A double batch made with clover honey. Added violets to one and raspberries to the other.
Ingredients:
One package of Windsor yeast was rehydrated at brew time. One package of Red Star Premier cuvee yeast was rehydrated at brew time.
September 23, 2006 - Honey heated in Eldorado Springs water to 160F. Kept hot for 15 minutes to pasturize. Cooled and divided the must between two 5 gallon carboys. Pitched the Windsor yeast into one carboy and the Premier cuvee into the other. The carboy with Windsor yeast got the rest of the Eldorado water and the boiled water. Premier cuvee was topped off with tap water. Both carboys were stirred and stored with bubble locks.
October 19, 2006 - Poured boiling water on about 10 cups of frozen violet flowers. About 11.5 pounds of frozen raspberries were removed from the freezer the day before. The violet tea steeped for about 30 minutes, and was further cooled in the refrigerator. It was a bit too hot when the tea was strained into a bucket. The batch with the Windsor yeast was racked onto the violet tea. We boiled a mesh bag with some glass marbles to pasturize. Placed the bag with the marbles into a sanitzied bucket. The raspberries were not totally thawed when they were poured into the mesh bag. The batch with the Premier cuvee yeast was racked onto the raspberries. The theory is that the marbles will hold the raspberries down and prevent oxidation. Both buckets were stored with bubble locks.
January 4, 2007 - Racked both batches
April 25, 2007 - Bottled both batches
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