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Mead Lovers Digest #0689
Subject: Mead Lover's Digest #689, 3 August 1998
From: mead-request@talisman.com
Mead Lover's Digest #689 3 August 1998
Forum for Discussion of Mead Making and Consuming
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
re: Blueberry mead (Dick Dunn)
mazer cup? ()
Re: Yeast as yeast nutrient (Joe Sever)
Re: Questions galore ("Marc Shapiro")
Re: juice/extracts ("Marc Shapiro")
Re: Commercial Meaderies (Dan McFeeley)
RE: Questions Galore MLD #688 (Martin Fredrickson)
juicy juice ("Alex Curtis@KWESSF")
Questions on Blueberry Mead ("Patrick Lehnherr")
American Mead Association Update (Dan McFeeley)
Speed Mead II: Cruise Control (Samuel Mize)
NOTE: Digest only appears when there is enough material to send one.
Send ONLY articles for the digest to mead@talisman.com.
Use mead-request@talisman.com for [un]subscribe/admin requests. When
subscribing, please include name and email address in body of message.
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in pub/clubs/homebrew/mead.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: re: Blueberry mead
From: rcd@raven.talisman.com (Dick Dunn)
Date: 27 Jul 98 21:44:54 MDT (Mon)
Blueberries make an excellent melomel. I would suggest at least 2 lb of
fruit per gallon of result...with the note that I tend to like strong fruit
in my melomels.
One of the odd things that some meadmakers have observed is that sometimes
a blueberry mead finishes slightly sweet for no apparent reason. It
happened with one mead at a Beer and Steer many years ago; it happened once
to me and once each to two other meadmakers I know. I've heard other stray
tales of the same effect. I have not been able to construct a plausible
explanation for this...I've just seen it happen enough times to believe
that it wasn't just a single fluke.
- ---
Dick Dunn rcd@talisman.com Hygiene, Colorado USA
...Mr. Natural says, "Get the right tool for the job."
------------------------------
Subject: mazer cup?
From: <MicahM1269@aol.com>
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 08:04:51 EDT
Is the mazer cup date been set yet?
I managed to completely miss it last year ( my fault ). I still have last
years entries to send , hell, they might even have improved.
micah millspaw - brewer at large
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Yeast as yeast nutrient
From: Joe Sever <JPS@cbord.com>
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 08:25:46 -0400
I've wondered about using yeast/yeast extract as a nutrient. What
puzzles me is this: it's generally accepted (dangerous words, I know...)
that it's important to rack promptly once fermentation is complete to avoid
autolyzation (sp?), which results from live yeast feeding on their
deceased counterparts once all fermentables are chewed up. Why is
_intentionally_ feeding dead yeast to live any different?
Along those lines, I am first and foremost a beer brewer, but that may
change now that my first mead is finishing its primary fermentation...
Anyhow, I've always racked my beer promptly, but with a recent move,
3 month old baby, etc., I'm concerned that I won't be able to rack my
mead until a few weeks after primary is complete. There are still a few
bubbles, but airlock activity has diminished significantly. Also, I used
Pasteur champagne (my first dry yeast adventure) instead of my usual
Wyeast. How time-critical is racking w/ a mead? FWIW, I used yeast
nutrient crystals (see question #1...), had a very quick start and a long (4
weeks) steady fermentation at 68F.
TIA.
j
>>> <mead-request@talisman.com> 07/27/98 09:41pm >>>
Subject: Yeast as yeast nutrient
From: "Grant W. Knechtel" <GWK@hartcrowser.com>
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1998 21:44:03 -0700
Sam Mize asked in MLD 687,
- - -snip-
I'm considering using bread yeast in making mead. Put down that hatchet...
With the cheaper canned beer kits, it's often suggested to use a name-brand
yeast, and just boil the kit yeast to add nutrients. I know that one kind
of yeast nutrient includes centrifuged yeast cells.
I'm going to be boiling a little water for this batch anyway (to steep
some tea) --is it reasonable to boil some cheap bread yeast for 10 minutes
to kill it, and add it as nutrients? IIRC, the only nutrient I've seen at
my homebrew store is the pure white crystals which I believe is just
diammonium phosphate.
Thanks for any input,
- - -snip-
Sam,
I habitually use dried yeast powder I buy from our local health food store
as yeast nutrient. It is non-viable and sold in bulk as a nutritional
supplement for a few bucks a pound (a lot of powder). It is cheaper by
far than the cheapest viable yeast I've seen.
It only makes sense to use yeast as yeast nutrient, and I've seen boiling
a bit of yeast for nutrient recommended several times by different
authors. What I don't know experimentally is how effective it is, since I
have not tried parallel batches with and without, but I've never had a
stuck batch when I've used it. Not proof, nor anything but a strong
indicator, since the batches might not have stuck without the powder.
What I do is boil some water with a tablespoon of yeast powder and add to
dilution water for making 5 gallons of must. The yeast powder method sits
a bit better with me than adding diammonium phosphate nutrient to mead.
The feeling is similar to using organic instead of chemical fertilizers
for growing vegetables. Just my opinion about my own mead, of course. If
one had a good, cheap source for bread yeast or some washed yeast cake
from a batch of beer or mead, it should work as well and be as thrifty,
too. Wassail!
- - -Grant
Neue Des Moines Hausbrauerei
Des Moines, Washington
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Questions galore
From: "Marc Shapiro" <mshapiro@mail.inetone.net>
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 08:56:15 +0000
JGORMAN@steelcase.com wrote:
>
> I am a beer brewer that wants to step into the mystic realm of
> brewing mead. I have a butt load of questions.
>
> *Can mead be oxidized? (During bottling, transferring, etc.)
Yes.
> *Will racking and topping off with water lower the alcohol content?
Yes, proportionate to the amounts of water and mead.
> *Should a yeast starter be made with honey, DME? (I used DME)
Honey, but rehydrate the yeast in warm (100 degree) water with little
to no sugars for 10 to 15 minutes first.
> *Are the priming amounts the same as beer? (1tsp/12 oz., 1 cup/5 gal)
I don't make sparkling meads. Anyone???
> *Is it better to pasteurize the fruit with the honey or add during cooling?
You will get lots of different answers, here. I add the fruit to the
primary, right at the start. Many people advocate saving the fruit
for a secondary fermentation (difficult for me since I rarely use a
secondary).
> *Is it true that WYeast (sweet) has trouble in traditional meads and needs a
> lot of nutrients?
Any yeast will need some help with a traditional mead. Nutrient
levels ARE low. See the posts about using dead yeast powder as
nutrient.
> *Will mead violently ferment in the primary? Should you leave head space?
Sometimes and definately.
> *Do you need to crash cool the must (like beer)?
I don't.
> *Are sweet or sour fruits better for melomels, or is it a taste thing? Are
> some fruits better suited?
Definately a taste thing. Fruits with more pronounced tastes will
come through more in the finished product, but I often make a lightly
spiced apple metheglyn, myself. Just enough spices to be noticeable
and no real discernable taste from the apples, but the juice does add
some extra nutrients (as do the spices, as well) to help the yeast
along for an easier ferment and shorter aging times.
> *How do you know if the campton tablets have done their job and has
> dissipated?
Wait 24 hours after adding any sulfites before adding the starter to
the full volume of must. I try to avoid sulfites, myself, but that
is a whole other can of worms.
HTH
Wassail
Marc Shapiro m_shapiro@bigfoot.com
Visit 'The Meadery' at:
http://www.bigfoot.com/~m_shapiro/
"If you drink melomel every day, you will live to be 150 years old,
unless your wife shoots you."
- --Dr. Ferenc Androczi, Winemaker of the Little Hungary Winery
------------------------------
Subject: Re: juice/extracts
From: "Marc Shapiro" <mshapiro@mail.inetone.net>
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 09:07:54 +0000
Kurt Hoesly" <hoesly@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>..., I noticed a couple of shelves of various fruit juices that
> were all labeled "100% fruit juice".
>
> What amount of juice would be advisable to use in a batch of mead?
> The two I'm most interested in trying are the cranerry and black
> cherry.
Kurt,
It all depends on the juice, of course, but... I normally use about
3 to 4 POUNDS of FRUIT per gallon of must. With cranberries, I
wouldn't go over about 1 pound/gallon, however. Cranberries are VERY
tart. BTW is the cranberry juice 100% cranberry, or is it 100% juice
with cranberry as the primary flavor component. If it is a mixture
than you can assume that it has already been balanced for flavor and
can be treated much as any other fruit juice would be.
When you consider that the amount of juice is less than the amount of
fruit then you want to go with probably about 2 lbs of juice, or
about a quart/gallon. That sounds about right for the juices you are
thinking about. With other juices that might vary. For example,
in an apple melomel I use apple juice in place of ALL of the water.
I hope I haven't confused you more.
WASSAIL!
Marc Shapiro http://www.bigfoot.com/~m_shapiro/
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Commercial Meaderies
From: Dan McFeeley <mcfeeley@keynet.net>
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 09:41:46 -0500
On Fri, 24 Jul 1998, in MLD 688, Alex (Sparrow) queried:
>A friend recently asked if there were any commercial meaderies in the
>US. I know that I have seen a list posted here a while back, but can't
>seem to find it in any of my files. Would anyone out there know where I
>could find a copy of that list out on the net?
This is the corrected and revised directory of Meaderies which I posted a
few MLD's back. The original listing was taken from the August 1996 issue
of _Inside Mead_ and has been substantially updated, thanks to Jim Brangan
who was kind enough to provide the notes from his own meadery research.
Also thanks to Steve Holat, Bruce Morrison and Bruce Stevens for their help.
If anyone sees any need for further revision or has other meaderies that
need to be added to the list, let me know by private e-mail and I'll make
the needed corrections/additions. As always, none of the below is intended
as an endorsement.
__________
________
Dan McFeeley
mcfeeley@keynet.net
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
MEADERY DIRECTORY
April 1, 1998
UNITED STATES
Anderson's Orchard & Winery Bell Arbre Winery
430 E. US Hwy Ken Buckner
Valpariso, IN 46383 3204 116th Ave NE
(219) 464-4936 Bellevue, WA 98004
(800) 313-2794
(206) 827-7689
White Winter Winery Linganore Winecellars
402 South George St 13601 Glissens Mill Rd
PO Box 636 Mt. Airy, MD 21771-8595
Iron River, WI 54847 (310)831-5889
Toll Free: 800-697-2006 (410) 795-6432
(715) 372-5656 www.linganore-wine.com
email: goodmead@win.bright.net
Spurgeon Vineyards & Winery Camas Winery
Rt 1 110 S. Main St.
Box 201 Highland, WI 53543 Moscow, ID 83843
(608) 929-7692
Labeille Honey Winery Chatham Winery
638 So. Main St. Rt 28
Stowe, VT 05672 The Cornfield
(802) 253-2929 Chatham, MA 02633
email: blachere@together.net (508) 945-0300
ADK Productions, Inc. Alaskan Mead Co.
Daniel Kassa David Snow/James Jensen
5645Q General Washington Drive 5915 Lake Otis Pkwy
Alexandria, VA 22312 Anchorage, AK 99507
703-750-1056 (Did not respond to mail;
800-967-9957 not listed in phone book.)
"As You Like It" Meadery Bargetto Winery
362-370 Main St Paul Woffard, Winemaker
Fitchburg, MA 01420 3535 N. Main St.
(508) 345-6407 Soquel, CA 95073
(408) 475-2258
Berrywine Plantation Betterbee Meadery
Lucille Aellen Wayne Thygesen
13601 Glissan's Mill Rd Bob Stevens
Mt. Airy, MD 21771-8599 RR 4 Box 4070, Meader Rd
301-831-5889 Greenwich, NY 12834
1-800-MEADERY
Earle Winery Coventree Meadery
John & Esther Earle John Zeron
Rd 1, Box 246 29 Askirk Pl
Tucker Hill Rd Newark, DE 19702-6000
Locke, NY 13092 302-832-0437
607-898-3012 www.grovenet.com/coventree
email: coventree@grovenet.com
Fred's Mead Company Honeymoon Meadery
Fred Buhl Patti Williams & Thomas Swetland
3009 SW Archer Rd #E8 43 Conistown Rd #2
Gainesville, FL 32608-1875 Roslindale, MA 02131
(352) 377-3376 (617)769-7607
HoneyRun Honey Co Inn Wines
John & Amy Hasle Dick Phaneuf
Box 3172 4 Elm St
Chico, CA, 95928 Hatfield, MA 01038-9708
916-345-6405 (413) 247-5175
www.des-chico.com/~honeyrun
email: honeyrun@honeyrun.com
Lakewood Vineyards Life Force Honey & Winery
Christopher Stamp 1193 Saddle Ridge Rd
4024 SR 14 Moscow, ID 83843
Watkins Glen, NY 14891 208-882-9158
607-535-9252 800-497-8258
email: LVwinery@aol.com www.evs.com/lifeforc/lfhome.html
Little Hungary Farm Winery Mountain Meadows Mead
Frank Androczi Ron Lunder
Rt 6, POB 323 12 Third Street
Buckhannon, WV 26201 Westwood, CA 96137
304-472-6634 916-256-3233
Oliver Winery Pirtle's Weston Vineyards
Bill & Kathleen Oliver Elbert & Trisha Pirtle
8024 Hwy 37 502 Spring St, PO Box 247
Bloomington, IN Weston, MO 64098
812-876-5800 816-640-5728
email:woliver@kiva.net email: patriciapirtle@sprintmail.com
Rocky Mountain Meadery Volcano Winery
Fred & Connie Strothman PO Box 843
3701 G Rd Volcano, HI 96785
Palisade, CO 81526 808-967-7479
970-464-7899
www.wic.net/meadery
Cuthills Vineyards Bartlett Maine Estate Winery
Ed Swanson RR1, Box 598
RR2, Box 210 Gouldsboro,ME 04607
Pierce, NE 68767 (207) 546-2408
(402) 329-6774
Cask & Hive Winery
PO Box 275
155 Norris Hill Rd.
Monmouth ,ME 04259
(207) 933-WINE
CANADA
Le Rucher Bernard Bee Bec Ferme apicole Desrochers D
& Assoc des hydromeliers du Marie-Claude Dupuis &
Que'bec Claude Desrocher
Diane Rice & Bernard Blache're 113, ran 2 Gravel
152, rue Principale Ferme Neuve, Qc
Beebe Plain, Qc CANADA J0W 1C0
CANADA J0B 1 E0 819-587-3471
819-876-2800
Intermiel London Winery
Christian & Viviane Macle 540 Wharncliffe Rd, S
10291, chemin La Fresnie're London, ON
St-Benoit (Mirabel), Qc CANADA N6J 2N5
CANADA J0N 1K0 519-686-8431
514-258-2713
Muse'e de l'Abeille & Les Vins Mustier Gerzer
Les Ruchers Promiel, Inc Ge'rald He'naul
8862, Blvd Ste-Anne 3299, route 209
Chateau-Richer, Qc St-Antoine Abbe, Qc
CANADA G0A N0 CANADA J0S 1E0
(418) 824-4411 (514) 826-4609
Les Entreprises Prince- Rucher Les Saules
Leclerc Patrick & Ste'phane Vanier
239, chemin Haut de la 27, chemin Saxby Nord
Paroisse Saxby Corner, Granby, Qc
St-Agapit, Qc CANADA J2G 8C7
CANADA G0S 1Z0 514-372-3403
418-888-3323
Rucher Tete en Fleurs
CP 222
St Anaclet, Qc
CANADA, G0K 1HO
UK IRELAND
Palace Meade Bunratty Mead
Hatfield, UK County Bunratty
SCOTLAND Ty Brethyn Meadery
Llangollen,
Highland Wineries Clwd
Moniac Castle North Wales
Inverness www.data-wales.co.uk
FRANCE COSTA RICA
JC Daval La Abejita Ltd
P Gouedard Apartado Postal 783Frederico Alvarodo
A Lozachmeur 1100 Tibas, COSTA RICA
B Lancelot
(no addresses available)
AUSTRALIA
Bartholomew's Meadery Mount Vincent Mead
RMB 1067A South Coast Hwy Jane Nevell
Denmark 6333 Common Road
WESTERN AUSTRALIA Mudgee, NSW 2850
098 40 9349 AUSTRALIA
NEW ZEALAND
Havill's Mazer Mead
Benrose Estate Wines Leon Havill
Box 9804 Plasketts Rd, Fernside
Wellington Rangiora Rd 1
NEW ZEALAND NEW ZEALAND
Fax 64-4-5651056
http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/usersdirs/smarts/public_html/valhalla/aboutbem.html
LITHUANIA
Lietuviskas Midus
Traku gatve 9
Stakliskes
Prienu raj.
Lietuva (Lithuania)
Lietuviskas midus means "Lithuanian mead", Traku gatve means "Trakai
street", Stakliskes is the town, and Prienu raj. means "Prienai Region".
also from Bruce Stevens <meadman@caskandhivewinery.com> . . .
>Lastly there is also a meadery in VT now run by Bernard Blachere and
>Diane Rice of Le Rucher BBB etc in QC called L'Abeille. It's on Rt 100
>in Stowe Village Vt just before the Mt Mansfield Canoe Co as you come
>into town can't find the address at present but ........add em to the
>list and we'll be up to speed as far as I know.
And also Bill Morrison <wjmorr@ark.ship.edu>
>There is a commercial meadery in the town of Stakliskes, Lithuania. They
>make mead and mead-derived products. Lithuania has an ancient reputation
>for beekeeping and mead. I shall try to find the address of this company
>for you.
------------------------------
Subject: RE: Questions Galore MLD #688
From: Martin Fredrickson <mfredrickson@coppermountain.com>
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 11:51:40 -0700
Well lets take these one at a time
>I am a beer brewer that wants to step into the mystic realm of brewing mead.
>I have a butt load of questions.
I too started with beer and went to mead. Welcome to meadmaking.
*Can mead be oxidized? (During bottling, transferring, etc.)
Yes it can. Careful handling is essential while racking etc. Sometimes
though, a little oxidation may not be a bad thing. I have a prickly pear
mead that I think is all the better for the sherry-like quality that a
little oxidation has given it.
*Will racking and topping off with water lower the alcohol content?
Again, yes, but if you are careful, you won't need to add very much
water to make up the volume. Personally, I don't worry about this very
much since I purge my carboys with CO2 and don't leave my meads in them
much more than a month or two after they have cleared. If I am going to
do long term bulk storage, I use cornelius kegs and pressurize with CO2.
Otherwise, I just bottle them.
*Should a yeast starter be made with honey, DME? (I used DME)
Your choice. Malt extract is good because of the nutrients and if you
use the palest extract you can find, it will have minimal effect on
color. I use honey with yeast nutrient for my starters, others use apple
juice.
*Are the priming amounts the same as beer? (1tsp/12 oz., 1 cup/5 gal)
I'm assuming you are using corn sugar for priming. If so, 1 cup for 5
gallons is a little much for beer but would give a nice champagne like
effect in a sparkling mead. You could also use honey for priming.
Amounts are something you would need to play around with but 1 cup/5
gallons would be a good start.
*Is it better to pasteurize the fruit with the honey or add during
cooling?
I prefer to pasteurize, I have had a cyser ruined by wild yeast that
threw off a very bad phenolic taste. My typical practice is to
pasteurize the honey and the fruit at 170 degrees for 15 minutes then
force cool with a wort chiller. Others like to use campden tablets, I am
not a big fan of them but have made a nice cherry blossom traditional
mead with them, I have not used them with fruit.
*Is it true that WYeast (sweet) has trouble in traditional meads and needs a
lot of nutrients?
Yes. This is one of the most finicky strains I have ever used. Not worth
the effort it takes in my opinion. As with any wyeast product, use a
starter with this one, a BIG starter and a lot of nutrient is the surest
way to success with this strain. Some of the higher tolerance ale
strains give a similar result and aren't as much of a pain to use. I
personally like White Labs California Ale yeast, I have made several
melomels and a traditional mead with it, all turned out very nice.
*Will mead violently ferment in the primary? Should you leave head space?
*Do you need to crash cool the must (like beer)?
Sometimes mead ferments very rapidly in primary. But unlike beer, it
usually does not throw huge amounts of foam. The reason for this is the
difference in the amount and types of proteins in the fermenting
solutions. Beer has an abundance of many types of protein. Mead has a
paucity of proteins, most of which are albumins. With traditional meads,
I have fermented 5 gallons in a 5 gallon carboy with no loss or
overflow. The yeast used also has a bit to do with it but not as much as
in beer, even top fermenters are fairly well behaved in mead. If you use
fruit, the fermentation can be much more vigoorous and can throw a lot
of foam. Leave a fair amount of headspace, I use a 7 gal. carboy to do 6
gallon melomel batches fermenting on the fruit. Others prefer buckets
racking into carboys when the fruit is removed.
*Are sweet or sour fruits better for melomels, or is it a taste thing? Are
some fruits better suited?
Its all a taste thing. I prefer tart fruits like raspberries, apples,
etc. But some of the best meads I have ever tasted were a blueberry
melomel and a prickly pear melomel, both of which are fairly subtle
fruit. I have a blueberry melomel going now, I can't wait.
*How do you know if the campton tablets have done their job and has
dissipated?
There are test kits that allow you to measure the sulfur dioxide level,
they can be obtained at any store that sells wine making supplies.
------------------------------
Subject: juicy juice
From: "Alex Curtis@KWESSF" <alex.curtis@kwe.com>
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 14:01 -0600
Kurt wrote:
What amount of juice would be advisable to use in a batch of mead?
The
two I'm most interested in trying are the cranerry and black cherry.
Both of them come in 16- and 32-oz. sizes; there were also smaller
bottles of cranberry extract (also 100% fruit) that were apparently
condensed juices. ("Mix 1/2 cup of extract in enough water to make 2
quarts" type instructions.)
I write:
I consider myself an amatuer mead maker since I have only used fruit
juice instead of the actual fruit. What has worked for me is 2 qts
of juice per gallon. Make sure to use juice with no preservatives.
I also like to use 3 lbs of honey per gallon so that leaves about 1 qt
of water per gallon (taking into account the volume of honey) I have
only used apple, grape, blueberry and pomegranite juice. Blueberry
mead is very enjoyable but I think pomegranite mead has it beat.
I have a few questions for y'all out there:
1) I was thinking about using my juicer for my next mead, should I
just use the whole fruit instead of using the juice from it?
2) If I do use fruit, what is a good one to start with and how much
should I use?
3) I've also been thinking about making a spice mead, does anyone
have a favorite combination?
thanks for the help
Alex
ps does anybody's mouth water for some tastey mead when they read
this digest....mine sure does
------------------------------
Subject: Questions on Blueberry Mead
From: "Patrick Lehnherr" <plehnher@isd.net>
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 08:30:22 -0500
When the local grocer put blueberries on sale at only 88 cents per
pint, I stocked up. I now have 12 pints in my freezer, just waiting
to be combined with honey, water & yeast.
I've been a lurker here for about 4 or 5 years, but haven't made any
mead for about 3 years. Time to change that.
I plan on making a 5 gallon batch, with 12 pounds (1 gallon) of
honey. My questions are..
1. I want a strong blueberry flavor and aroma...how many pints of
blueberries should I add.
2. As blueberries are not very acidic, should I add some lemon
juice or acid blend?
3. When would be the ideal time to put the blueberries in the
mead? Right away or after the initial fermentation of the honey.
I'm thinking after the initial fermentation would give me more
blueberry aroma.
4. Should I put the blueberries in a fruit bag, or just set them free in
the mead (free-range blueberries?). SHould I put them in frozen or
thaw
them out first?
I appreciate your input.
Pat Lehnherr
------------------------------
Subject: American Mead Association Update
From: Dan McFeeley <mcfeeley@keynet.net>
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 12:05:19 -0500
I spoke with Keith Wanless today and got an update on the A.M.A. and
the anticipated mead publication.
It seems that the new A.M.A. and the publication efforts are two separate
efforts, almost two different organizations. Keith is struggling to get
everything together for the magazine between waiting on customers, running
his business, keeping up his web page, and so on. He hopes to get the first
edition out before the end of the year.
Andy LaMorte up in Denver is in charge of resurrecting the A.M.A., which,
because of the financial problems that had plagued the old organization,
means rebuilding everything from scratch. I have no report to give on the
A.M.A., other than it is taking longer than anticipated.
The proposed agenda for the magazine will have a review of commercial
meaderies. Keith and friends are currently going through a review tasting
of about twenty or so meads from commercial meaderies. It's a rough job
but someone has to do it. ;-)
There are other articles in the wraps covering meadmaking and mead
appreciation, including an article covering the benefits of using oak
as a secondary fermenter. A review of Cindy Renfrow's book, _A Sip
Through Time_ is also planned.
Keith also made an offer to all members of the Mead-Lovers-Digest who
own commercial meaderies, run a homebrew shop with a special interest
in meadmaking (which, he added as an afterthought, probably includes
most if not all of them :-) or beekeepers and other comercial distributers
of honey, to contact him at the address below and he will give them
free advertising space in the first edition of the new magazine.
Keith can be reached at:
Highlander Homebrew Supplies
151 W. Mineral Ave, Ste 133
Littleton CO 80120
kwanless@csn.net
http://www.highlander-brew.com
__________
________
Dan McFeeley
mcfeeley@keynet.net
------------------------------
Subject: Speed Mead II: Cruise Control
From: Samuel Mize <smize@mail.imagin.net>
Date: Fri, 31 Jul 1998 16:01:02 -0500 (CDT)
Greetings,
I recently posted a summary of methods for faster mead production, and
asked for critiques and comments. I also reviewed the archives again, as
I found there were relevant posts that I'd missed the first time. I've
summarized the changes below, rather than fill another MLD. If you want
the reworked document, please email me, especially if you want to put it
on a web page.
I'd like to respond to one public comment:
> If you're really set on drinking a wine within 4 months, perhaps what
> you really want to make is a fruit beer.
I'm not looking for some kind of fruity, fast, cheap drunk. I'm making
a serious inquiry into the brewing process. I don't feel this kind of
cheap shot is appropriate, and furthermore Bob's your uncle.
Seriously, the point isn't to have wine in 4 months, or even to have mead
in 4 months. I can have either one this evening. The point is that SOME
careless or poorly-considered methods can greatly extend the time it takes
to make mead, giving no real benefit.
If I can get the same results and tie up a carboy for two months instead
of a year, I benefit. If I can get ALMOST as good results that way, I
can make a rational decision: do I want good mead in four months,
excellent mead in 8 months, or Legendary mead in two years? Maybe I want
to buy another carboy and have a steady supply of good mead to drink until
the Legendary mead is ready.
Also, if it takes less time, more people will try making good mead, and
then move on to making Legendary mead. Most of us on this list would like
to see the hobby become more popular. Maybe a quicker mead will become an
entry level that attracts new meadsters, as extract brewing has become a
popular entry level for beer brewing.
So, I think it's reasonable to explore what things affect mead-making
times, and what their real effects on quality are, and then for each of us
to make a rational decision about our future batches.
Best,
Sam Mize
NOTE: The phrase "Bob's your uncle" is slang for "I'm kidding, I'm
spinning a tale, I don't mean it." I took no real offense. I just felt
that Scott missed (or perhaps I poorly stated) the point to the project.
- - - - - - - - - - -
Information I'm folding into the write-up follows.
- - - - - - - - - - -
Inattention to these factors, in some cases, can
create off flavors that REQUIRE aging, not to get a product that is
outstanding, but but to get one that is drinkable at all.
FERMENTATION DURATION
5. Pitch at moderate gravities; build up to higher gravity if required.
calcium carbonate or potassium carbonate: be
careful with these as they can add chemical flavor to the mead.
Note that honey's pH varies substantially between varieties, and possibly
other factors. Measure the actual pH of the must.
If the pH gets above about 5.4 you should add a little acid (phosphoric
acid, acid blend, whatever you would use to add acid for taste). Again,
be very careful not to overshoot.
Some people have noted good results with ale yeast, especially
for lower-gravity meads. One person notes, if you want both low alcohol
and sweetness, use an ale yeast.
Wyeast's sweet mead yeast has a variable reputation: some get good
results, some get stuck fermentations. One person attributes consistent
results to the gradual-feeding method, attention to nutrition and a large
starter. At least one person reports that it produces meads that are
drinkable at bottling.
Pitching the yeast into a high-gravity must can "stun" the yeast. The osmotic
pressure of the heavy sugar solution can even kill a lot of them. Don't pitch
into a must with a gravity higher than about 1.075 (2 lbs of honey per gallon).
Instead, pitch into a lighter must, then gradually "feed" the fermentation as
it slows to build up to a higher level of alcohol (as if you had started with
a higher specific gravity must). If you pasteurize or boil, you can do so with
a double boiler for the addition, so you don't have to dilute the honey with a
lot of water to heat it. One person, to add a given volume of honey, draws off
twice that much must, adds the honey to half of it and pasteurizes it, then
cools it and adds it to the fermenter. The remaining half is used to top off
the fermenter, if necessary, or as a sample if not needed.
For that matter, a lower-gravity mead (ending at 7-8% alcohol) will finish
quicker, although it won't hold up to multi-year aging (the alcohol acts
as a preservative).
use a starter,
(Or pitch two or more packets of dry yeast.)
CLEARING
3. Cooling can often help a mead clear.
Cooling the finished mead may encourage haze to drop out of suspension.
Refrigerate the carboy. If this will help, it will probably do so within
three or four days.
MELLOWING
3. Age in bulk rather than bottling early.
Some people report that time mead spends aging in bulk mellows and improves
it as much as about half-again as much time in the bottle. Let it age for
a while in the carboy before bottling.
- - end -
- --
Samuel Mize -- smize@imagin.net (home email) -- Team Ada
Fight Spam: see http://www.cauce.org/ \\\ Smert Spamonam
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End of Mead Lover's Digest #689
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