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Mead Lovers Digest #0660
Subject: Mead Lover's Digest #660, 27 March 1998
From: mead-request@talisman.com
Mead Lover's Digest #660 27 March 1998
Forum for Discussion of Mead Making and Consuming
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
re: juicers (Dick Dunn)
Re: Speed Mead (Matt_Maples@ncshealth.com)
Freezing mead (Samuel Mize)
Re:juciers (Matt_Maples@ncshealth.com)
Re: Ice brews (RBarnes001)
Re: Ultrafiltration ("Wout Klingens")
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: re: juicers
From: rcd@raven.talisman.com (Dick Dunn)
Date: 24 Mar 98 09:49:56 MST (Tue)
Darin Trueblood <mtss@ptw.com> wrote about getting a juicer and the...
> possibility of making a better melomel in my little universe, so I thought
> I would ask the MLD if anybody has experience with this type of
> contraption...
Depending on what you juice, and depending on what sort of straining (if
any) it can do, you could be setting yourself up for a Racking from Hell
on the racking when you get rid of the fruit pulp. At least in my
experience, the more finely processed the fruit is, the more the pulp is a
problem.
[My own preferred approach is to ferment (primary) on fruit that's been
sliced if it's large, and frozen/thawed. Then after a few days I skim
and if it seems reasonable I press the fruit (standard small fruit press
with nylon-mesh press bag) and return the pressed juice to the fermenta-
tion. But here, and apropos Darin's question, I'm relying on a gadget of
my own--the small press. I do like the way it avoids the pulp problem.]
- ---
Dick Dunn rcd, domain talisman.com Boulder County, Colorado USA
...Mr. Natural says, "Use the right tool for the job."
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Speed Mead
From: Matt_Maples@ncshealth.com
Date: Tue, 24 Mar 1998 12:36:34 -0800
- -- Snip
Subject: Questions Below
From: ?Michael O. Hanson? <mhanson@winternet.com>
Date: Sat, 21 Mar 1998 08:46:25 -0800
I?ve read some discussion in the MLD about mead that can be ready to drink
in a relatively short time. I am aware that one reason for long
fermentation was the presence of bacteria in mead, beer, and wine. Does
anyone have any thoughts on types of mead that can be fermented and aged
rapidly?
Keep up the good work. I have learned a lot from the Mead Lover?s Digest.
Mike Hanson
- -- Snip
It has been my experience that medium to sweet meads that are fermented to
only 7 or 8 % are ready to drink in no time flat. If you feel you need to
add acid to it, add it at bottling, and if you use a fining agent there is
no reason the whole thing can't be done in under 3 months. Now don't get me
wrong, the longer you can wait the better it will be but then you already
know that. I have done this with a raspberry mel. using wine yeast, a
blackberry with ale yeast, and a rhubarb with ale yeast. I know I've done
more but I would have to check my notes. Hope this helped. If you want more
info. on these batches let me know.
Matt Maples
------------------------------
Subject: Freezing mead
From: Samuel Mize <smize@prime.imagin.net>
Date: Tue, 24 Mar 1998 14:47:33 -0600 (CST)
Charles Hudak wrote:
> Jeff wrote:
> > Believe it or not, the BATF has no problems with *homebrewers* using
> >the freezing technique to increase the alcohol content of beer or hard cider
> >(or I assume mead and wine). However, it is illegal for *commercial*
> >brewers to do this.
Sorry, I don't believe it.
I just checked the last six months of the Homebrew Digest. On Fri,
1 Aug 1997, "Ian Wilson" posted with the subject "Eisbock - The BATF
Speaks....." discussing a letter he got from the ATF.
Here are the critical bits:
> This letter was sent to me by Mr. Charles N. Bacon, of the Bureau of
> Alchohol, Tabacoo and Fire Arms in reponse to my request for an opinion:
>
> Because of the uncanny resemblance to a concentrate made from beer, the
> Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms has written a formal ruling on
> "ice beer." Essentially, it states that if a brewer superchills beer
> and removes ice or water, the product will be considered to be ordinary
> "beer" if the volume of material removed is not more than 1/2 of 1% of
> the original volume, and if the resultant product resembles "beer."
> This ruling was issued to prevent brewers from producing an "ice beer"
> which is seriously concentrated by the removal of water or ice.
> ... ATF's primary interest would be, as usual, to ensure home
> brewers were not selling the beer they make.
He also offered to email the specific ATF ruling in question.
It appears to me that:
- - Home brewing of beer, wine and mead are OK.
- - Concentration of alcoholic beverages by any means is NOT considered
simply brewing. Concentration requires a commercial license.
- - Freezing beer to filter it is not considered concentrating it, but
YOU MUST REMOVE LESS THAN 1/2 PERCENT OF THE PRODUCT.
This is done to filter out proteins and fine particulates, on which ice
crystals form; the ice is then filtered out. This was stated only for
beer, but would probably hold for mead (or wine) also.
- - Based on process descriptions, I THINK it's OK to freeze/filter out more
than 1/2 percent IF you replace the removed water, BUT this comes out of
the commercial regulations, so I'm not SURE it applies to us.
- - Freezing to concentrate the alcohol without a license is illegal.
Whether or not you care is another question. Moonshiners have been thumbing
their noses at revenoors ever since such laws were enacted. However, this
IS the category in which you are placing yourself; you are breaking the law.
I personally would be disinclined to say I was doing so in a public,
archived forum like MLD.
Best,
Sam Mize
- --
Samuel Mize -- smize@imagin.net (home email) -- Team Ada
Fight Spam - see http://www.cauce.org/
------------------------------
Subject: Re:juciers
From: Matt_Maples@ncshealth.com
Date: Tue, 24 Mar 1998 13:02:06 -0800
- --Snip
We are looking specifically at the Juiceman and the Juiceman Jr, though we
are open to any suggestions. My questions are mostly:
Do they hold up to serious use?
and How are they for making mead?
- --Snip
I got one (not that brand) just with the idea of making mead but did not
like the results. The juice that comes out is not clear at all (nor did I
expect it to be) but is full of a very fine pulp. I found this fine pulp to
be rather troublesome when it came to racking. If you are really interested
in extracting juice for mead might I suggest a small press. My friends
bought me a small one gallon press for about $80 - $90. It is a cylinder
made of very thick white plastic with a metal screw and support arm. You
can fit about 15 LB of fruit into it and you can get great extraction with
it. The juice that comes out is perfectly clear and is big enough to handle
most of my mead endeavors.
Matt Maples
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Ice brews
From: RBarnes001 <RBarnes001@aol.com>
Date: Wed, 25 Mar 1998 07:21:10 EST
In a message From: Charles Hudak <cwhudak@mail.adnc.com>
> Jeff wrote:
> > Believe it or not, the BATF has no problems with *homebrewers* using
> >the freezing technique to increase the alcohol content of beer or hard
> >cider > >(or I assume mead and wine). However, it is illegal for
*commercial*
> >brewers to do this.
>
> Glad to hear this. Now I won't have to be clandestine with my Mead Liqueur
> that I made this winter. I took a gallon and froze it then filtered out the
> ice crystals from the slush. I figure that I concentrated it by about 50%
Wrong
Subchapter B Home production of wine, ale, malt liquor, or beer
Sec 109.21
"The possession of wine, ale, malt liquor or beer produced under this section
is not an offense if the person making it complies with all provisions of this
section and the wine, ale, malt liquor, or beer is not distilled, fortified,
or otherwise altered to increase it's alcohol content"
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Ultrafiltration
From: "Wout Klingens" <wkling@knoware.nl>
Date: Fri, 27 Mar 1998 17:20:29 +0100
Louis,
First of all thanks for the research and the time to share the
results with us.
It leaves me with a few questions however.
I never had any experience yet with filtration, but it sure would be
interesting to try now. Wouldn't the filter clog however? According
to some folks I talked to, even filtering a *mead* with residual
sugar would be difficult to filter, let alone the must.
Also, are you saying, that protein is the cause of off-flavor?
If so, then using bentonite *before* pitching could be in order.
The procedure would be to prepare the must, put in sulfite to prevent
wild fermentation, add bentonite, let it clear for a week or so, rack
into primary and *then* pitch.
Thanks again!
Wout.
------------------------------
End of Mead Lover's Digest #660
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