{"id":2376,"date":"2020-09-13T11:56:28","date_gmt":"2020-09-13T11:56:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/suigenerisbrewing.com\/?p=2376"},"modified":"2020-09-13T11:56:31","modified_gmt":"2020-09-13T11:56:31","slug":"an-experimental-maillard-bochet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/suigenerisbrewing.com\/index.php\/2020\/09\/13\/an-experimental-maillard-bochet\/","title":{"rendered":"Maillard Bochet – An Experimental Mead"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In this video and blog post, I’m exploring the use of Maillard reactions as a way to produce a unique and tasty bochet (caramelized honey mead). A traditional bochet<\/a> is prepared using honey that has been heated until it caramelizes. The resulting mead will have flavours of caramel, toasted marshmallows, and if caramelized darkly, roasted and even burnt notes. Maillard reactions<\/a> are quite different – these are what give bread crust or a nicely seared steak their wonderful flavour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maillard reactions occur when a sugar is heated in the presence of protein, especially under basic (alkaline) conditions. The sugars react with the amino acids in the protein, and undergo a complex series of reactions, producing hundreds of flavour and colourful products. Maillard reactions produce a range of flavours including nutty, stone\/dried fruit, as well as caramelized flavours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maillard reactions are what drive flavour formation in Belgian-style candi sugar. Over the years I’ve developed a refined methods for making Belgian-style candi syrup at home – producing a product that cannot be differentiated by most drinkers from commercial candi syrup<\/a>. So I’ve decided to apply these methods to a mead, to see how this would change the flavour compared to a traditional (caramelized) bochet. If you are interested in my approach to making Belgian candi syrup, please see this blog post<\/a> and this youtube video<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The video that accompanies this blog post can be found at the bottom of the page, or at this Youtube link<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Recipe<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To ensure I had something to compare to, I replicated my Bourbon Bochet recipe<\/a> from earlier this year – going to the extreme of even using the same honey from the same bee hive. The recipe was simple, and straight forward:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The recipe for this mead is very simple. For 4L (~1.2 US gallons):<\/p>\n\n\n\n