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Mead Lovers Digest #0829
Subject: Mead Lover's Digest #829, 13 November 2000
From: mead-request@talisman.com
Mead Lover's Digest #829 13 November 2000
Forum for Discussion of Mead Making and Consuming
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Greetings and questions (Mark Banschbach)
Re: Mead Lover's Digest #828, 5 November 2000 (EveningStar)
Just some nonsense ("Brian Lundeen")
bentonite and blenders (Kristine Adam)
Re: first set-backs (Will_Rau@infoimage.com)
Campden Tablets (Fred Peachman)
cloud trouble ("Linda Grant/Matthew Ransom")
Polish meads ("Ordinary Average Brewer")
NOTE: Digest appears when there is enough material to send one.
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Use mead-request@talisman.com for [un]subscribe/admin requests.
Digest archives and FAQ are available at www.talisman.com/mead. There is
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Greetings and questions
From: Mark Banschbach <mrbear37@yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, 6 Nov 2000 06:08:26 -0800 (PST)
Greetings to you all !
My name is Mark Banschbach and I live in Tampa, FL.
I am somewhat new to meading although I have made
wines for some 15 years. I have currently started a
mead that is a Palmetto honey. My first mead was
where I, like so many others made the mistakes to the
point of comedy. including boiling over the must all
over the wifes stove.. ( she laughs now :) I noted in
the prior digest that there was a lady ( I think )
that asked about adding milk to mead. I remember
reading a book that was provided by a friend from the
SCA that talked about fermenting milk mixtures .. any
insights into this area.. ?? I also would be happy
to meet with others in west central Florida who might
be on the list !
Thanks !
Mark
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Mead Lover's Digest #828, 5 November 2000
From: EveningStar <EveningStar2@worldnet.att.net>
Date: Mon, 06 Nov 2000 08:56:00 -0700
> Subject: Clarification and such
> From: Dave Burley <Dave_Burley@compuserve.com>
> Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2000 16:38:15 -0400
>
> I always suggest that a cloudy mead or cider be treated with a pectic
> enzyme to clarify it before other treatments are attempted. This will do
> the least harm, and is most likely the cause of persistent cloudiness,
> especially in beverages which have cooked components. Because this enzyme
> is often impeded by alcohol content it is best to add it before the
> fermentation as a normal part of your procedure. With fruits you will also
> improve the extraction.
I have to agree with this. I am a bit of a snob in that I don't like adding
chemicals to my mead but I had a persistent problem with cloudiness. My local
store recommended the enzyme at 3 drops per gallon. Result was crystal clear
mead!
Maureen
>
>
> Subject: first set-backs
> From: "Eric Brown" <apicoltore@hotmail.com>
> Date: Thu, 26 Oct 2000 15:18:39 GMT
>
> I suspect I may be dealing with sterilization problems. I used some
> sulfites on my equipment at bottling, but I didn't add any to the mead
> itself. Is there anyone out there who doesn't use sulfites? If so, how do
> you adequately sterilize things? I'm afraid I may make some of you laugh
> with this question, but can I bake my wine bottles in the oven in order to
> sterilize them?
>
As I stated elsewhere, I dislike adding chemicals to my mead. I'm not real fond
on sterilizing chemicals either but I don't want "foreign" stuff in my mead
either. So I use soap & water then a 10% bleach solution. That is what is used
in child care situations and the state health authorities think that it
will kill the HIV virus--I figure it will kill anything *I'm* worried
about! I always rinse three times after that--I'm sure that the taste
would not improve the average mead.
Maureen
------------------------------
Subject: Just some nonsense
From: "Brian Lundeen" <blundeen@rrc.mb.ca>
Date: Mon, 6 Nov 2000 11:40:08 -0600
Eric Brown brags:
>
> Hello fellow mead-makers! I'm about a four month old
> mead-maker now,
Eric, I'm impressed. At four months old, I was capable of little more than
bashing a few toys around my crib.
Joshua expresses some concern about:
> I might need to leave several bottles of mead in my car in
> long term parking
> in Chicago around Thanksgiving. I'm concerned about the mead
> freezing and the
> bottles blowing up. Does anyone have any experiences related
> to this?
Joshua, to properly answer this question we will need to know the make,
model and license number of your car, and the exact location where it will
be parked. Once we know that, I'm sure someone will have a solution to
ensure those bottles do not freeze.
I'm sorry, I'm just in a silly mood today.
Cheers,
Brian
------------------------------
Subject: bentonite and blenders
From: Kristine Adam <kristine@uniserve.com>
Date: Mon, 06 Nov 2000 10:03:52 -0800
A word of caution to anyone planning on using a blender to "dissolve"
bentonite: blenders are hard to sanitize. The only infection I've ever
had in my wine/mead/cider was a direct result of my aged,
used-for-milkshakes blender. In my humble opinion the effort required to
adequately sanitize a blender is greater than the benefit.
On the plus side, even poorly mixed bentonite seems to clear my meads quite
well. This might have something to do with the length of time it takes me
to get around to bottling it, though.
Switching topics, does anyone have a good rule-of-thumb on how long it
should take mead to age? I made two batches in January of 1999 using
Lalvin EC-1118, and two batches in January of 2000 using Lalvin K1V, and so
far they are both roughly equally drinkable. That is, only one person I
know doesn't find the taste on the harsh side. None of them taste bad
exactly, the flavour is reminiscent of a very young wine. Having waited
for rather a long time now, I'm getting impatient. Help!
Thanks,
Kristine
------------------------------
Subject: Re: first set-backs
From: Will_Rau@infoimage.com
Date: Mon, 6 Nov 2000 12:15:57 -0700
Subject: first set-backs
From: "Eric Brown" <apicoltore@hotmail.com>
Date: Thu, 26 Oct 2000 15:18:39 GMT
><snip>
>I suspect I may be dealing with sterilization problems. I used some
>sulfites on my equipment at bottling, but I didn't add any to the mead
>itself. Is there anyone out there who doesn't use sulfites? If so, how do
>you adequately sterilize things? I'm afraid I may make some of you laugh
>with this question, but can I bake my wine bottles in the oven in order to
>sterilize them?
Here is what I do if I want to be sure my bottles are sterile:
1. run your dishwasher empty with not soap twice to clean it out.
2. clean your bottles and other tools thoroughly and use a sulfate
solution to rinse them.
3. place them directly in the dishwasher without re-rinsing them.
4. run the dishwasher on the hottest setting with a head dry.
Nothing that could mess up your mead will survive this. Also, if you are
using corks,
be sure to boil thoroughly as well. As you work, never reuse a utensil
that has touched anything
not sterile. In a pinch, a standing bath of sulfate solution as a dip
rinse with a HOT rinse to
clear will suffice, but this is taking a risk.
Hope this helps. . .
- -will
------------------------------
Subject: Campden Tablets
From: Fred Peachman <fpeachm@yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, 6 Nov 2000 13:54:36 -0800 (PST)
> How/when does SO2 degrade in solution? Does it degrade, turn to gas
It is a gas. If you mean "Does metabisulfite degrade in solution?", well
yes, it 'degrades' to SO2 gas. And yes, it DOES blow off!
> and then blow off? Does it uh... separate into its ... uh ... component
> protons, neutrons and electrons and go .. uh ... poof? Does it chemically
> combine with stuff in solution thereby rendering it flavorless? (?!)
Generally it said that sulfur dioxide preserves flavor by preventing
oxidation.
It may combine by ionization with sugars and proteins to prevent oxidation,
with oxidant compounds (again, to prevent oxidation), but is still in
equilibrium with "free" SO2, so if SO2 gas is evaporating away, so is the
SO2 that exists in these other forms (bisulfite and sulfite).
Got this from the American Wine Society's Book "The Complete Handbook of
Winemaking". I really recommend the book if you'ld like to understand wine
(i.e. "Mead") chemistry in plain-english terms.
> So when I add it during aging-in-the-carboy, does it stay in
> solution or blow off? If it blows off, then if we "prime" the solution
> directly before bottling, the SO2 won't have anywhere to blow-off to?
If you leave a container of mead open to air, the sulfur dioxide will
blow off. A fermenting carboy could lose significant SO2 thru the
fermentation lock in time. And adding some metabisulfite right
before bottling would mean that some of the SO2 would remain in the
bottle after the cork is planted. The amount would depend on how quickly
you cork after you bottle. Even after corking, in time, the SO2
dissipates. I have experienced this firsthand, i.e. freshly bottled wine
that I thought was overly sulfited tasted great a year later, with no
suggestion of too much SO2. I guess it slowly "blows off" thru the cork.
If we amateurs had more control over our processes, I suppose we would
want to add a little more sulfite to a bottle of mead that we intended
to age for years. Practically we don't have that so, if you want to age
mead for a great amount of time, add some sulfite at bottling - maybe
1/4 crushed Campden tablet per gallon of dry mead or 1/2 per gallon of
sweet mead, OR LESS if there's significant SO2 already in the mead.
There are easy-to-use sulfite assay kits available at winemaking supply
stores, by the away. But a few days after corking, seal the end of the
bottle with beeswax, so the bottle won't breathe.
Again, the American Wine Society's book among others would be a great
source of information for you. Buy it at your local wine-making supply shop!
Wine-making techniques readily apply to mead-making.
> So just a general chemical tutorial on Campden tabs would be lovely.
I know I've made a few recommendations here, so be warned - I've only
ever made 5 batches of mead (though lots of batches of wine). Worse yet,
I have never ever stayed at a Holiday Inn Express. But I do enjoy
reading books on the subject of wine, winemaking and more lately, Mead.
There's a lot of great information out there.
=====
- - Fred Peachman -
fpeachm@yahoo.com
------------------------------
Subject: cloud trouble
From: "Linda Grant/Matthew Ransom" <spiritflight@kachina.net>
Date: Sat, 11 Nov 2000 18:01:31 -0700
Hey all!
I've made three one gallon batches of mead about 2 months ago. All have a
whispy white cloud at the top (sanitation?). Is it ruined or can it be
fixed? Can anyone tell me how?
Also, they're dryer than I wish. Can I sweeten them now that they are
finished?
Thanks!
Matthew Ransom
spiritflight@kachina.net
------------------------------
Subject: Polish meads
From: "Ordinary Average Brewer" <zemo@ameritech.net>
Date: Mon, 13 Nov 2000 17:33:54 -0600
This past weekend at Chicago Beer Society's Fall Tasting,
along with 14 beers, were 3 Polish meads. This is from the
CBS flyer:
>Meads from Stawski Distributing, Chicago, IL
>
>Stanley Stawski Distributing provides a wide range of alcoholic
>beverages from Eastern and Southern Europe to the Chicagoland
>area including Okocim and Raadegast pils. They are a longtime
>supporter and frequent contributor to CBS events. We are pleased
>tonight, to feature several meads from Poland which are new to the
>Chicago market. We hope you enjoy them and will look for them at
>your best liquor outlets.
>
>Wawel
>Wawel is Trojniak honey wine. It is a spiced variety with apple, raisin,
>rowanberry, chamomile, cinnamon and cloves. It is aged for a minimum
>of three to five years in oak barrels.
>
>Litewski
>Litewski is also Trojniak honey wine. Its flavor is derived from fruit
such
>as hawthorne, plum, juniper and gooseberry and therefore has more of a
>citrus flavor. It is aged for a minimum of one to four years in oak
>barrels.
>
>Bernardynsky
>Bernardynsky is a 1:3 [?] proportion of water and honey with chokeberry
>juice and spices added for flavor. It is reminiscent of a semi-sweet wine.
I made a mistake: I waited until after dinner to try them. By then, I could
barely handle sips of anything, having sampled 14 beers along with a
huge Persian repast.
I tasted the Bernardynsky and Wawel. They were both sweet but light
on the tongue, not cloying. Each was different, indescribably so.
Especially now that I read the description. How do I know what rowanberry,
hawthorne and chokeberry taste like? Neither of them had an outstanding
flavor, spiciness at a minimum. Just the slightest bit of oak character.
The medium to dark amber color could have come from the honey or the oak.
I managed to abscond with a bottle of Wawel. It's definitely 'European' looking,
the kind of bottle you might ignore, except for the white cord wrapped around
the neck, ending in a wax seal above the label. It's a corked bottle (they
all were), with a shape similar to brandy or cognac. Between the wax seal
and the label
is a banner-type label proclaiming: POLISH HONEY WINE.
The label sez:
Wawel
750 ml Alc by vol: 12-14%
Honey Wine with Natural Flavors Added [?!]
Produced and Bottled by Milejow, Poland
Exported by Agros-Milejow
On the back label:
Distributed by Stawski Distr. Co., Chicago, IL 60622
(there's a badge that sez):
Milejow
Founded in 1944
Stawski's phone no. is 773-278-4848.
I'd be curious to know if the 'natural flavors' are added before, during or
after fermentation. I don't know the cost of a bottle, but having tasted
them, I'd pay $8-10.
Na zdravni!
Zemo
Batavia, IL
------------------------------
End of Mead Lover's Digest #829
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