3 replies to this topic

[zymot]

One of my favorite nonalcoholic drinks is Jamaican Sorell. It is such a sublime and elegant drink. Sorell is a tea made from hibiscus flowers, a touch of ginger and sugar. (Mexicans make something similar using the same hibiscus flowers) It seems like a natural to make a sweet mead with a unsweet sorell base.I can get fresh wildflower honey local. Ken Schramm warns of using wildflower honey. He gives a caveat emptor. In a different thread, scotts endorses wildflower honey for making mead.What should I look for in wildflower honey?Putting some ideas out for learned comment:Here is my first pass at an idea. Make a dry to moderate wildflower mead, using a moderate strength unsweet sorrell for the liquid. Ferment and age. Then add honey and/or sorell for the final balance.Would the wildflower be very prominent and clash with the hibiscus? Maybe it would compliment?(just a question) I know normally you would not boil honey, it drives off flavors, in this case it might be a good thing? (I know bees cry. wah wah buzz wah)Maybe orange blossom would be the better choice? I can see orange and hibiscus blending nicely.Any other suggestions, ideas, warnings or thoughts?zymot

[Matt the Mead Maker]

Would the wildflower be very prominent and clash with the hibiscus? Maybe it would compliment?

It's nearly impossible to say without knowing more about the honey or better yet, trying some. Did the beekeeper give an idea of what the predominate flowers were in the area at the time the honey was made? Have you ever tried the honey? If so, what did you think of the flavor? The local wildflower honey in NE Oregon is predominantly star thistle and I think it makes a wretched mead. I don't really care for it on toast, either.If the flavor of the hibiscus is mild, I'd really urge you to go for a neutral honey, such as clover.

(just a question) I know normally you would not boil honey, it drives off flavors, in this case it might be a good thing? (I know bees cry. wah wah buzz wah)

There's no need to boil the honey and doing so will keep you from being allowed into Valhalla. :)OB honey is always wonderful but I'd imagine it would steer you a little ways from the Jamaican drink you were shooting for. Maybe I'm wrong though, I've never had sorell.

Edited by Matt the Mead Maker, 04 May 2009 - 09:51 PM.

[Hightest]

The taste of Wildflower honey can be quite variable depending upon the nectar's sources - pleasant to very strong, perhaps even overpowering. As Matt noted the only way to ensure it may not clash in your intended mead is to taste it - I know this from experience. :)Lastly, boiling honey for a mead is typically not desireable. The process of evaporation drives-off subtle aroma elements, and by that same action concentrates non-volatiles effectively making flavors elements stronger, which in your case tends to mask the flavors you're striving to preserve...

[ScottS]

"Wildflower" is the name given to honey when the predominate floral source is not known or is impossible to determine. My wildflower honey will not equal your wildflower honey, and my June wildflower honey will not equal my August wildflower honey. Gotta taste it and see what you've got.My only experience with hibiscus in mead was a short-lived local commercial offering. It was supposedly based on an award-winning homebrew recipe. The proprietor told me that it didn't scale up well. In any case, I didn't like it, but I'm not sure if that's because of the hibiscus or because of the flaws in production.