Eh Buddy Hoser

TIL! TY!

Yes! Fall of '96, in a time of much brewing, I got a call from Tomas, "We've got this bucket of maple syrup that's gone bad, do you want it?" When one is a fermenter, one is ALWAYS looking for fermentables especially free ones. Turned out it hadn't gone bad at all, it was just a little foamy as it hadn't been finished processing, said my partner, who had spent many an hour in their Sugarbush in Maine. The initial plan was to make a maple nut brown ale, but a professional cautioned me, saying, "Be careful, as you'll be adding the flavor of maple, without the sweetness." And it started rolling around in my head like a Buddhist Koan, 'the sound of one hand clapping', 'the flavor of maple without the sweet.' So I made what came to be called Tomas' Mad Man Maple's Mead. It was darkly colored, tasting like a fine cognac and with bubbles. At first we called ourselves Brew Meisters, till we made and learned from some significant mistakes, and adopted the name Brew Novice Brewing Company to signify that there is always more to learn. Good times!!

TMMMM 1 1/3 gal. Maple Syrup 2 gal H2O Champaigne Yeast (the notes were no more specific) 1 tsp Yeast Nutrient 1 tsp Citric Acid