While at a local brew pub in Munich I had the chance to try a beer-mead hybrid brewed by Mad Scientist from Hungary in collaboration with Varvar from Ukraine. Their double dry-hopped braggot tasted fantastic and was just so rich in honey flavor that it inspired me to try and brew my own. So after flipping through books, browsing online resources, and even talking to Mad Scientist themselves, I had finally gathered enough information to put together my own braggot recipe and get my hands dirty just in time for International Gruit Day. The intention was for this to be as true to style as possible: a beer-mead hybrid made out of grains and honey without using hops, but potentially being spiced with other herbs. Hops are convenient because they're readily available and provide both antibacterial properties as well as aromatics. To substitue them I opted for yarrow for its antibacterial properties, while for aroma I decided to use wild oregano, both of which I foraged myself. Given that a quarter of the fermentables were comprised of honey, its own aromatics played a key role as well, so I sourced honey made out of summer wildflowers from Moryson Ferments, a beekeeper and fellow homebrewer. Fermentation was done with a saison yeast strain which almost fully attenuated before I finally added the blend of wild-oregano infusion and honey to restart the fermentation. Since this was an opportunity to experiment, I also separated part of the braggot and added a potent infusion of acacia flowers to it to see if it's any different from the already floral rest of the batch. After three months of bottle conditioning this concoction poured a bright golden-amber color with intense honey flavor and floral aromatics that immediately shine through the slightly tart taste and suprisingly soft mouthfeel.