Mead Lovers Digest #0136

eZine lover (@eZine)

Published in 

Mead Lovers Digest

 · 7 months ago

 

Mead Lover's Digest #136                            Fri 21 May 1993 

 
        Forum for Discussion of Mead Brewing and Consuming 
               John Dilley, Digest Coordinator 

 
Contents: 
  non-clearing mead (David Hinz) 
  Re: Mead Lover's Digest #135 (May 20, 1993) (perreaul) 
  mead w/red star... (Mike McCabe) 

 
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        mead-lovers-request@nsa.hp.com 
NOTE: There is now an MLD FTP archive on sierra.stanford.edu in pub/mead 

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Date: Thu, 20 May 93 09:03:21 CDT 
From: hinz@memphis.med.ge.com (David Hinz) 
Subject: non-clearing mead 

Gary Partain writes: 

- --- 
I've seen several notes lately about folks with mead that won't clear. 
I've had tremendous luck with some stuff called "Sparkaloid" that you 
should be able to get from your local brewing store.  Use the recommended 
amount in your mead, and within a day or two, the stuff should be crystal 
clear.  Good luck, and happy fermenting! 
- --- 

I've got a batch in the fourth secondary (whatever that's called, the 
pentiary sounds too much like a prison!) 

Anyway, it's still honey colored.  It's got 15 lbs of clover honey, and little 
else.  So, every two weeks or so I rack into another carboy (whenever I bottle 
a batch of beer, I sanitize the other 5 gallon carboy I have & rack the 
mead off the sediment).  now, I keep getting more sediment each time, so it's 
obviously getting clearer, but not very quickly! 

My OG is down to 1.006, started way WAY up there - couldn't measure accurately 
because there was a serious density gradient at the start of fermentation.  I'd 
guess 1.150 or more.  I bought some Polyclar (that plastic powder 
stuff), added the two tablespoons or whatever it reccomends on the label, 
it frothed a bit, but the polyclar settled to the TOP of the mead, rather 
than carrying the haze to the bottom as I thought it was supposed to.  So, if 
I agitate the carboy (slightly!), the top inch or two gets polyclar into 
it, it turns white, then the stuff floats back up to the top. 

I'm going to rack out from under it this weekend, probably, should it have 
worked that way, or what's going on? 

Thanks.... 

Dave Hinz 
hinz@memphis.med.ge.com 

 

------------------------------ 

Date: Thu, 20 May 93 13:50:30 EDT 
From: perreaul@egr.msu.edu 
Subject: Re: Mead Lover's Digest #135 (May 20, 1993) 

 
> 
> 
> Mead Lover's Digest #135                     Thu 20 May 1993 
> 
> 
>     Forum for Discussion of Mead Brewing and Consuming 
>         John Dilley, Digest Coordinator 
> 
> 
> Contents: 
>   Re: Mead that won't clear (Gary Partain) 
> 
> 
> Send articles for submission to the digest to mead-lovers@nsa.hp.com 
> Send digest subscribe, unsubscribe, or any other administrative requests to 
>     mead-lovers-request@nsa.hp.com 
> NOTE: There is now an MLD FTP archive on sierra.stanford.edu in pub/mead 
> 
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
> 
> Date: Wed, 19 May 1993 17:27:03 -0500 (CDT) 
> From: gary@wb9rxw.lonestar.org (Gary Partain) 
> Subject: Re: Mead that won't clear 
> 
> I've seen several notes lately about folks with mead that won't clear. 
> I've had tremendous luck with some stuff called "Sparkaloid" that you 
> should be able to get from your local brewing store.  Use the recommended 
> amount in your mead, and within a day or two, the stuff should be crystal 
> clear.  Good luck, and happy fermenting! 
> 
> - -- 
> Gary Partain                 | Here's to woman! That we could fall into 
> American Airlines, D/FW, TX  | her arms without falling into her hands. 
> gary@wb9rxw.lonestar.org     | 
>                              |                       - Ambrose Bierce - 
> 
> ------------------------------ 
> 
> 
> End of Mead Lover's Digest 
> ************************ 
> 

This is the first time I am trying respond. I hope it works.  We shall soon 
see. 

I saw the magic word "Sparkaloid".   Personally, I do not like using 
Sparkaloid. I taught my brother in-law  or assisted his interests in making 
wine.  He has made some great wine and has cleared it with Sparkaloid and I 
think it has altered the taste. I could be wrong but I refrain from drinking 
wine with Sparkaloid in it because to me it tastes different..To clear wine or 
mead sometimes takes just time.  Old mead recipes I have found even use egg 
white. I have even read to use egg shell, which I tried many years ago, it 
worked. I will accept any responses....Maybe other people have experienced 
differently with Sparkaloid. I would appreciate hearing or reading. 

------------------------------ 

Date: Fri, 21 May 1993 00:47:26 EDT 
From: mamccabe@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Mike McCabe) 
Subject: mead w/red star... 

I'm about to give it a go - the recipe'll be something like: 

apple concentrate appropriate for 5 gallons 
1 gallon wildflower honey (~11 lbs?) 
1/2 cup whatever tea I find - (jasmine...) 
cinnamon, cardamom, cloves.  (amounts?) 
2 tsp citric acid 
Red Star champagne yeast 
5 grams yeast nutrient (claims to contain vitamins and yeast cells) 

My goal is to have it ferment out (however long it takes) with a 
little residual sweetness.  Will I hit the mark?  Is there anything 
else I should toss in?  Tweak? 

This'll be my second mead and my first high-gravity mead - any ideas 
will be appreciated.  I'm hoping to reap a little wisdom.  Thanks, 
gang! 

Michael McCabe 

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End of Mead Lover's Digest 
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