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Mead Lovers Digest #0443
Subject: Mead Lover's Digest #443, 5 November 1995
From: mead-request@talisman.com
Mead Lover's Digest #443 5 November 1995
Forum for Discussion of Mead Making and Consuming
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Old Mead recipes (Ralph Snel)
SD area Club (Tom Nickel)
Re: Mead Lover's Digest #442, 2 November 1995 (Robert Wenzlaff)
Results - 1995 CDO HC (Fred Hardy)
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Old Mead recipes
From: Ralph Snel <ralph@astro.lu.se>
Date: Thu, 2 Nov 95 15:51:33 MET
Ok, so it's been a bit more than a week (almost a year to be exact),
but I promised to post some old Dutch and Danish mead recipes from
1616 and 1730. Anyone else that has some old recipes lying around?
More Digby?
The first recipe is from a Dutch booklet, printed in the Hague in
1730, with a large number of recipes for wines, distilled drinks,
liqueurs, and general tips to improve bad wine. There is one recipe
that tells how to make mead.
"RECEPT
Om MEE te maaken.
Neemt 90. stoop Regenwater, en 10 stoop Honing, die
schoon en wit is, doch, indien gy geen witte kondt bekomen, neemt
Roode die goed is, dat zaamen in de Ketel over het vuur gedaan,
en laat het 20. stoop inkooken, schuymt het wel, doet daar dan
in een ons gestoote Yrias en een paar handen vol Hop, dat moogt
gy alles met vier pond gesneeden lange Rozynen, in een zakje, in
de ketel hangen, beproeft dan met een Ey, zoo dat het daar op
dryft is het genoeg, laat het dan bynaa koud worden, doet het
dan in een Vat daar eerst Spaansche Wyn in geweest is, of ten
minste met een pint van dezelve het Vat toegemaakt, laat het
zakje met Rozynen mede zoo lang in de Wyn kooken tot dezelve
genoeg is, wringt dan dezelve zak schoon uyt, zoo bekomt de Mee
daar van een smaak als of het goede Spaansche Wyn was, doet dan
wat gist in het Vat, en laat het op een warme plaats staan, dat
hy wel uytgewerkt is: dit moet ten minste een half jaar leggen."
Translation/interpretation:
Take 90 "stoop" (if I recall correctly a stoop is a few liter, give
or take a factor two) rainwater and 10 stoop honey, which is clean
and white. But, if you can't get white, get good red, and put this
together in a kettle over the fire, and let it boil down 20 stoop.
When it's boiling properly, put in an ounce of Yrias and a few hands
full of hops, which you can hang together with 4 pounds of cut long
raisins in a bag in the kettle. Test with an egg, if it floats it is
enough (no "breadth of a groat" here), and let it cool down to luke
warm. Put it in a barrel that used to have spanish wine, or add at
least a pint of this to the barrel. Let the bag with raisins cook so
long in the wine untill it is enough, then squeeze the bag clean. Like
this the mead will get a taste like it's a good spanish wine. Then add
some yeast to the barrel, and let it stand in a warm place, until
it properly has stopped working: this should lie at least half a year.
And here's a Danish recipe, there are several in a cook book from 1616,
printed in Copenhagen.
(I'll put a 0 instead of the o with a / through it)
"XXIX Huid Mi0d at gi0re / den mand strax vil bruge
Tag en Maade huid honning / otte Maader fersk kildevand / lad detta
siude samman iiii. timer / oc skum det vel. Du maat icke gi0re den
formegit tyck. Lad den siden staa at k0lnis / Der effter leck den
igiennem en Lutendrancks Pose / met Orter / Caneel / Cardemome /
Galliga / Paradiskorn / Ingefer / lang Peber oc Nellicker."
My Danish isn't flawless, but I'll give it a try to translate it:
To make white Mead / that one wants to use soon
Take one measure of white honey / eight measures fresh springwater /
let this cook together 4 hours / and remove the scum. You shouldn't
make it too thick. Let it then cool down / Then filter it through a
"Lutendrancks" bag (mentioned in a recipe before, basically mulled
wine, with the following herbs:) / with herbs / cinnamon / cardamon /
Galiga / Grain of paradise (isn't this the same as cardamon?) / ginger
/ long pepper and cloves.
I guess it's implied here that you ferment it. But in those days it was
of course not necessary to write the obvious. The next recipe specifically
mentions the fermentation and the adding of a spoonful of "Gierd", which
I guess is yeast. It also mentions that after fermentation, the barrels
should be covered and aged for at least a year, after that it should
be racked.
I'll post some more Danish recipes later (if noone objects :). Any
comments/suggestions?
Cheers,
Ralph Snel
ralph@astro.lu.se
Lund Observatory, Sweden
------------------------------
Subject: SD area Club
From: tnickel@connectnet.com (Tom Nickel)
Date: Thu, 2 Nov 1995 10:33:22 -0800
Hi,
I'm a member of the AMA who is looking for fellow mead-heads in the San
Diego area. I was wondering if there was anybody out there who might be
interested in forming an informal mead club for drinkings/tastings/info
gathering. I work at a homebrew store in town-Home Brew Mart and have
access to dozens of varieties of honey. If anyone needs local bulk honey,
please just write, and I'll send you my list. I also have an extensive
cellar of meads both commercial and homebrewed. Anyone is interested in
setting up a tasting please contact me at:
tnickel@connectnet.com
I also teach a beginners mead class at the store if anyone is interested in
learning or watching how mead is made at home.
I have my brief instruction guide and a fun facts about mead sheet
available on email and will soon have these posted at my url site.
Keep the mead flowing,
Tom
"I've got a bad feeling about this . . . "
Don't worry, have a homebrew!
The Home Brew Mart 619-295-BEER
Tom Nickel (TNC, West Coast Office)
6219 Stanley Ave Apt. 5
San Diego, CA 92115
(619) 583-1314
tnickel@connectnet.com
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Mead Lover's Digest #442, 2 November 1995
From: Robert Wenzlaff <rwenzlaf@acy.digex.net>
Date: Fri, 3 Nov 1995 21:48:46 -0500 (EST)
> Subject: sulfites in mead
> From: Richard Webb <rbw1271@husky.ca.boeing.com>
> Date: Tue, 31 Oct 1995 07:19:41 -0800
>
>
> A friend and I are going to make a BUNCH of mead soon, in quantity so
> large that it rather overwhelms my small batch sensibilities. My friend
> is also hot to use sulfites in the batch, in order to insure no continued
> fermentation and also as a preservative. I'm not looking for a thread on
> to sulfite or not. Rather, I'm looking for advice on how to and how
> much to sulfite, and at what stage in the process. Is there anyone out
> there with experience at such a thing? Inquiring minds want to know...
If prevention of re-fermentation is all you're looking for, I've had
much better luck with potasium sorbate. It is a much milder tasting
preservitive. The sulfites don't appear to do a very good job in the
prevention of re-fermenting anyway. I've heard of several people who
have had carbonated 'still' meads even when using sulfites.
I believe the amount to use is 1/4 tps per gallon, but that's off the top
of my head, so check the package directions. Add about one week prior
to bottling - about the same time you do your final clarifying (if you
add anything to do that).
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------
Robert Wenzlaff rwenzlaffacy.digex.net
"Tok, Tok. Shaddi Bahbah Shamma Lok."
Visit My Web page: http://www.acy.digex.net/~rwenzlaf
------------------------------
Subject: Results - 1995 CDO HC
From: Fred Hardy <fcmbh@access.digex.net>
Date: Sun, 5 Nov 1995 11:23:30 -0500 (EST)
RESULTS OF THE 1995 CAPITOL DISTRICT OPEN
Washington, DC November 4, 1995
My thanks to Wayne Gisiger, Judge Coordinator, and Kevin
Anderson, Assistant Organizer, for their help in making this
year's competition a success. Thanks, also, to the judges,
stewards and entrants, and particularly our Best of Show judges:
Scott Bickham, David Houseman, Mike Lelivelt and Craig Pepin.
There were 216 entries. Winners are:
STRONG ALE:
1st Eng. Old/Strong Ale Nir Navot
2nd Imperial Stout Rex Saffer
3rd Eng. Old/Strong Ale Nir Navot
BELGIAN STYLE:
1st Sour Cherry Lambic George Griffith
2nd Belgian Strong Ale Robert Waddell
3rd Belgian Tripel David Houseman
BRITISH MIXED ALE
1st English Bitter John Dickman
2nd English Brown Paul Vezzetti
3rd Scottish Light Rock Roberts
ENGLISH-STYLE PALE ALE
1st Extra Special Bitter Gerard Filicko
2nd English Pale Ale Mike Lelivelt
3rd English Pale Ale Terry Rowell
AMERICAN ALE
1st American Brown Rick Gontarek
2nd American Brown Gerald Palombi
3rd American Brown David Kimball
AMERICAN MIXED
1st American Pale Lager Martin Stokes
2nd American Pale Lager Martin Stokes
3rd American Pale Lager Terry Sanderson
DARK ALES (PORTER & STOUT)
1st Robust Porter Mark Marson
2nd Classic Dry Stout Wendell Ose
3rd Brown Porter Kevin Anderson
PALE CONTINENTAL BEERS
1st German Pilsner Dan Litwin
2nd Bohemian Pilsner Tom Gaworski
3rd German Pilsner Rhett Rebold
VIENNA/OKTOBERFEST
1st Oktoberfest/Maerzen Chris Hamilton
2nd Oktoberfest/Maerzen George Fix
3rd Oktoberfest/Maerzen Craig Pepin
DARK GERMAN BEERS
1st Munich Dunkel Dan Litwin
2nd Doppelbock Rich Rosowski
3rd Munich Dunkel Mah Zaccheo
GERMAN-STYLE WHEAT BEERS
1st Ger-style Weizen Paul Harwig
2nd Weizenbock Rex Saffer
3rd Dunkelweizen Rex Saffer
NOVELTY BEERS
1st Herb Beer - Xmas Spices Mah Zaccheo
2nd Herb Beer - Jalepena Mike Westman
3rd Herb Beer - Ginger Nir Navot
SPECIALTY BEERS
1st Classic Specialty Rich Rosowski
2nd Specialty Beer Wayne Gisiger
3rd Specialty Beer Rhett Rebold
NON-BEERS - MEADS AND CIDERS
Best of Show - Traditional Mead Ed Iaciofano
2nd Herb Mead John Carlson
3rd Traditional Mead Fred Hardy
BEST OF SHOW:
Paul Harwig with a German-style Weizen
Congratulations to all of the winners!
Cheers, Fred
==============================================================================
We must invent the future, else it will | <Fred Hardy>
happen to us and we will not like it. |
[Stafford Beer, "Platform for Change"] | email: fcmbh@access.digex.net
------------------------------
End of Mead Lover's Digest #443
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