| Ingredients: | Modern | Medieval | |
| (for 1 gallon) | 4lb Honey | 4lb Honey | |
| 10 ml Beer Yeast | 10 ml Beer Yeast | ||
| 5 ml Yeast Nutrient | A bit more time in the first fermentation | ||
| 5 ml Citric Acid | Juice of 1/4 lemon | ||
| Water | Water | ||
| 15 ml fresh cold tea | About 10 grape skins | ||
| Spices (various) | Spices (various) | ||
Dissolve the honey in three pints of water in a large pan, using some of this water to rinse out the honey jars. Bring to the boil using any spices that you want to add. Be very careful as dissolved honey boils over the top of a pan even quicker than milk does. Pour this into a fermentation vessel and add enough cold water to take the volume to seven and one half pints. Wait until this has cooled to about blood heat (37-39ºC) and then add the citric acid, the cold tea, and the yeast nutrient to the vessel. Stir well and then allow to settle. Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 pint of water and stir into the vessel. Close the vessel and leave for the first fermentation. This should take about two weeks or three if you are not using yeast nutrient.
At the end of the first fermentation, rack into a jar under airlock and leave at room temperature for at least 12 weeks or until you remember about it. At this point, you will probably want to fine the stuff. I normally use isinglass wine finings. After it has fined, rack into bottles and it will be ready to drink. If you have any problems with this recipe, come and see me.
Gunnar's Viking Vengenance Ale Recipe
Five Medieval Food Recipes
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