What did I make and how long to ferment?

Question

For reasons I won't go into - I threw together a bunch of ingredients to make something resembling a Barkshak Ginger Mead. I wasn't concerned with color so I used some non-standard ingredients. In the end I over saturated with water so the starting OG wasn't mead like. The list went like this:

Ingredients (wort): 1 Can Dark Malt Syrup 3 Quarts Honey 2 Large Cherry Trays (Pitted & Juiced and added after the boil) 2 Ruby Red Grapefruits (squeezed and put in the cherry juice)

Flavorings (made separately in 1 Quart Water boil - pitched just before the yeast): 6 OZ Ginger 2 Cinnamon Stick Saaz Hops (fresh - not pellets)

Yeasts: Belgian White Ale (liquid, refrigerated but 5 months old) Champagne (dried)

Starting Specific Gravity 1.054

So anyway, it is in a closed fermentation and is chugging along like nothing I've ever brewed before.

So the question is - do I let this sit in the primary for a few months like a mead or just bottle like a beer ? I'm thinking it needs to age out like a mead in the primary. If anyone has done something similar on a whim - I'd appreciate your advice.

Answer 1

Sounds like you made a Fruit/Spice Braggot. Malt / honey / fruit.

The OG is low and should finish out nice in a couple weeks if the temp is kept below 70°F

Should ferment much like a beer and be ready to drink in the same time as beer. Aging will melow and blend flavors more, but shouldn't need aging.