Dark Irish Bochet

This is a Bochet/Braggot version of a Guinness clone recipe (so a Braggot with caramelized honey). Some alterations were needed to balance the higher ABV. Brew will be aged/oaked 4 months before bottling "young" for St. Patrick's Day 2024.

Caramelize honey for 10 minutes at 240F (Soft Ball) with 1-2 oz lemon juice in a pot 3X larger than the volume of the honey (3–4-gal min). This will caramelize only some of the fructose, but it works for taste and color. Stir and monitor flame to keep honey volume in check during caramelization. Cool with tepid/warm water to make 1.5 gallons. Chill overnight. This will be added directly to the fermenter. Use a cheap/light color honey for this. The Lovibond is estimated, but the color will be nearly the same as dark raw honey (as used in the recipe). 11/5: had 9# honey so 2# was not caramelized on brew day (11/6) - it was added directly (used a dark wildflower honey).

Cold brew roasted barley overnight in 1/2 gallon of water (w/Campden). Chill before the boil and use for cooling.

Brew method is BOMM (Bray's One Month Mead) protocol using Northern Brewer's Big Mouth Bubblers (primary/secondary). Normally 3 step additions of Fermaid O is called for, but this rarely seems to be needed for braggots or melomels (IMO).

PH will be low (around 4), and aeration is needed during primary.

Out of primary, this is sweet and well balanced, but very heavy. FG is higher than expected as the program does not consider caramelization of the honey (FG 1.029).