch I started a couple days ago.
We have done mulled mead, yes :)
Have you guys tried making a mead + whiskey? or something like .. or on the lighter side half mead half beer or half mead half seltzer. Those might be interesting combinations at some point.
I've made a bochet myself but mine didn't turn out as dark as yours , you may have cooked the honey a bit longer than you guys both prefer?
Nope. I keep my mead and whiskey separated usually :)
Braggot is a mead with malted barley and we did one a while back.
Before watching this I was going to fortify this with dark rum or malt whiskey but now I'm thinking maybe it'll spoil it ... cant decide 😕
You can always pour yourself a sample and make a little test cocktail, you know... for science!
@@CitySteadingBrews The perfect answer. Can I just say it's so good of you to respond and so quickly too. Love the channel, definitely inspired me to create all sorts. The coffee mead may well be next. Thanks again for your help. ❤️ From Deal, Kent, England.
Only a couple of "bottles "left of Caramel Apple Bochet - Put your name on one of them Derica !! :)
And hide it from Brian.
♥☺♥
Where did you get that glass
Came with the stones.
You used one cinnamon stick,whole clove and 3 spice berries
Makes sense we tasted some of it then.
Attempting my first bochet this week. I may try for a lighter bochet. Any suggestions?
Less honey?
Watch all of their bochet vids!
2questions. Do you guys like fruit cake and would you make it with this?
I guess so? It’s normally hard liquor though.
@@CitySteadingBrews true but this is so close that it might work.
Err maybe. It’s about 40% less alcohol content than hard liquor though.
USA sc
Not to take awsy from a gr8 video. But have you both been feeling well. And i appolize in advance. You look like you both have lost some weight.
Losing weight is a good thing, lol.
Well, we were fat… so asking about us in particular would make losing weight a good thing. :)
Was this oaked?
Nope!
Onions have layers like ogres have layers
It looked over cooked /Bocheted honey to me. It gets more bitter the darker it gets. It's a fine line between medium to dark. I am doing this recipe with caramelized table sugar and honey and back sweetening with honey
It really wasn't overcooked.... but everyone has their preference.
Do bochets actually taste like caramel? Like for real? Or is caramel a kind of magic connoisseur word that means something else? Kind of like a drink having a body. But it doesn't. It has taste and wetness and such but not a body. Body means something else, thats relevant for the drink. So does bochets taste kind of the real word caramel? Or is it more like "god I wish this crap tasted like candy instead of roasted buttcracks, so I'm just gonna call it caramel"? Because if it tastes like caramel for real I'm going to make them forever.
Pea-can.