I bottled batch 3 tonight, so I've got a chance to taste it.
Verdict: Interesting. Not bad, but not as good as I remember it when I first brewed it.
A couple notes:
- I used the bag to contain all the bits and didn't actually strain it before carbonating it. Concequently, there are little bits of stuff floating around. not a lot, but some. For example, the vanilla bean chunks are visible. I think there are also little bits of bark in there. Even after the bits have settled, the beverage is still kinda cloudy. Nothing big enough to get stuck in your teeth, though. This hasn't distracted from the enjoyment of the beverage at all, except visually.
- I used the nitrogen/CO2 mix. I think the tap-a-draft is good enough for carbonating beer, but not soda. Typically, beer is carbonated to 5 to 10 *mumble*s, whereas soda is carbonated to upwards of 30 *mumble*s or more. Every batch I've done in the tap-a-draft, no matter how many CO2 cartridges I use, comes out feeling more like 5 or 10 than 30. So, it's hard to tell how the N2O made any difference at all. I will say that what little head there is sticks around longer, like a nitrogenated Guinness. So maybe it did make a difference.
- The flavor is MUCH stronger than batch 1. This is in part because of using twice as much flavoring stuff, and also I think because I used only 2 cups of sugar. It's not as sweet (this is very noticable) and I think that makes the other flavors stand out more. I think I prefer it a little sweeter than this batch, so I'll probably stick with 2.5 or 3 cups of sugar in the future.
At first, with the chunks and the stranger looking head, I worried that some bug got in the tap-a-draft and contaminated it. But, after drinking a whole glass, I'm convinced that this did not happen. The tastes are exactly what I would expect, given the above analysis.
I'll be taking some bottles to our birthing class on Monday. Conveniently, we're signed up to bring drinks. :) (Don't worry, we'll also be bringing "normal" drinks. :)
Next up: Honey. We went to Farmer's Market tonight and picked up a couple pints of organic orange blossom honey, one of which is ear marked for the next batch. I think I'll either do 2c honey, 1c brown sugar, or 3c honey. The rest will probably be the same as this batch; that was a good mix. Although, a bit more annis; I can't really taste it at all. And, I'll strain it before carbonating. :)
Todo: