Fruits Of My Labor

Today I opened up a bottle of the first braggot I made. I know it's not really ready but I just couldn't wait the required two weeks for a first taste...I should have waited.

I was hopeful that the sweetness would mellow out the harshness of a highly alcoholic drink (this baby clocks in between 11-12% ABV) but that hope was short lived. Granted it does taste pretty good for being really, really young but after half a glass and the slightly woozy feeling that accompanied it, I know that it won't be ready for the fair. It'll definitely take at least a year to age out.

I will not be making anything with that much alcohol my next batch. I think something with an alcohol range between 6-8 would be good. I think anything higher I will have to make sure I have the room to store it for a year. This case will make it's way to the basement after I get home from work. I'll leave them inthe plastic containers until I'm sure there's no chance of exploding bottles.

My hopes for a showing at the fair have been dashed but that's ok because even from this early taste I can tell that in a year this will turn out wonderful.