This sweet heat mead recipe was provided by Josh Holbrook (former Meadmaker of the Year) and includes both the intensely hot Carolina Reaper peppers and tongue-numbing Sansho peppercorns – a cousin to Sichuan peppercorn, thus Kung Pao Cousin. It details fermentation as well as the making of the two pepper tinctures for flavoring. See our tasting notes on the mead in this Chop & Brew video. Kung Pao Cousin was the commemorative mead for the 2021 Valkyries Horn Mead Competition, a worthy content to consider entering for some world-class feedback on your meads.
Kung Pao Cousin
OG: 1.105
FG: 1.018 (achieved via arresting fermentation rather than backsweetening, see process notes below)
Ingredients
- 15lb basswood honey or other light varietal or wildflower
- 3.75 gallons water
- TOSNA 2.0 or other nutrient regimen of choice
- 8g Optiwhite
- 5g Booster Blanc
- 2g FT Blanc Soft
- 10 grams QA23 dry wine yeast, rehydrated with 12.5g GoFerm
- 1 oz medium plus toast French oak cubes (discard after primary)
- Sansho peppercorns and Carolina Reaper pepper (both to be added later in the process)
Note: If using TOSNA 2.0 nutrient regimen, it implies using Fermaid O. So, 19 grams Fermaid O total: 9.5 grams added at yeast pitch, 4.75 grams at 24 hours into fermentation, and 4.75 grams at 48 hours.
Fermentation Process
Dissolve honey into water. Add nutrients, Optiwhite, Booster Blanc, FT Blanc Soft, and rehydrated yeast. Add oak cubes to the fermenter. (No need to boil or soak in anything prior. Just toss them in.) Ferment at 62-65F.
Begin monitoring fermentation closely when gravity is in the 1.030-1.040 range. When gravity has dropped to approximately 1.018, place the fermenter in the fridge or chest freezer with a temp controller set at 32-35F. Let it remain at this temp for 5-7 days, then rack into a secondary bucket or carboy (leaving oak cubes behind in the primary fermenter) avoiding any lees while racking. Add sulfite and sorbate and kiesosol, place the fermenter back in the cold chamber. Finish clarifying with chitosan or other clarifying agent as needed. Rack into keg, carbonate to desired level (personal preference).
Tinctures Process: Separate Sansho peppercorn and Carolina Reaper tinctures
Sansho peppercorn tincture: grind 0.25 oz of Sansho peppercorns in a mortar and pestle. Add to an 8 oz mason jar, then add either a neutral spirit like vodka or a dry sack strength traditional mead as the solvent, just enough to slightly more than cover the spices. Let steep in the fridge for 1-3 days, strain out spices, let the tincture settle out in the fridge for an additional 1-2 days so that fine sediment can settle out. Then add clear tincture to the mead by taste, either per bottle or to the whole keg (be careful not to overshoot).
Repeat the tincture process with Carolina Reaper peppers. I usually use 1-2 peppers, veins and seeds removed. I prefer dried peppers over fresh as I find they contribute less vegetal notes.
Use bench trials to determine proper dosage rates of each tincture for the flavor profile you are going for. With these styles of tinctures, my approximate dosage is often about 3ml of the Sansho tincture and 5-7 drops of the Reaper tincture per 12 oz bottle.