As a homebrewer, I'm always on the lookout for new and interesting flavors to experiment with in my meadmaking. When I heard that the Matilda Bay Brewery in Australia had discontinued their popular "Beez Kneez" honey wheat beer, I knew I had to try to replicate it myself. In this blog post, I'll share my process for attempting to recreate this unique and delicious brew, including the challenges I faced and the lessons I learned along the way.
Replicating Beez Kneez with Milo and Wheat Malt Extract
When I first set out to replicate Beez Kneez, I knew that honey would be a key ingredient. However, I also wanted to capture the unique flavor profile of the original beer, which was described as having a "sweet, malty, and slightly nutty" taste. To achieve this, I decided to incorporate some additional ingredients into my mead recipe.
My initial idea was to use Cheerios cereal as a way to add some nutty, malty flavors to the mix. Unfortunately, when I went to the supermarket to pick some up, I discovered that they were out of stock. Undeterred, I decided to try using Milo cereal instead. I figured that the chocolate and malt flavors in Milo would complement the honey well, and provide a unique twist on the traditional honey wheat beer flavor profile.
To make my Milo-infused mead, I boiled a small amount of water and poured it over a cup of Milo cereal. I then stirred the mixture until the cereal was fully dissolved, and allowed it to cool. Once the Milo water had reached room temperature, I mixed it with a large amount of honey and pitched a batch of ale yeast. I let the mead ferment for several weeks, and was excited to see how it turned out.
While my Milo mead was fermenting, I also decided to brew a more traditional honey wheat beer using wheat malt extract. This would give me a baseline to compare my experimental Milo mead to, and allow me to see how the two beers differed in terms of flavor and overall quality. I followed a standard honey wheat beer recipe, using the malt extract as the base for the beer, and adding a large amount of honey at the end of the boil.
Lessons Learned and Future Directions
As it turns out, my Milo mead didn't turn out quite as I had hoped. While the honey and Milo flavors did combine nicely, the overall result was a bit too sweet and heavy for my taste. It wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I set out to replicate Beez Kneez.
On the other hand, my traditional honey wheat beer turned out much better. It had a nice balance of honey and malt flavors, and a pleasant, refreshing finish. While it wasn't an exact replica of Beez Kneez, it was a tasty and enjoyable beer that I would definitely brew again.
Looking back on my experiment, I think the biggest lesson I learned was that sometimes it's better to stick with tried and true ingredients and methods, rather than getting too creative and experimental. While it can be fun to take risks and try new things in the brew kettle, it's also important to have a good understanding of the ingredients you're using and how they will impact the final product. In this case, using Milo cereal as a substitute for Cheerios ended up being a bit of a wildcard.
In the end, the most important thing is to have fun and enjoy the process of meadmaking. Whether you're following a tried and true recipe or taking a chance on a new ingredient, the joy of creating something unique and delicious is what keeps us coming back to the brew kettle time and time again.