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Mead Lovers Digest #0519
Subject: Mead Lover's Digest #519, 21 December 1996
From: mead-request@talisman.com
Mead Lover's Digest #519 21 December 1996
Forum for Discussion of Mead Making and Consuming
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Specific Gravity (Richard Lutz)
label stick-ers ("Tom Lentz")
Label stickey stuff (Brian Ehlert)
Burping the Mead & label stick-er ("Murray")
Fwd: (Robert L Lewis)
Re: Mead Lover's Digest #517, 14 December 1996 (Tidmarsh Major)
Dry yeast suggestions sought, & grape juice v. commercial wine conc. (MKoop1@a
ol.com)
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Specific Gravity
From: Richard Lutz <lutzr@destin.nfds.net>
Date: Tue, 17 Dec 1996 15:01:53 -0600
other than being a constant of one on earth what specific gravity would
produce a good sweet mead? When does one measure this SPG?
My last batch cleared quite nice except for when I move the bottles quite a
cloud on the bottom, I would like to avoid that again, although i have yet
to taste the brew hoping to hold out at least a year. Thanks in advance for
any help
------------------------------
Subject: label stick-ers
From: "Tom Lentz" <tlentz@teknon.com>
Date: Tue, 17 Dec 96 10:34:13
The glue-stick method sounds good, but the easiest for me (by far) is
to buy a pack of Avery labels and print them out on my Deskjet
printer. I use Avery's "Label Pro" software for DOS, but I have
noticed that most popular word processors have the sheet sizes for
most of the common labels already built-in. Using a laser printer may
work a bit better, since the ink from an inkjet tends to run when cold
bottles "sweat" from condensation, or when left in a cooler with ice.
If you're going to use a laser, check your documentation to be sure
that your laser printer is okay with labels. Cleaning labels out of a
laser printer is _not_ fun.
The labels come off easily enough for me. I soak the bottles for an
hour or two in a TSP solution and then scrape the labels off with my
car windshield ice-scraper. Sounds like work, but really it only
takes maybe 5 seconds per bottle. The ice-scraper method also works
well for removing stubborn factory-labels on beer bottles (I use the
big 22oz ones, usually Black Dog).
I've been thinking of trying a device for removing wallpaper called a
"paper tiger". It perforates the paper every 1/4" or so so that water
can penetrate to help soak the label off. Anyone ever tried this?
Tom Lentz
tlentz@teknon.com
------------------------------
Subject: Label stickey stuff
From: Brian Ehlert <behlert@host.cass.net>
Date: Tue, 17 Dec 1996 17:38:37 -0500
I don't know how anybody missed it, but glue sticks seem to be the stuff of
choice with the milk based products a close second.
I have to say thanks to each of you. I managed to get nice labels. an
artist friend did the drawing and layout for mead. I figure it was a good
arrangement. Just waiting for them to get back from the printers.
Thanks,
Brian
------------------------------
Subject: Burping the Mead & label stick-er
From: "Murray" <Murray@ottawa.iti.ca>
Date: Tue, 17 Dec 1996 14:18:08 -0500
GREETINGS:
This is my first posting. I have been making home brew and wine for the
past year and feel ready to dive into mead. One question from my
research so far is: In still mead making don't you have to
de-gass/burp the finished mead before bottling in order to
de-carbonate?
I know in wine making this is the case, yet I have not seen this
mentioned in any of the instructions read so far. Doesn't all
fermented product have some post-fermentation carbonation?
Regarding label stick-er issue, add my vote to a simple glue stick for
effectiveness and ease of removal.
Any comments muchly appreciated
Murray Pinchuk
------------------------------
Subject: Fwd:
From: bobbylew@ix.netcom.com (Robert L Lewis)
Date: Wed, 18 Dec 1996 09:34:59 -0800
Subject: bottling
From: George Smith <smithg@panama.phoenix.net>
Date: Sat, 07 Dec 1996 06:22:40 -0800
It appears that the melomel mead I was brewing has cleared. Do I
bottle
it or do I wait for the S.G. to reach as certain point.
- ------------------------------
My 2 scents
Any Mead making book will tell you Clarity does not guarantee
donness. (Donnage?) What I try and do (when I have a spare carboy),
is; when I believe it may be time for bottleing, I rack the mead. a
racking will aggitate and oxygenate the dormant yeasties. If they do
start up again, better in the carboy that in the bottle. (I don't know
whats worse, cork rockets, or those lovely gysers)
They extra time in the carboy certainly wont hurt the mead. Leave a
tiny bit unracked for your hydrometer reading. Since I have read that
yeast interfears with the accuracy of hydrometer readings, you ought to
refridgerate the left over mead. This will cause the dregs & yeast to
fall, in two days you carefully pour the mead off the top & measure.
Depending on what type & how much honey you used, and the type of
yeast, you will have different finnishing gravitys. usually, meads fall
below 1000.
I once had a mead in the carboy for 14 months, it still shot corks
all over my kitchen. It wont hurt you mead to just let it sit in the
carboy.. Bobby Lew
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Mead Lover's Digest #517, 14 December 1996
From: Tidmarsh Major <tmajor@parallel.park.uga.edu>
Date: Wed, 18 Dec 1996 18:34:51 -0500 (EST)
In response to Dan Cole's lager question, our sourwood mead fermented
with Yeast Labs Bavarian Lager yeast turned out quite well. We used 1
gallon of sourwood honey, 1 lb of extra light dry malt extract for some
nutrients and 4 gallons of water. We boiled and skimmed for 15 mins,
chiiled, and siphoned/aerated onto the dregs of a batch of beer made with
the lager yeast. It's been in the bottle 7 months now, and is off-dry
with a wonderful honey aroma. Go for it.
Tidmarsh Major
tmajor@parallel.park.uga.edu
------------------------------
Subject: Dry yeast suggestions sought, & grape juice v. commercial wine conc.
From: MKoop1@aol.com
Date: Sat, 21 Dec 1996 11:20:56 -0500
Having had pleasant success with several sweet meads, I'd like to now
try a drier version of either a traditional mead or a pyement. Can anyone
out there suggest a dry wine yeast that does not leave off tastes at the end
of fermentation? Although I am prepared to age some of the batch, I see no
reason to use a yeast which requires aging, unless there is no alternative.
Also, how about some discussion or suggestions concerning the advantages
and disadvantages of using an organic grape juice with no chemical additions
as opposed to using a commercial wine concentrate. O.K., I know it's
porbably better to start with grapes, but I'm a bit lazy. I actually have a
one gallon batch going made with muscadines, a wild grape with huge vines
that grow up deciduous trees in the southern U.S. I'd like a tried and
proven method to use with a three gallon batch. If the muscadine pyement
turns out well, I'll do a larger batch late next summer, when they are ripe
and fall from the canopy again. I have my hopes up for the muscadines, since
the woods in Alabama are lousy with them. I also suspect that a combination
of the two methods may have potential. What do y'all think? E-mail and/or
MLD posts welcome.
Mark Koopman
------------------------------
End of Mead Lover's Digest #519
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