Batch 6 writeup, Batch 7, Batch 7 writeup, Batch 8
...*whew!* It's been a bit too long since I've posted here. My last post was about Batch 6 which I made back in March! Real quick:
Batch 6 writeup
Batch 6 went to a LAN party where it got mixed reviews. At least one person (besides me) really liked it and asked for more (which is the true test of whether someone likes it or not.) Everyone else was very polite and said it was "interesting." I think I went a bit overboard on the ingredients.
Anyway, I brought it back home and finished it off myself. I liked it, but it still had an astringency. Talking with Dave from work, he suggested that I try dropping the pH the water before adding the sassafras. So, I picked up some food grade acid (Lactic acid to be exact) at the brew store and made Batch 7:
Batch 7
3 gallon filtered water (some as ice)
1/2 teaspoon 98% Lactic acid
1 box (4 cup equivalent) Splenda
2 vanilla beans
4oz Sassafras root bark
Boil 1 gallon of the water. Add the lactic acid and Splenda, make sure it dissolves all the way. Cut and gut the vanilla beans, add to water (guts, husks and all). Put the sassafras in a grain bag and steep in boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove the grain bag and vanilla bean husks. Add some ice to bring the temp down so you don't burn yourself. Put mixture in a sanitized keg, top of with remaining water. Put in the keggerator, pressurize to 20psi, burp, and let carb for a week or two. Slowly drop pressure to about 12 psi, then bottle into cold bottles and cap. This batch ended up making 24 12oz bottles.
Batch 7 writeup
Note that this was a sugar free batch at the request of my diabetic parents. I personally can't stand sugar substitutes, so I didn't like this batch. But my folks seem to like it, so that's good. I went very minimalistic on the ingredients, after batch 6. There are still a bunch of bottles of this floating around my folks' house.
When I got home from my folks' house this weekend (it was their 140th birthday party (they both turn 70 this year)), I decided to make a batch for myself this time. My favorite batch so far has been batch 5, I think because it was made from Honey. So, I decided to make another Honey batch:
Batch 8
3 gallon filtered water (some as ice)
1/2 teaspoon 98% Lactic acid
3lbs or 6cups of Organic, locally made Avocado blossom honey.
2 vanilla beans
4oz Sassafras root bark
Boil 1 gallon of the water. Add the lactic acid and honey, make sure it dissolves all the way. The honey will sink to the bottom and burn if you don't dissolve it quickly and completely. Cut and gut the vanilla beans, add to water (guts, husks and all). Put the sassafras in a grain bag and steep in boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove the grain bag and vanilla bean husks. Add some ice to bring the temp down so you don't burn yourself. Put mixture in a sanitized keg, top of with remaining water. Put in the keggerator, pressurize to 20psi, burp, and let carb for a week or two.
I just made this batch today, so I haven't bottled it yet (obviously.) It's currently carbing. I will say that just the honey and vanilla bean water tasted _FANTASTIC_, and after adding the sassafras, it was even better. I'm _REALLY_ looking forward to this batch.