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Mead Lovers Digest #0575
Subject: Mead Lover's Digest #575, 28 June 1997
From: mead-request@talisman.com
Mead Lover's Digest #575 28 June 1997
Forum for Discussion of Mead Making and Consuming
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Strawberrys \ Wyeast Sweet Mead \ Maple honey (Jason Henning)
Mead & religion ?!? (David Crafts)
Request for a rhubarb melomel recipe (SNAFUCAT@aol.com)
Lingonberries (Ann Sheffield)
(Matt Maples)
Acid, ph, and more ... (jbrangan)
NOTE: Digest only appears when there is enough material to send one.
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Subject: Strawberrys \ Wyeast Sweet Mead \ Maple honey
From: Jason Henning <huskers@cco.net>
Date: Mon, 23 Jun 1997 13:21:40 -0700
Hello friends-
Someone asked if f lat of stawberries was too much to put in a 5 gallon
batch. A couple of posts said that it wasn't too much and I got the
feeling that even more could be used. Is a flat and a half to much? 2
flats? I love stawberries and they're in season so this one is going to
get made soon.
I've got #12 of blackberry honey with 2 1/2 gallons of water. OG was
about 1.100 and after three weeks, the Wyeast Sweet mead was able to
ferment this baby all the way down to 1.070. I'm bottling it tonight,
just kidding. But seriously, I've used this yeast twice and it has
sucked twice. Have others had problems with it? Does it need some extra
attention, like lots of aeration or nutrient? I think I'll stay with
1056 American ale for sweet meads. It kinda slow to drop out but does
finish a wisker lower than 1.070, like 1.015
I was a the farmer's market and came across some maple honey. This was
some terrific stuff. Sorta mint or menthol flavor. Because of the rain,
the maple honey production suffers so I might not be able to #12 this
year. Does this honey make good mead? I remember someone saying tree
honeys don't make very good mead. After tasting this honey, it just
doesn't seem like it can be true.
Cheers,
Jason Henning (huskers@cco.net)
Big Red Alchemy and Brewing
Olympia, Washington - "It's the water"
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Subject: Mead & religion ?!?
From: David Crafts <alchemy@mindspring.com>
Date: Mon, 23 Jun 97 20:48:30 -0000
As you may have figured out from the subject header, this isn't a post
about recipes or techniques. It's about a rather odd experience I had
recently, one that may be amusing to some, disturbing to others.
Probably a mixture of both.
Been brewing mead for over five years now, down in the Atlanta area. OK,
fine. Just switched to a different water supplier, and had a
conversation with the spring owner. Found out that he was interested in
what I was planning to do with his product (i.e., mix with honey, twigs,
nuts, berries and hold over an open flame for a long time). OK, fine.
Strike a deal to exchange spring water for mead. Leave the bottles out
on the porch for the route driver(s) to pick up when they come by to drop
off the water. OK, fine. I'm actually at home when the drop-off/pick-up
happens, so I end up fielding some questions about the mead.
Q1: "Does it make your body numb?" Ummm....I guess it *could*, if you
drank enough of it. I've always described the buzz as being akin to
having the back of your skull wrapped in vibrating velvet, but I suppose
"numb" could be used as a descriptor. On a bad day. After a bad bottle
of skunkmead.
Q2: "Wait a minute. Isn't that what devil worshippers drink before they
do a human sacrifice?" (Stunned pause on my part, followed by delivery
of crash course on history of mead)
I was amused at the whole experience at first, and now I'm kind of
disturbed. I'd be curious to see if anyone else has run into anything
similar. Hopefully not. The last thing I need is to have mead become
the target of some religious group.
- -- Dave C.
(On the bright side, the spring owner sent me a note saying that he
enjoyed the mead and wants to know what the barter rate's going to be in
the future.)
------------------------------
Subject: Request for a rhubarb melomel recipe
From: SNAFUCAT@aol.com
Date: Mon, 23 Jun 1997 23:07:57 -0400 (EDT)
I am looking for a rhubarb melomel recipe for a friendly little contest
between a friend and I. I am unfamiiar with using rhubarb so any hints on
how to prepare the rhubarb would be of interest to me.
Please post any recipes here or email to snafucat@aol.com .
Thanks in advance,
Mike.
------------------------------
Subject: Lingonberries
From: Ann Sheffield <asheffie@alleg.edu>
Date: Tue, 24 Jun 97 13:42:56 -0400
Hello,
I just came by some lingonberries, and I wonder if anyone has
suggestions for making a lingonberry melomel. Quantities?
Strategies?
TIA,
Ann Sheffield
asheffie@alleg.edu
------------------------------
Subject:
From: Matt Maples <mattm@ipacrx.com>
Date: Tue, 24 Jun 1997 09:27:24 -0700
A time back someone ask for a banana mead recipe.
I have made this before and I would reduce the cloves and the tannin by
half. (I don't care for cloves all that much and they were quite strong.
Here we go.
3 lb banana
8oz Johanisberg Resling Grape concentrate
1 oz ginger
5 oz clove
7 pt water
2.5 lb honey
2.5 tsp acid blend
5 tsp tannin
5 tsp yeast enegizer
Red Star Cote De Balnchs Yeast
Slice bananas skins and all ( Don't let anyone give you that "banana
skins have a psychoactive chemical in them" stuff, it just does not
apply here), place everything in a press bag and tie it. in 1.5 qrts
water boil them for 30 min. Remove pulp. Put honey into fermenter and
pour hot liquer over it. Add remaning water (cool) Pitch. Age at lease a
year. This stuff is VERY harsh young. Reducing the tannin and cloves
should help that. After a year it starts to mellow and have nice
spicyness to it with and good but not overpowering banana flavor and
golden color.
I hope someone tries it. Let me know how it goes.
Matt Maples=20
mattm@ipacrx.com
------------------------------
Subject: Acid, ph, and more ...
From: jbrangan <jbrangan@IDT.NET>
Date: Wed, 25 Jun 1997 08:53:17 -0400
First, I am new to the MLD (a few months), and to mead making (about 2-3
years). I would like to add my thanks to John Bowen for his unusually
clear, concise explaination of ph and acid.
This leads to my first question:
What is the desired ph and/or tta levels for mead must?
What are the preferred methods of adjusting the must?
Should the must be checked/adjusted during fermentation?
Also, I would like some comments about the use of potassium sorbate
and/or sulphites to stabilize 'finished' mead.
And lastly, has anyone used ascorbic acid (vitamin C) in either the
finished mead, or the must?
Thanks in advance, for your help and cooperation.
Jim
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End of Mead Lover's Digest #575
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