Bochet Caramelization Experiment

[seth8530]

Hey all, I am currently planning out making a grainless Russian Imperial Stout (RIS) themed bochet. And one of the key challenges is how do I get the roasty flavor and dark color of a RIS without making the brew so bitter. My solution is to use layers of buckwheat honey caramelized to different points.

Often times when people talk about making a bochet they judge how Caramelized it is color. However, what about honey that is already pretty dark fresh out of the hive? This leads me to the conclusion that temperature and not color is a much more universally useful metric than color when gauging caramelization. Thus was born an experiment.

I took 1 cup measure of clover honey (thanks Costco!) and brought the honey up to temperature under medium high heat. Then once I hit my desired temperature I quickly took the honey off of the burner and added 1.5 cups of water. Once the honey hit around 230F constant stirring was needed. And also as many others have noted the honey expanded many times its normal volume (factor of 5 perhaps?). I followed this procedure for a range of temperatures between 250F and 380F in 10F degree increments. The result is shown below.

 

[seth8530]

Alright, finally able to follow up with some tasting notes.

Me and my tasting partner created a qualitative scale where we evaluated how how roasty, marshmellowish and honey like each sample was. The scale we created ranges from 0-10 with 10 meaning the sample very strongly embodies a certain characteristic.

Looking at our tasting notes we found that at 310F you get a good balance of floral and marshmellow flavor with just a bit of roastyness. We observed that 330F is also good and similar to 310F except mostly more roasty. At 350F we observed the onset of bitterness. However, it seems like a good candidate for the base of my Russian Imperial Stout mead. At 360F it tasted kind of like an overdone roasted marshmellow with some fun candylike toffee flavors. It might make an ok base for my RIS, but I feel like its a bit dangerous as far as flavor goes. Anything above that quickly becomes very dark and can leave a lasting bitter after taste. Not suitable for using as a base, but they might be very handy as an additive...