I love elderflower: I really, really do. It's a nostalgic childhood scent for me, but it's also just plain delicious. Nonetheless, I haven't brewed with it since batch 015: strawberry & elderflower melomel, and this will not stand. This batch uses a lovely alfalfa honey from Beekeeper's Honey Boutique in Salida, CO, where we got to stop on a weekend trip to the local beer fest this summer.

Ingredients in this batch

  • 2.75 lbs Beekeeper's Honey Boutique alfalfa honey
  • 0.5 oz Brewer's Best dried elderflower, steeped in about ½ gallon boiling water for half an hour or so
  • ¼ tsp beer yeast nutrient
  • ⅓ batch Lalvin 1122 yeast, rehydrated
  • Denver tap water to 1 gallon

Process

Mixed this up on 8/30 with an SG of 1.092. I wanted to make sure the elderflower came through in this, so I used what turned out to look like a crazy amount once wet. If too much flavor ferments out--by golly, I'll dry-hop the sucker with more flowers.

It turned out the elderflower had stuck around well when I bottled this batch on or around 2/10/19. With FG at 1.000, the ABV should be about 12.2%. I am super looking forward to drinking this batch.