In this first video of a multipart series, we’re going to make both sparkling cider for summertime and applejack for winter. Bonus – applejack makes the perfect apple pie: Alton Brown approved! In this video we’ll brew up the basic recipes and talk a lot about process and basic science of yeast’s natural selection. Subsequent videos will feature the bottling and conditioning of the sparkling cider and the fractional distillation…
In regular Doin’ the Most fashion, we make turkey in a somewhat unconventional way. This deconstructed bird cooks faster and better than a whole bird. It’s beautiful on the platter and convenient for sandwiches! While it will require a couple of days of brining time, the wait is worth it. Turkey is tough to do right. Brining really is the key to getting a juicy, flavorful bird. Turkey is a…
This Irish-inspired take on mead is not green! Rather, it uses barley, heather tips, and elderflowers to create something truly unique and unusual. This is the first video in a series — we will also rack, fine, and bottle condition this mead. Part Two Video:…
Recently, on a trip to the super mercado, we stumbled upon Honey Bee Liquid in the honey section. Clearly not honey, we began to wonder what would happen if we fermented it into “not mead.” And so we did. Using EC-1118 we turned this sickly sweet fake honey into an even worse concoction. Laced with alcohol and still disgustingly cloying, the final product was not worth the $20+ we invested…
Making homemade mayonnaise is super easy and the science is super interesting. Egg yolks and mustard contain emulsifying agents. Check out this Wikipedia article to learn more about what that means. For eggs, it has to do with the protein in the yolks. We decided to experiment with using duck eggs instead of chicken eggs because they have a higher fat and protein content than chicken eggs. Our experiment was…
As we’ve started putting mead how-to videos on YouTube, each installment has certainly fallen into the vein of “doin’ the most.” But for the beginner mazer (mead maker), getting into the world of homebrewing should be a fun, creative, and fascinating endeavor. Complex recipes might be too daunting — discouraging even. For this purpose, we set out to build a beginner mead recipe compiled from ingredients that can be found…
Have you ever wondered if you could make homemade dijon mustard? You can! For our recipe, we chose to use a mixture of brown mustard seeds and yellow mustard seeds. You can also sub in black mustard seeds. Instead of white wine, you could use water. This project will result in hot, creamy mustard that’s great on sandwiches.…
Previously, we posted a video of our initial process making a “garbage wine”. By this, we mean a wine made from frozen fruit that would have, eventually, been dumped in the trash. Instead, we fermented it with some granulated sugar to make an easy-drinking, semi-sweet summer drink. In this update video, we deploy our fining agents, stabilize, back-sweeten, and bottle it. It is too early to have a good idea…
A lot of people have recently discovered mead – but it’s been around since ancient times (and before!). To help answer the question “what is mead?” we made this concise video about the “honey wine” that you can share with friends and family. If you enjoy this video consider subscribing to the Doin’ the Most YouTube channel! If you came here because you are a beginner brewer yourself, you might…
Have you ever heard of an oyster stout? How about an oyster stout mead? This brewing style appeared about a hundred years ago and has flowed in and out of favor ever since. Similar shellfish and fish bladder additions extend back through history. Rich, chocolatey malt and caramel flavors compliment the iodine brine of the oysters. For this recipe, we went down to the Asian supermarket, got some oysters, and…