The Sous Vide MEAD: Bochet honey, temp control, and pasteurizing tutorial

[@DointheMost]

A very quick point of clarification: the bochet process does create trace amounts of complex sugars, but it does not appear to do so in amounts that would result in the final gravities and low residual sweetness levels claimed for so many years. And most yeasts can still chew through those sugars. The true culprit in stalled bochets is almost certainly hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). Grab your Vevor Sous Vide Machine : s.vevor.com/bfQv3n with code VEVORSALE5 for 5% off!

[@ememe1412]

There's a fine hair to split on this process. The sous vide process did not bring the temperature of the fructose in the honey up to the point of caramelisation. The honey instead underwent a maillard reaction due to elevated temperature and extended time it was subjected to. So instead of sugar caramelising (oxidative breakdown of sugar caused by heat), the honey went through a Maillard reaction, a reaction of sugar and amino acids with heat. Maillard reaction is possible at lower heat with extended time. Caramelisation needs to hit temperatures at which the different types of sugars would breakdown. In short, is this still a bochet or a sub-set of bochet?😂

[@austinhaacke67]

We just harvested honey from our bees and I get 3 gallons to play with! I’ve used the Sous vide to decrystalize honey, pasteurize brews, and even to “speed oak” as I call it. The process seemed to clarify and bring “aged” qualities so I thought, “Why not oak it?” And it seems to impart the oak faster. I’m looking forward to adding this technique to my tool box. Thanks from Utah!

[@larryreaux1970]

It’s been a while, but the soft rebranding is starting to really feel settled in, new set, new logo, new music. It’s fresh.

[@DointheMost]

Thank you, friend! Trying to keep things fresh as best I can as an old geezer.

[@reneaclark7689]

I agree.

[@eddavanleemputten9232]

Awesome! Now I have a low-effort to bochet honey! Thank you! I already use my immersion circulator for pasteurising, this’ll be its second home brewing use! My daughter is going to start saying I sous vide everything! 😂

[@jameskeal8957]

With the Vevor, it seems it has allowed you to do the ultimate dointhemost. And you've allowed your viewers to experience this process for their selves. This really is dointhemost !

[@DointheMost]

Thanks, as always, James! I’m doing my best here! 😅

[@mich9665]

This was a really great video, i have don all of these things individually, but never in a single mead. 🤘

[@DointheMost]

Time to get on it, friend!

[@ememe1412]

I've found that when you pasteurise like that, you will loose some of the pressure. Although the crown caps are impermeable to liquid, pressurised CO2 will pass through the crown cap. Unlike industrial flash pasteurisation, immersion heater home pasteurisation like you did will maintain the higher pressure inside the bottle for longer. A workaround is to use half champagne bottles that can hold 6 atmospheres easily and slow down the fermentation in the bottle by lowering the temp. Use a manometer for 29mm crown cap for the control bottle. Not cheap but this will tell you the exact pressure built up. 26mm crown cap versions are also available but I sleep better using champagne bottles that can hit 9 ATM during the height of 2nd fermentation before the CO2 is dissolved in the liquid. Pasteurise like you did at slightly higher the target pressure. Also, the control bottle can be chilled and capped and either pasteurised or just drink while you waiting for the rest to get pasteurised. Btw, after pasteurising, put the bottles on their side and wait a week or two...

[@yourmetalgod69]

I have been doing the pasteurizing for a while now and also use it for temp control for my Kviek yeasts in smaller batches(3gallon or less) they work great. finding he right size bin to do it in is a lot harder lol. I have gotten a lot of crap for using this method for both in Mead groups and defend it a lot because it works plain and simple. I am not a fan of chem stabilization so this is my go-to way of dealing with that issue. thank you for doing this video and for the coupon code Cheers from Montana.

[@topkekbieri]

I've been pasteurizing my meads and wines with Sous Vide for ages. Normally, I stabilize with the (for some) scary white powders, but when I make something for a friend or family member, I ask them in advance if they would mind those. If they do, and the drink's supposed to be sparkling I use this method. Got the thing for christmas a few years ago when I was still an avid steak eater but now that I'm eating entirely plant based at home (well, excluding the honey for my mead), this is one of the few occasions the sous vide stick gets whipped out! Never thought about using it for bochet-ing the honey... will definitely test that!

[@Charles-pg6wx]

Do you feel that pasteurizing this way impacts the flavor of the mead compared to using chemical stabilizers? If so, how so? Considering trying it myself as sulfites are a migraine trigger for a close family member.

[@DointheMost]

This is something I’m definitely curious to try an AB test on. You hear a lot about pasteurization temps negatively impacting the flavor of mead, but I’ve never tested it personally and I’m curious how much truth there is to those claims.

[@DominatorS89]

​@DointheMost so interesting! I think a number of European meaderies pasteurise as a matter of course. I'm going to do an AB test with a blueberry mead I've got in primary atm. Will split, then chemically stabilse one batch then backsweeten. With the other, backsweeten then pasteurise. The brew I've got has frozen berries, Blueberry jam and pasteurised Blueberry juice so that cooked flavour change is already somewhat in the brew.

[@justincunningham1412]

I did a pasteurisation triagle test with one of my trads, with me and a friend. Of a total of 6 attempts, i think we got 4 correct. But even then, one was not preferred over the other - we felt there was *possibly* a *tiny* difference in flavour, but not in a worse way. Would love to see BC and MMM do a triangle test since I think your tastebuds are much more honed than mine!

[@trevor8049]

Sous vide machines are awesome. Ive been making 3 gallon batches of raw ale in my kitchen with mine. Its a super quick and easy brew day.

[@DointheMost]

Well, now I wanna know more

[@trevor8049]

@@DointheMost I have a 3.2 gallon speidel fermenter. So I am also doing this no chill and no boil. Just make a hop tea. I have a mashtun that's 5 gallons. I just heat up 2/3 of the water to strike temp. Add that to the grains to steep. While it steeps I will begin heating the other 1/3 of the water for sparge. Once the initial steeping is complete, drain off and sparge with remaining heated water. Add hop tea and put in the beer fridge to chill overnight. Add yeast when cool. I tried this with bigger batches but it took a while for my unit to heat it all up. 3 gallon batches just works for me and my wife. We were having a lot of spoilage from 5 gallon batches. It's an easy batch to cook up on a hot or snowy day when I just don't feel like standing outside boiling and cooling.

[@thatjonguy103]

They are also good for decrystalizing honey.

[@dwadeweallin17]

Awesome video! I also like how you showcase a carbonated quick mead. It would be fun to submit a super young mead like this to a comp one year and then submit it the next year too with a year of age.

[@DointheMost]

OK this is a pretty interesting idea, actually. 😂

[@nexus3d5]

kveik is most awesome for sours and meads!

[@DointheMost]

Truth

[@nexus3d5]

i keep trying a cherry lime sour with kveik, using fresh bing cherries and dried lime peels. I can never get the lime to come through as strong as I want. It is good, but I want that Cherry lime fizz soda flavor in a sour ferment.@@DointheMost

[@summussum7540]

Love the plastic bottle tip for pet nat! I would be so paranoid about messing it up without that. Awesome vid. Awesome Bochet.

[@DointheMost]

Glad you liked it! Cheers!

[@ajohnson153]

I'd be interested in a taste test between Sous Vide bochet and the usual crock-pot or stove top. I wonder whether all of the sugars are being caramelized. Different sugars have different temps at which they caramelize. It would be cool to see if you're really getting full caramelization this way.

[@WarrenWorkman1]

Thanks. I've heard of people using a sous vide and have considered getting one. I think your video pushed me over the edge and I'll be getting one soon.

[@DointheMost]

Right on! I was always a bit dubious myself, and still don’t see myself making steak or anything like that using it. But it definitely has some worthwhile applications!

[@mitchelleersel]

Hoe long are you fermenting the most in the sous vide bath??

[@dominic_a]

I've been using an immersion circulator for cooking for years. Makes the best ribs, Thanksgiving turkey, or anything else. Recently started using it to pasturize. Appreciate that timing chart. Maybe going too long is why I've gotten so many bottle bombs

[@spanthrax]

why wouldnt you still use an airlock when using sous vide for temp control on the kviek yeast?

[@juts89]

Probably because the high heat creates a very vigorous fermentation that would blow out the lock. The c02 pressure should be sufficient to keep most things out with the foil

[@bucknash]

I'm finding the 3 gallon carboys to be a nice happy medium. I do primary in a 15 litre (4 gal) carboy with good head space and rack to a 12 litre (3gal) carboy for secondary. 1 gallon batches are a waste of time in my opinion. 5-6 gal batches are a chore to bottle. 3 gal is my goldilocks size.

[@justinprince8301]

Would the plastic bottle trick work with priming sugar/drop carbonation as well?

[@JeffDrennen]

Thanks for the video I have had a souvide circulator for some time, and was planning to use itmy pastorize my cherries for mead.

[@juliaharbeck774]

I am definitely going to do this.

[@laakins]

I didn’t realize you could sous vide with lids on the bottle or jars. No problems with that?

[@ericroberts101]

How did you decide on the time and temperature to bochet the honey? I’ve never seen it done this way before and is seems like a great idea.

[@iscariotpaladin5363]

question regarding the process I noticed that you didnt have a air lock but cap it with tinfoil wrapper is that because you were heating the water or does that actually not matter. Also for bottles with caps can you reuse glass bottles with twist caps you do you not recommend and stick with the flip caps for wine bottles.

[@robertsakal8239]

Gonna try this for the butterbeer mead recipe now

[@Dogstickfetch]

2:04 how long did you set that for? 😂😂😂

[@DointheMost]

😉

[@Dogstickfetch]

9:37 you're killing me dude 😂😂😂

[@nathantallbut3412]

So many times the items you post are not available or discount codes don’t work

[@OneImperfectSaint]

Omg. I've been thinking about getting one for a year or so. Now I have no excuses. 😂

[@JKPlantation]

This recipe would be great with some vanilla, like you stated, but also some coffee and a little lactose! Maybe some pumpkin spice to make a PSL mead 😂

[@DointheMost]

Well, now I’m thirsty! 🤣

[@DarkStar666]

I've done a lot of sous vide with steaks, seafood, and vegetables -- I have considered using it for pasteurization but haven't had a chance yet. This will help get me motivated to give it a shot because I love sweeter, fizzy meads (I usually stabilize, back sweeten, and keg).

[@WizzardIII]

Awesome, informative video! Thank you for hard work

[@NX-ez4xq]

It's my understanding that the bochet process destroys many of the aromatic compounds of honey varietals. Does doing it sous vide do the same or does it preserve more of them?

[@cm_carlito]

Been using sous vide for pasteurizing meads/etc for a while. Never thought of using it for making bochet honey (which could get messy real quick in a dutch oven). Even though after all these years using it for cooking, the thought of leaving the circulator running for days still boggles my mind... LOL Great video, as always.

[@sithyarael6807]

I have had a Sous Vide for a while now. I have two special containers one 1 gallon other is 5 gallon. They are cheap and have a cover that lets the Sous Video in yet keeps the steam going back in. Same idea as the foil you used yet designed specifically for Sous Vide. If going to use it a lot I highly recommend the specific containers for it.

[@rossk7927]

Hey, I couldn't tell for sure you were using "normal" al foil - I've found that "Heavy Duty" al foil a lot better at gripping and holding a shape.

[@DointheMost]

Smart! I’ll have to grab some for next time.

[@Floating-in-space]

Try using it for a beer recipe, been thinking about a soup vide for doing the mash, seems like it makes sense for controlling the temp! But I’d love to know if it’s worth it, before I go out and buy one myself

[@DointheMost]

Interesting idea, I’d have to do some thinking on how that would work - could be really cool for small batches.

[@justincunningham1412]

I do a sous-vide Brew in a Bag style mash for all my beers. It works fantastically. I don't even measure how much water I put in, just mash it for an hour, then during the boil I measure the SG and add or boil off water to get it where I want it. I only do small batches so it's super easy to do with regular kitchen equipment - no mash tun, no fancy brewing gear, I love it. So far my sous vide machine (Anova brand) has survived without issue, i just make sure I clean it properly afterwards

[@Lewindepartone]

I noticed you used sealed glass containers for the honey. I've always heard about honey expanding. Don't have to worry about this with this method???

[@FaewoodMead]

This video is awesome! Now I want a sous vide lol

[@DreNation090]

Quick question, does back sweetening change the alcohol volume of a mead. Say it fermented to being dry @ 15% alcohol. Should I backsweeten does the alcohol changes even through there's a change to the final gravity reading from adding a sweetener?

[@kr2186]

Simply put yes it does. You are effectively diluting your beverage with something that contains no alcohol. So knock half a point to a points of ABV. Trying to calculate it is pretty tiresome to do since when you rack it off the lease you are also losing some liquid/volume. Wineries just need to be within 2% for their ABV as well.

[@TigerPat_9180]

Really Enjoyed Your Video , Thanks ! 🐯🤠

[@evananderson5812]

I'm guessing this method will work for making your butter beer recipe. Everyone loves it, by the way.

[@DointheMost]

I bet it would, with some adjustments! Glad it’s a hit!

[@nathantallbut3412]

Sous vide is 75.00 discount code invalid

[@arghapirate2427]

I'm gonna do your recipe, thank you for always being an inspiration for me! I Got a couple of questions Did you de-gassed your brew before botteling? If I'm not mistaking, in primary besides co2 also some less pleasant gasses are created. I often use the sous vide for pasturisation, but it's also a great tool to temper chocolate. I once made a ginger beer in the past usesing the Pétillant Naturel method. I worked fine but some of my bottles had a kraeusen line. This made the bottles look less atractive. Do you maybe have some tips to prevent a kraeusen line in your botlles using this method? The only downside of your recipe for me is that I have my honey in a bucket and that I have to transfer it to jars. I can already hear misses Pirate yell because of the mess it will create XD.

[@-_-hi8964]

Fyi link doesn't work for me maybe cause I'm in 🇨🇦

[@DointheMost]

Probably so. Apologies!

[@-_-hi8964]

@@DointheMost All good brother. I found it pretty easy. Great price on the sous vide.

[@DointheMost]

@@-_-hi8964 hopefully the promo code still works!

[@spanthrax]

lower temp for longer is better for pasteurizing to keep the subtle flavors intact. you seem more impatient than risk adverse

[@TigerPat_9180]

Dang 😳, You Beat Me ,😂

[@DointheMost]

🍻

[@kyle-hb3pz]

Happy to see my cola company getting some product placement. It isn’t easy having a similar company name to Coca-Cola. I also don’t know how to Google.

[@DointheMost]

New Mexico Longhouse Cola

[@kjdevault]

Dude… I’ve had the Anova for years! LOVE it but don’t utilize it nearly enough!!

[@DointheMost]

We made custard in mason jars with this one - and it turned out great. I might be a convert.

[@kjdevault]

@@DointheMost try your roast in it. Do it a few days early. Cool it after cook then just sear it for a nice rate/ medium rare. Brisket with your fave rub, long, low and slow. Finish on the smoker to get your crust. The possibilities are ENDLESS!! I also use it to maintain mash temps for large grain bills. I can’t get enough!!

[@kjdevault]

And ping pong balls are a great insulating lid!

[@DointheMost]

mind blown

[@eddavanleemputten9232]

@@DointheMost - kjdevault is right. You can buy specialised insulation beads/balls but those are more expensive than the cheapest ping pong balls. Get enough to cover the water surface. If you’re worried about evaporation, add some foil, clingfilm or a lid over top. I use an old silpat mat that got a bit iffy as a lid over the ping pong balls. With a pair of scissors I cut out a u-shape the immersion circulator fits through and I cut the mat just a bit bigger than the pot so it rests comfortably on the rim. Because the mat sags a bit in the middle, any condensation drips right back in the pot I use for sous vide.

[@shannoncraig509]

I wonder how a chocolate mead would do with bochet honey.

[@DointheMost]

Maybe some toasted cacao nibs? I have a feeling my buddy Man Made Mead has tried something like this before. I’ll have to ask him!

[@DominatorS89]

'An arbitrary number' 😂😅

[@DointheMost]

😏

[@julietardos5044]

Nice Someone's legally obligated to say it.

[@blazewind]

"Hormel Chili Cheese Brew". What.... 🤢

[@BinManSays87]

That's the stupidest idea ever and I can only assume you did this to get a free immersion circulator. I only say it's stupid as I bet it's so wasteful (on power and up front cost) when you could get something like a TE-75 immersion heater which is a immersion heater made for brewing that simply goes in your brew and can heat up to 5 gallon at a time and also has a temperature regulator granted it's not as plug and play as to adjust the temperature setting you'll need to heat some water and check the temperature and adjust till you're where you want to be but it's got to be a better and cheaper option for brewing. Plus sous vide is a cooking technique not the type of the cooker but I hope you have fun cooking with your immersion circulator

[@DointheMost]

If only you had started with “well ackchually” this would’ve been a comment worth printing out and framing.