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Mead Lovers Digest #0844
Subject: Mead Lover's Digest #844, 29 March 2001
From: mead-request@talisman.com
Mead Lover's Digest #844 29 March 2001
Forum for Discussion of Mead Making and Consuming
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Re: Mead Lover's Digest #843, 25 March 2001 (Rod.McDonald@facs.gov.au)
First time Mead maker in Switzerland ("Timothy Smith")
Re: Several things.... (Vicky Rowe)
Re: REcipe advice (Phil)
Re: Cherry Pits and Old Lace (Phil)
Mead and the New York City Homebrewers Guild (Phil)
Mead Newbie Agave troubles (Frank Familiari)
Re: Mead Lover's Digest #843, 25 March 2001 (Mark Banschbach)
Re: cherry pits etc. (peter.spinney@analog.com))
pits (Steve Daughhetee)
Re: a few questions (strawberry and calomondin) (Marc Shapiro)
Re: Dark and Light Honeys (Potgold@aol.com)
Re: Mead Lover's Digest #843, 25 March 2001 (Lazurus106@aol.com)
Re: Mead Lover's Digest #843, 25 March 2001 (trish entsminger)
Re: Recipe advice (Elfboy0@aol.com)
berry mead/honey addition (trish entsminger)
Re: Cherry Pits and Old Lace (Spencer W Thomas)
Oxygen, CO2, Nitrogen sweep (Dave Burley)
Re: Mead Lover's Digest #843, 25 March 2001 (Peter Matra)
Re: Mead Lover's Digest #843, 25 March 2001 (Kevin)
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Subject: Re: Mead Lover's Digest #843, 25 March 2001
From: Rod.McDonald@facs.gov.au
Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2001 16:05:12 +1000
Kevin McLean is right - hydrocyanic acid or hydrogen cyanide, also known as
Prussic Acid is the poison in cherry pits, bitter almonds and apple pips - not
arsenic which is what you get in those treated pine logs. I have heard (can't
cite my sources tho') that in very small quantities it is pretty insignificant -
I seem to recall that it is a cumulative poison, so you won't keel over after a
teeny weeny bit. But if you take a heap it'll also do you in. Even so, I
wouldn't recommend it on your weeties - it tastes bloody awful! There is bound
to be heaps of info about the poison itself on the web. Personally I've made
plum wines which leave the stones uncracked in the must for a week or so, and
I'm still here and may even be in reasonably complete control of my faculties! I
suspect the effect of any minute amounts of cyanide will be far outweighed by
the amounts of that other poison, alcohol involved in getting to the cyanide!
Rod
------------------------------
Subject: First time Mead maker in Switzerland
From: "Timothy Smith" <cholula69@hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2001 13:35:33 +0200
Hello,
I am a doctoral student studying in Switzerland from the states and I am
about to embark on my maiden voyage into the world of Mead making. I am in
the process of gathering the ingredients, and the issue of yeast is a point
of much debate.
After considerable research into the many tried and true methods, browsing
many books and such, I have finally arrived at a decision on which yeast to
use for my first batch. I am going to make a traditional Mead and have
chosen Lavlin K1v-1116 for one batch and Danstar Nottingham for the other.
Now, on to my questions: First, Does anyone know of any European yeast
strains that are available that would work? France and Germany are both very
close to me.
Second, most of the material available on the internet I have found is dated
about '96-'97 or so. I was wondering if Wyeast liquid forms made
specifically for Mead have done anything to change the slow ferment times? I
was originally sold on the idea of using liquid yeast for the ease of use,
however, the slow ferment times are a bit daunting at this point. I wanted
to use something a bit faster at first so I could taste the fruits of my
labor sooner.
I can be reached at cholula69@hotmail.com
Many thanks for your replies,
Cheers,
Tim
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Several things....
From: Vicky Rowe <rcci@mindspring.com>
Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2001 08:51:27 -0500
At 10:08 PM 3/25/01 -0700, you wrote:
>Greetings. My name is Shane. I'm interested in brewing both beer & Mead.
>But not specifically in that order. :-) And I have questions... :-)
>- --
>"You can't trample infidels when you're a tortoise. I mean, all you could
>do is give them a meaningful look." -- (Terry Pratchett, Small Gods)
Hi Shane! Welcome to the Mead Lover's Digest! What sort of questions
do you have?
>------------------------------
>
>Subject: Honey: Dark or Light?
>From: "Mr. Shane A. Saylor" <shane.saylor@verizon.net>
>Date: Sat, 17 Mar 2001 17:07:42 -0500
>
>I realize one must use what is available. But I find myself asking what
>exactly are the differences between light & dark honey? Taste, texture,
>or something else entirely? And if you have the one, but not the other,
>can you special order that honey? In America it seems all we have is
>the light colored honey. Can we order dark honey from any place?
>Thanks...
The texture and the taste vary quite a bit between honeys. I've used
several types, including clover blossom, orange blossom and
cantelope honeys, as well as blueberry, fireweed, tupelo, and several
others. I've got a list on my website, http://www.gotmead.com quite
a few of them. There are also some descriptions...and another good
source is the National Honey Board at http://www.nhb.org .
>------------------------------
>
>Subject: Flavoring Agents
>From: "Mr. Shane A. Saylor" <shane.saylor@verizon.net>
>Date: Sat, 17 Mar 2001 17:07:44 -0500
>
>What are some of the best flavoring agents to use? Syrups or fruits?
>Thanks. :-)
>- --
I don't really like syrups, the flavors always seem to be off. Fruit
seems to work much better for me......
>Subject: a few questions
>From: Sam Corpuz <scipiocornelius@yahoo.com>
>Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2001 04:36:38 -0800 (PST)
>
>Hello pipol,
>
>I'm new to the business; actually, I haven't even made
>a sample brew yet. This summer, though, I'm ready for
>my first batch. Please be kind, y'all.
Welcome!
>Question # 1: My proximity to the city market gives me
>access to all the fruits in season. I live in Baguio
>City, Philippines, where strawberries are available
>throughout the year. This month, we also have papayas,
>star apples, guavas, passion fruit, calamondin
>(omething like a lemon, but green, 1/4 its size and 4
>times its acidity), oranges, pears, and others I
>forgot. Do any ofyou have recipes for a 5-gal. sample
>using any of these fruits?
::drool:: Man, you have a veritable cornucopia of mead-
making products! If you're looking for recipes, check out
the recipe links at GotMead.com, I've got links to all the
recipes I've found so far (the Bees Lees II will be going
up on GotMead shortly, thanks to Sheryl Nance-Durst)
>Question # 2: Besides the fruits, the market also
>sells a native rice wine called tapey (ta-PUHHY), as
>well as a yeast used to make it. I'm not sure which
>species it is, but I know it's not processed with
>current technology. I don't know if I should use it,
>but I can't find any other yeast to use. What would
>happen if I use this on my first batch of mead? Would
>it make a great mead, or a great grenade?
From what I've seen here, some use beer yeast, others
use wine yeast, and still others use bread yeast. Make
a small batch, and see what happens!
>Question # 3: In case it WOULD make a grenade out of
>fermented honey, do you have solutions/precautions to
>make sure it won't explode?
::chuckle:: Drink it before it's bottled? Seriously, though
I usually age my mead in bulk (in 5 gallon glass carboys)
until I'm sure the fermentation is stopped....I lost several
bottles to corks shot across the room before I learned....
>Subject: Pits an' stuff.
>From: "Kevin Mc Lean" <mcleank@brampton.cqu.edu.au>
>Date: Mon, 19 Mar 2001 16:27:33 +1000
>
>
>Hi,
>
> on the subject of pits - it's more an issue if they're cracked. Also I
>think the acid they're referring to is hydrocyanic acid (which in minute
>quantities is allegedly anti-cancerous). Anyway, in the medieval days, the
>Belgians made Kriek (a cherry beer) and crushed the pits etc. They still
>make the beer today, but I don't think they crush the pits and they keep the
>exposure of the wort to the pits to a smaller time (a few weeks I think). It
>still tastes a little of pits (and cherries) and is a delightful brew. I've
>drunk a fair bit of it and in the reading I've done on it, I've never heard
>of people dropping dead like flies from it in the Middle Ages.
I made a cherry mead this year, and used a handful of mahlab (crushed
and denatured cherry pits), from Penzeys' Spices (http://www.penzeys.com).
I use the pits to bring the cherry flavor back up in the mead, as a lot of the
cherry-ness seems to ferment out........
>------------------------------
>
>Subject: Recipe advice
>From: JColburn <Jable@eznet.net>
>Date: Sat, 24 Mar 2001 15:56:39 -0500
>
>Below is a recipe that I am planning to make.
>20 lbs Clover Honey
>5 lbs strawberries (frozen)
>5 lbs blueberries (frozen)
>5 lbs blackberries (frozen)
>5 lbs raspberries (frozen)
>Two packets Champagne Yeast
>Acid Blend (optional)
>Water to make 5 gals
Oooh, yummy! Mind if I try this one?
>I made this last March but with a few changes.
>
>20 lbs Clover Honey
>5 lbs strawberries (frozen) I used 2 lbs
>5 lbs blueberries (frozen) I used 6 lbs
>5 lbs blackberries (frozen) 2 lbs
>5 lbs rasberries (frozen) 24 oz
>Two packets Champagne Yeast
>Acid Blend (optional)
>Water to make 5 gals
How did it come out? What color did it end up being?
Was there a lot of fruit flavor left? Did you put the berries
in at the beginning, or after the first ferment?
Enquiring minds want to know.....<lol>
Wassail!
Vicky Rowe
Mad about Mead? Check out http://www.gotmead.com
------------------------------
Subject: Re: REcipe advice
From: Phil <dogglebe@yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2001 06:35:17 -0800 (PST)
> Below is a recipe that I am planning to make.
> 20 lbs Clover Honey
> 5 lbs strawberries (frozen)
> 5 lbs blueberries (frozen)
> 5 lbs blackberries (frozen)
> 5 lbs raspberries (frozen)
> Two packets Champagne Yeast
> Acid Blend (optional)
> Water to make 5 gals
Water to make 5 gallons? You might be able to add
about half a gallon if you're lucky.
I strongly recommend you cut back on everything, even
eliminate some of the fruit. This recipe is simply
too big and the combination of fruit will probably end
up tasting like a sweet fruit punch.
I also recommend a blow off tube.
Phil
=====
visit the New York City Homebrewers Guild website:
http://www.pipeline.com/~dogglebe/nychg.html
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Cherry Pits and Old Lace
From: Phil <dogglebe@yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2001 06:40:01 -0800 (PST)
I realized, after reading my original post, that I
wasn't clear about crushing the cherries. The pits
were never crushes as I had put the whole cherries in
ziplock bags and squished them with my hands. The
pits, themselves, were never crushed (I don't think
I'm THAT strong).
Phil
=====
visit the New York City Homebrewers Guild website:
http://www.pipeline.com/~dogglebe/nychg.html
------------------------------
Subject: Mead and the New York City Homebrewers Guild
From: Phil <dogglebe@yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2001 06:46:00 -0800 (PST)
I just thought I'd drop a little early notice here for
anyone who is interested.
For our May meeting, the NYCHG will have, as its guest
speaker, Chris Labarca. Chris is the brewer at
Woodstock Brewing Company in Kingston, NY. He is also
an accomplished meadist and is working on opening a
meadery in Dutchess County. He will be discussing
both beer and mead at this meeting, how much of each
depends on who shows up to listen.
The NYCHG is hoping to start a tradition of having
meadists as guest speakers, as we have several
mead-making members (presently, I have eight carboys
going and will be starting a ninth one sometime this
week).
Phil
=====
visit the New York City Homebrewers Guild website:
http://www.pipeline.com/~dogglebe/nychg.html
------------------------------
Subject: Mead Newbie Agave troubles
From: Frank Familiari <ffamiliari@yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2001 08:05:21 -0800 (PST)
I did some research and thought Agave Nectar would be a good substitute
for honey. On my first trial run ever with Mead, I mixed 4 lbs Agave
Nectar with 3 Gallons of water & two juiced limes. Had what appeared
to me to be active fermentation (bubbles through the airlock every 1/2
second) then racked to a 2.8 gal carboy, and observed bubbles similar
to a carbonated beverage. total time 3 months. Measured alcohol
content, came out to 0% !!! what did I do wrong? If it wasn't making
alcohol, what was it making? Is this stuff poisonous?
Thanks in advance.
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Mead Lover's Digest #843, 25 March 2001
From: Mark Banschbach <mrbear37@yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2001 08:10:28 -0800 (PST)
Greetings All !
I purchased a new home last year and outside my
livingroom window is a Loquat ( sp?) tree. I didnt get
any last year as I was to slow for the local squirrels
and they pillaged the fruit before I could get to it.
This year however I was a bit faster, and aquired
enough for a test one gallon batch ( this fruit is
small with large pits.
I was wondering if anyone had any experiences with
this odd fruit and what they did with it.
Thanks !
Mark
Tampa, FL
------------------------------
Subject: Re: cherry pits etc.
From: peter.spinney@analog.com)
Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2001 12:02:02 -0500 (EST)
Hi,
Just thought I'd throw in my 2 bits on this one. The poison contained in
things like apple seeds and peach, nectarine, plum and cherry pits is
cyanide (cyanide is well known for its characteristic almond aroma), not
arsenic. This is actually good news rather than a problem,
for a couple of reasons:
1) Arsenic's poisoning effects on the body are cumulative, meaning each
exposure adds to the previous ones and eventually produce a wide
range of illness, symptoms and organ damage. The only thing cyanide
does is to temporarily block hemoglobin's ability to carry oxygen.
Since the brain is the most sensitive to this, cyanide won't harm you
in doses too small to produce unconsciousness. In addition there is
no cumulative effect of repeated small exposures as in the case of
arsenic.
2) Arsenic is a fairly heavy element and to my knowledge doesn't form
gasses which can evolve out of solution, so the arsenic you have in
any given solution is going to tend to stay there. Cyanide on the
other hand prefers to travel as a gas and will grab the first passing
H+ ion and evolve as HCN gas. Really the only way to keep it in
solution is to deny it access to acid of any kind - and if any of our
fermented beverages are on the high side of 7.0ph we are in big
trouble. Most wines and meads have more than enough acid in them to
help the CN- ions on there way. As a general rule, when the almond
smell is gone, so is the cyanide. Lethal doses for cyanide are in
the order of 100mg or so and this amount will give off a noticable
almond smell. I seem to recall that it take about a cup of apple seeds
eaten en-mass to deliver enough cyanide all at once to kill the average
person. I routinely consume small numbers of seeds (5-10) in the course
of eating my apple a day and have observed no symptoms at all. (the
first symptom of cyanide poisoning is shortness of breath).
In summary, the cyanide contained in fruit pits is not likely to pose any
real threat to us through accidental exposure and one would really have to
set out to deliberately poison themselves in order to ingest a lethal dose.
Don't take anything that I or anybody else says as gospel . . . do a little
research and form your own conclusions.
Wassail,
Pete
------------------------------
Subject: pits
From: Steve Daughhetee <sdd6@cornell.edu>
Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2001 12:27:30 -0500
Just a point of clarification on fruit pits. The kernels contain
compounds which liberate cyanide, not arsenic. "Almond extract" used
to flavor your poppyseed muffins is actually made from apricot or
some such pits. In the pits, the cyanide is tied up in a relatively
non-toxic compound known as amygdalin. If you eat the pits,
beta-glucosidase enzymes in the gut cleave the amygdalin to release
free cyanide. I'm not sure how easily the amygdalin is extracted
from the pits in a wine, but I haven't heard of anyone poisoning
himself this way. On the other hand,eating 100g of kernels can be
deadly.
Steve Daughhetee
Trumansburg, NY
------------------------------
Subject: Re: a few questions (strawberry and calomondin)
From: Marc Shapiro <m_shapiro@bigfoot.com>
Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2001 16:41:40 -0500
Sam,
Concerning your first question, I have made strawberry wine and melomel
several times. I have also made calomondin melomel a few times.
Since you say this is your first attempt I will give more detail of
proceedures than I might otherwise give. If you have good books handy,
or a friend, I appologize for the tedium.
For the strawberry, I use 3 1/2 to 4 lbs (1.6 to 1.8 kg) of strawberries
per gallon of must. I believe I used 18 lbs (8.18 kg) for a 5 gallon
batch the first time that I used fresh berries. The way that I did it
was: Remove all green leaves and stems. Then cut away any white, or
rotten areas from the berries. Press the juice from the berries through
cheesecloth, then mix the remaining pulp with a small amount of warm
water and pressed it through the cheesecloth again. Repeat this several
times until there is not much left but seeds and a small amount of
insoluble pulp. Boil 1 1/2 to 2 gallons of water, remove it from the
heat and add the honey to it. I don't have my recipe at hand, but 10 to
12 lbs (4.54 to 5.45 kg) of honey would be about right. Put the honey
water and juice in a 5 gallon carboy and add water to bring the volume
up to between 4 1/2 and 4 3/4 gallons (to leave headspace for
fermentation). Remove a pint and make a starter solution with another
pint of boiled water and yeast. Add this to the carboy when it is
actively fermenting. When fermentaion is done, or nearly so (no more
than 1 or 2 bubbles/minute through the airlock) rack to a clean carboy,
leaving behind as much sediment and pulp as possible, replace the
airlock and allow to sit for another 2 weeks to a month. Fermentaion
will be very slow throughout this time and another layer of sediment
will form (as much as an inch [2.5 CM]). Rack off of the sediment
again, into a clean carboy. Continue racking every one to two months
until the melomel is clear. This will probably take 3 or 4 rackings.
The carboy should always be sealed with an airlock throughout this
time. Once the melomel is clear, the next racking can be into bottles.
For the calomondins, if they are green when you get them then they are
not ripe. I used to have a calomondin tree and they are definately
orange when ripe. They should look like small, very round tangerines,
but taste more like a lemon crossed with an orange. They are, as you
know, very sour, so I use 1 part calomondin juice with 7 parts weak
tea. I use tea as a basis for any citrus wines/melomels that I make. I
use about 20 teabags for a 5 gallon batch. I use mostly plain orange
pekoe tea, but I also add some orange and spice herbal tea. You could
substitute the zest of one or two of your calomondins (but make sure to
avoid any of the pith) and a stick of cinnamon if you don't have the
orange and spice tea, but it is not necessary For 5 gallons you would
use 5 pints of juice, 1 gallon (12 lbs [5.45 kg] of honey) and 3 gallons
of weak tea. Fermentaion and clarification should be the same as for
the strawberry melomel.
BTW, the calomondin peels (with any pith removed) can be soaked in vodka
for a few weeks, then sweetened to taste with sugar syrup (2 cups of
sugar disolved in 1 cup boiling water) to make an excellent liqueur.
As to the last two questions: I can't say whether the yeast in question
would be good for a wine, mead, or melomel, but the yeast used does not
really determine the likelyhood of creating glass grenades. That is a
question of making sure that all fermentation is complete before
bottling. As you can see from the method that I suggest, once visible
fermentaion is complete, or nearly so, you will rack the wine or mead
off of any sediment and yeast deposits 3 or 4 times over a period of 3
to 6 months during which time it will be under an airlock. This gives
plenty of time to assure that all fermentation is complete before it is
racked into bottles. If you have a hydrometer available at the time of
the first racking you should see that the sugar is almost all converted
to alcohol and CO2 already.
HTH
Wassail!
Sam Corpuz wrote:
> Question # 1: My proximity to the city market gives me
> access to all the fruits in season. I live in Baguio
> City, Philippines, where strawberries are available
> throughout the year. This month, we also have papayas,
> star apples, guavas, passion fruit, calamondin
> (omething like a lemon, but green, 1/4 its size and 4
> times its acidity), oranges, pears, and others I
> forgot. Do any ofyou have recipes for a 5-gal. sample
> using any of these fruits?
>
> Question # 2: Besides the fruits, the market also
> sells a native rice wine called tapey (ta-PUHHY), as
> well as a yeast used to make it. I'm not sure which
> species it is, but I know it's not processed with
> current technology. I don't know if I should use it,
> but I can't find any other yeast to use. What would
> happen if I use this on my first batch of mead? Would
> it make a great mead, or a great grenade?
>
> Question # 3: In case it WOULD make a grenade out of
> fermented honey, do you have solutions/precautions to
> make sure it won't explode?
- --
Marc Shapiro "If you drink melomel every day,
m_shapiro@bigfoot.com you will live to be 150 years old,
http://www.bigfoot.com/~m_shapiro/ unless your wife shoots you."
-- Dr. Ferenc Androczi, winemaker,
Little Hungary Farm Winery
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Dark and Light Honeys
From: Potgold@aol.com
Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2001 18:46:48 EST
In a message dated 3/26/01 12:16:37 AM Eastern Standard Time,
mead-request@talisman.com writes:
<< But I find myself asking what
exactly are the differences between light & dark honey? Taste, texture,
or something else entirely? >>
The taste and characteristics of honey are derived from the flowers that
the bees visit. Not very many honeys are 100% from one floral source, but
often one type of flower predominates. I have seen the taste and quality run
the gamut, and it really doesn't have a lot to do with color or shade. Some
dark honeys are very strong and not pleasant, such as tobacco, when fields of
tobacco are not topped as they come into flower. Not pleasant is an
understatement; it is vile! One medium colored honey with a greenish cast
is purple loosestrife, which looks like Pennzoil and doesn't taste much
better, though there are a few who actually to like it.
Others dark honeys can be rich and buttery. We get a very nice one from
some source we are unsure of, in the late spring and early summer; we think
it might be south american vervain, which is naturalized here. Some dark
honeys you might find on the market are tulip poplar and buckwheat.
Most light honeys are mild, some are exquisite, such as cherry or apple
blossom, which rarely ever are on the market because they are made so early
in the season that the bees use them for build-up. More normal ones on the
market are clover, alfalfa, basswood (american linden), star thistle, orange
blossom and tupelo. All are fine honeys. Sourwood is a very nice honey that
is high priced and there is a lot more sold than produced, if you catch my
drift.
I've also seen light honey that is bad tasting. We sometimes get a water
white honey in mid summer that is so bitter that you would eat sand if it
would get the taste out of your mouth. Needless to say, a little of this
honey will spoil a whole tank. We think it's from bitterweed. Another light
honey is not my favorite is canola, though some folks like it. It tastes
peppery to me, not a natural taste for honey.
There are hundreds of specialty honeys in the different regions of the US.
You can find suppliers by doing a google search for "varietal honey" or
check with local beekeepers and beekeeper associations. Oftentimes you can
track local beekeepers from honey at your produce stands, or your county
extension agent may be able to help you find them. You also may find
beekeepers who will try to put one over on you, as one that was mentioned on
this list awhile back: pumpkin honey. I used to know a guy that claimed to
sell cucumber honey. Both are BS. Neither plant will give a surplus of
honey to harvest.
Dave Green
What's Buzzin' in My Garden: http://pollinator.com/Identify/whatsbuzzin.htm
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Mead Lover's Digest #843, 25 March 2001
From: Lazurus106@aol.com
Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2001 19:00:57 EST
Greetings to the hall,
In answer to Mr Saylors question on where the dark honey is in the US. Is
that there is lots of it produced here, but there is a prejudice aganst it.
So most gets sold to bakeries and the like for commercial purposes.
If you follow my favorite "Whine" you will know if you hunt up a local
apiary ( beekeeper) you can often get a great price for it (he
gets a lousey price for it wholesale) And once you can convince them that you
actually want it!
Funny you know I just got my latest copy of American bee journal and despite
the fellow who here a while back scolded me saying that purple loose strife
honey was nasty and green the Bee journal is saying that a majority of
beekeepers are striving to get as much of the light colored and tasty honey
from them as they can get.
The problem is that it has no local preditors so it runs riot and forces
out the regular plants. The nasty green stuff I'm told is out of Argentina
and has enough pesticides and other contamiants to starch a berkly liberal.
Course I could have been told this because they and China have been dumping
cheap honey in the US.
Cheers,
Dave
Madison,WI
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Mead Lover's Digest #843, 25 March 2001
From: trish entsminger <trish-e@pacbell.net>
Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2001 16:16:53 -0800
Campden tablets should be crushed before adding to the carboy. Use 1 tablet for
every gallon. Wait 24 hours before pitching your yeast. I don't think that the
tablets are causing the odor. What yeast are you using? Some of them really
produce a lot of Sulphurous smells. They age out in time.
Cheers,
Trish Entsminger
Subject: Use of Campden Tablets
From: "Eric A. Bonney" <ebonney@fuse.net>
Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2001 15:21:34 -0500
I did a split batch of mead about two weeks ago. It was the first time that
I used campden tablets. I put the tablets into the carboy and let the must
sit over night. In the morning, about 8 hours later, I pitched the yeast
into the carboys. Now I have been told that I was supposed to let the must
sit for 12-24 hours before adding the yeast. My questions are these,
Did I do anything that is going to ruin the mead by not waiting long enough
to pitch the yeast? Fermentation is going along well at this point.
The two carboys are giving off some really nasty smells. The only way I
can describe it is like sour bread, or maybe like sour baby puke. I am
concerned that I may have some kind of contamination in them. I would have
thought that the campden tablets would have taken care of that? Anyone have
any thought?
Thanks,
- - -Eric
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Recipe advice
From: Elfboy0@aol.com
Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2001 19:11:26 EST
Jable@eznet.net writes:
> Below is a recipe that I am planning to make.
> 20 lbs Clover Honey, 5 lbs strawberries (frozen)
> 5 lbs blueberries (frozen), 5 lbs blackberries (frozen)
> 5 lbs raspberries (frozen), Two packets Champagne Yeast
> Acid Blend (optional), Water to make 5 gals
>
> I made this last March but with a few changes.
> [...]
> I bottled aprox 20 bottles in August, and only have a few left, for which
I
> am saving!!
>
> I was told that 20lbs is too much honey, so I was planning on using less.
> My first batch, I think came out pretty good. Strong too.
> Does anyone have any advice before I tackle this?
What an Interesting Coincidence! Except for some small differences (different
proportions and some added herbs), I too made this same recipe last March!
(Actually, I also had a quartz crystal in there, but we don't need to go into
that right now...)
I tend to like my meads with a fair amount of residual sweetness. I used
Wyeast dry mead yeast, which from what I've read gives a lower alcohol level
than Champagne yeast. For a 6.5 gallon batch, I ended up using 35lbs of
honey. At about 5.4 lbs/gallon, this is much higher than your 4 lbs/gallon.
(I used 2.5 lbs of each fruit, totalling 10 lbs). So, my personal tastes say
your 20 lbs of honey are nowhere close to "too much". Out of several batches
of mead I've made, this one was easily everyone's favorite. If anything, I'd
suggest more honey, but that's me. I think you may also find that wildflower
honey will mix with the fruits quite wonderfully (this is what I used).
Love and Light,
Joshua
------------------------------
Subject: berry mead/honey addition
From: trish entsminger <trish-e@pacbell.net>
Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2001 16:25:00 -0800
This sounds good. Since you are using Champagne yeast I would not lower
the amount of honey. This yeast can easily bring the gravity down to 1.000.
If you like it, why change it?
Cheers,
Trish Entsminger
Subject: Recipe advice
From: JColburn <Jable@eznet.net>
Date: Sat, 24 Mar 2001 15:56:39 -0500
Below is a recipe that I am planning to make.
20 lbs Clover Honey
5 lbs strawberries (frozen)
5 lbs blueberries (frozen)
5 lbs blackberries (frozen)
5 lbs raspberries (frozen)
Two packets Champagne Yeast
Acid Blend (optional)
Water to make 5 gals
I made this last March but with a few changes.
20 lbs Clover Honey
5 lbs strawberries (frozen) I used 2 lbs
5 lbs blueberries (frozen) I used 6 lbs
5 lbs blackberries (frozen) 2 lbs
5 lbs rasberries (frozen) 24 oz
Two packets Champagne Yeast
Acid Blend (optional)
Water to make 5 gals
I bottled aprox 20 bottles in August, and only have a few left, for which I
am saving!!
I was told that 20lbs is too much honey, so I was planning on using less.
My first batch, I think came out pretty good. Strong too.
Does anyone have any advice before I tackle this?
JC
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Cherry Pits and Old Lace
From: Spencer W Thomas <spencer@engin.umich.edu>
Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2001 21:41:00 -0500
Not arsenic. Cyanide.
Arsenic is a metallic element.
Cyanide is a compound of hydrogen, carbon and nitrogen. (Hydrogen may
be replaced by sodium or potassium to form a salt.)
Arsenic can accumulate in your tissues, and so represents a hazard
even if consumed in small amounts over a long period.l
Cyanide (as far as I know) does not, but will be broken down in your
body if consumed in (very) small quantities.
The primary source of arsenic for most people is drinking water
(especially in parts of the western US.)
The primary source of cyanide for most people is the air (particularly
cigarette smoke).
=Spencer
------------------------------
Subject: Oxygen, CO2, Nitrogen sweep
From: Dave Burley <Dave_Burley@compuserve.com>
Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2001 07:36:32 -0500
Shaggyman contends that CO2 is good for excluding oxygen. CO2 is soluble
in water and would quickly dissolve in any mead when it is used as a cover
over mead or other beverage. Oxygen would then be drawn in unless you had
an hermetic seal which will maintain a vacuum ( dangerous with glass
bottles). If you add the CO2 continuously it would work to exclude
oxygen, but that would use a lot of CO2 and would undoubtedly change the
taste profile of the mead as it would dissolve CO2. Nitrogen pressure
through a regulator held at <slightly> above atmospheric will exclude
oxygen if continuously applied through a simple manifold of plastic tubing
( make sure it has no odor) and wired down rubber stoppers with a pressure
relief valve.
If you don't want to go to this expense or trouble, I suggest a number of
smaller bottles be used to store odd sizes of wine volumes.
Dave Burley
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Mead Lover's Digest #843, 25 March 2001
From: Peter Matra <petermatra@mobile.att.net>
Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2001 18:44:59 -0500
At 10:08 PM 3/25/01 -0700, you wrote:
>Subject: Honey: Dark or Light?
>From: "Mr. Shane A. Saylor" <shane.saylor@verizon.net>
>Date: Sat, 17 Mar 2001 17:07:42 -0500
>
>I realize one must use what is available. But I find myself asking what
>exactly are the differences between light & dark honey? Taste, texture,
>or something else entirely? And if you have the one, but not the other,
>can you special order that honey? In America it seems all we have is
>the light colored honey. Can we order dark honey from any place?
>Thanks...
> --
>"You can't trample infidels when you're a tortoise. I mean, all you could
>do is give them a meaningful look." -- (Terry Pratchett, Small Gods)
You should really look into local apiaries. You can always order honey, but
try to find a local place that can provide you with local honeys. A green
market close by or anything. It all depends on where you live. I live in
the middle of NYC and I find tons of different types of honeys. Mead
makers tend to al,so buy honey in large quantities. like 40 lbs pails......
Where do you live?
You should also do some research. The tastes and smells and color of the
honey is dependent upon what nectar it has been made from. It could be
buckwheat, clover, orange blossom, wildflower, avocado, tupelo, bamboo.....
you can get really interesting types
The type of honey you use can also depend on the type of mead you are going
for. if you want a light summer mead versus a heavier darker winter mead
with more flavors. or adding fruit to a lighter mead is better than adding
a fruit to a heavy dark mead with to many overpowering complexities
Peter Matra
www.petermatra.com
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Mead Lover's Digest #843, 25 March 2001
From: Kevin <eevilmouse@yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2001 08:10:48 -0800 (PST)
Does any one know of a good "basic" Melomel process? I
have been making methaglins but have only been at this
for a few months (Been making 1 gallon, and my first 5
gallon batch is still brewing) I was curious if there
is any set method for leaving the fruit/spices in the
carboy for any length of time.. or is it a just "when
you think its best" type of thing?
-Kevin
------------------------------
End of Mead Lover's Digest #844
*******************************
