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Mead Lovers Digest #0862
Subject: Mead Lover's Digest #862, 1 August 2001
From: mead-request@talisman.com
Mead Lover's Digest #862 1 August 2001
Forum for Discussion of Mead Making and Consuming
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Restarting stuck fermentation? ("Geoffrey T. Falk")
re novel ways.... (Scott Morgan - Sun On-Line Telesales Representative)
RE: novel way to make the must ("redrocklover")
Re: Restarting stuck fermentation? ("Geoffrey T. Falk")
Carbonation question ("Todd Miller")
carob mead (Steve Daughhetee)
Re: Moving Blues ("Taliesin2")
Re: Mead Lover's Digest #861, 29 July 2001 (Steven Sanders)
BlackBerry Melomel ("Jimmy Overcast")
1 Question and 2 Haikus ("Kemp, Alson")
Mead/beer making and global warming ("Jim Hodge")
Lemon Mead ("Mike Torregrossa")
A few questions from a newbie... (Joe Nelson)
NOTE: Digest appears when there is enough material to send one.
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Restarting stuck fermentation?
From: "Geoffrey T. Falk" <gtf@cirp.org>
Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2001 12:15:18 -0600 (MDT)
[Still having trouble posting to the list... Hope this gets through.]
I am trying to make a traditional dry, sparkling mead. This is my first
ever batch of mead. It is ~45 days along now.
I used 4.5 kg of honey for 23 litres of must (OG =1.068), Lalvin D-47,
4 tsp nutrient salts and 1 tsp "yeast energizer" (yeast hulls/vitamins)
and added no acid prior to pitching. Initial fermentation was vigorous.
After 6 weeks there were still a few bubbles, and I decided to rack it.
Should have just left it alone..
The yeast must be sensitive because, following the racking, there were
no more signs of fermentation yt all... Why?
It is starting to clear itself. I am not happy with this. It still tastes
too sweet (SG 1.007).
The alcohol is at 8% now; the target was 9%.
Maybe D-47 was not the best choice of yeast to use... But, what can I do
now? I could re-pitch with a champagne yeast, but at this stage I am afraid
of creating "off" flavours.
Any advice on yeast types, finishing gravity and stuck frementations
would be appreciated.
Thanks
Geoffrey
boojum%
------------------------------
Subject: re novel ways....
From: Scott Morgan - Sun On-Line Telesales Representative <Scott.Morgan@Sun.COM>
Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2001 07:22:18 +1000 (EST)
Interesting to read the non-pasturisation method for making mead. But I must
say that it sounds like you making it more difficult than need be. Heres were
Kit Brewing experience helps.
* Stand the container of honey in your sink and fill with hot tap water for a
few min's.
* Take 2 litres of the water from your tap (mines 60 C and an old house had 74C
water- perfect for mash strike). Combine the honey and 2 litres and stir.
* Without delay stir to mix then start adding your additional water.
I brew in all plastic (yes same fermenter, 5 years old and i use a scourer on
it..go the scratchs) - you could do this in a bucket if fermenting in
"holy-shite" glass.
As far as I know, for Pasturization to occur, this must be above 70 C and for a
minimum time. Completing things this way would mean scant difference to your
current blender fun from the pasturisation standpoint.
I also have been using White labs California Steam lager Yeast for meads of
late. Champagne was too dry and in OZ i found it tough to get speacialty mead
yeast. Cali Steam yeast is a lager yeast that works at a higher temp with the
desirable characteristics and has a clean enough profile.
If using lager yeast at lager temps remember to let the must/wort temp rise
after fermentation has finished and before bottling. Co2 dissolves greater the
lower the temp, so if you bottle at 8 C then the chances of going bang are very
real. As soon as things start to warm up the excess CO2 comes out of solution
and we all know what happens there. Raise the whole lot to 18C or so, bottle
and Bob is your Uncle (or your aunties live in lover...) from there.
Scotty
------------------------------
Subject: RE: novel way to make the must
From: "redrocklover" <spiritflight@kachina.net>
Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2001 14:43:27 -0700
To avoid killing your blender and ease sanitation woes, try a sturdy
mixer like one of the Kitchenaide models. Heck, it's powerful enough to
kneed bread dough and fast enough to make whipped cream. Sanitation
would be mainly for the stainless steel mixing bowl and the beater you
use.
Matthew Ransom
spiritflight@kachina.net
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Restarting stuck fermentation?
From: "Geoffrey T. Falk" <gtf@cirp.org>
Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2001 16:23:30 -0600 (MDT)
On 29 Jul, I wrote:
> I used 4.5 kg of honey for 23 litres of must (OG =1.068), Lalvin D-47,
(That should read 5.5 kg, sorry!)
------------------------------
Subject: Carbonation question
From: "Todd Miller" <drift@socket.net>
Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2001 20:46:20 -0500
Hi, all-
I recently made a batch of mead w/ 12 lbs clover honey, 1 gal. apple juice,
and Lalvin K1V-1116 yeast. In a previous batch, I had bottled the batch in
Grolsch bottles using a half cup of sugar to carbonate. While the results
were good, it took a long time to carbonate. This time around, I had
contemplated carbonating with honey rather than priming sugar. Can anyone
suggest an appropriate amount of honey to use as an equivalent to a half cup
of priming sugar (I would guess a half cup of honey, but thought I would
check with the list first). Any other thoughts on this would be deeply
appreciated!
Thanks!
------------------------------
Subject: carob mead
From: Steve Daughhetee <sdd6@cornell.edu>
Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2001 00:51:24 -0400
There has been a lot of talk on chocolate meads lately. Has anyone
tried carob molasses in a mead? I recently came across a quantity of
the stuff in a closeout cart at my local supermarket which carries a
lot of imported foods. It was made in Lebanon and is about the
consistency of honey and tastes of carob (which is similar to
chocolate, with slight burnt overtones). Apparently is is made from
the extract of carob bean pods and contains a lot of sugar. Of
course I had to buy the whole stock. It is on my list of projects,
but I was wondering whether anyone else had experience with it.
Steve
- --
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Moving Blues
From: "Taliesin2" <shane.saylor@verizon.net>
Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2001 00:39:48 -0400
> Your best bet would be to transfer the two batches
> into corney kegs. They're stainless steel and can
> take the beating that a move may incur. With a
> kegging system, you can even purge all the air out of
> the kegs so splashing around won't oxidize it.
I have issues with is. Every time I hear somebody suggest kegging in a
metallic carboy, I think of the taste of beer in a aluminum can. It [the
beer] takes on a small metallic/aluminum taste, which is why I prefer
bottled beer as opposed to tap or can. Does the mead or beer
take on the taste of stainless steel as it does with aluminum cans?
Thoughts?
- ---
"I understand the unicorn's song,
And my own is made of owls and flowers;
I have made my voice of night and time;
My shadow goes before me like a spear."
-- from Taliesin and the Dark
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Mead Lover's Digest #861, 29 July 2001
From: Steven Sanders <geigertube@yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2001 07:42:45 -0700 (PDT)
> Subject: Re: Chocolate Mead
> From: jafjmw@blueyonder.co.uk
> Date: Sun, 22 Jul 2001 14:40:46 +0100
> I'd be interested in the details of the organic
> chocolate extract!
I got it from villageorganics.com..
http://store.yahoo.com/villageorganics/chocexor2ozb.html
I wouldnt really recommend it, though.. The extract
from dean and deluca is much better.
http://www.deandeluca.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ExecMacro/store/search_f.d2w/report
?psearch=chocolate+extract
1/2 to 3/4 of a bottle of this will do it...
(refering to chocolate extract)
> Are Steven and Terry talking about the same thing or
> two similar things?
I'm pretty sure we are both talking about the same
thing..
Regards,
Steven
=====
My moon based death ray
panics the people of earth.
Mock my theories now!
http://www.studiosputnik.com
------------------------------
Subject: BlackBerry Melomel
From: "Jimmy Overcast" <malibu76@mindspring.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2001 16:55:17 -0500
I brewed an BlackBerry Melomel and it has recently turned 1 year old. I
basically just left if in a cool closet with the airlock on tight and forgot
about it. Well it is time to bottle it up. I purchased 2 cases of 7 oz
Barley Wine Bottles to package it in. My question to all of you is
1. Should I leave it a Still Mead or Carbonate it to have a Sparkling Mead.
2. If I carbonate it what should I use, and how much. I have heard stories
of exploding bottles.
thanks alot for the info,
Jimmy Overcast
malibu76@mindspring.com
------------------------------
Subject: 1 Question and 2 Haikus
From: "Kemp, Alson" <alson@corp.cirrus.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2001 15:25:49 -0700
Question: I put some CaCO3 (10g/3 gallons) in a mead to reduce the
acidity. The mead now has a soapy taste. I assume that this taste is due
to the CaCO3. Is this correct? Will the bad taste go away?
Haikus from my brewing partner regarding our recent Orange Blossom Mead:
- ---
Here, I wrote this haiku:
Orange Blossum Mead
A Heinous liquid sorrow
Were did we go wrong?
Or, I think my favorite haiku:
Orange born Mead child
We gave all but got no love.
Why so long to wait?
- ---
I would submit that henceforth all mead judgings must be delivered
to the digest as haiku.
-Alson
------------------------------
Subject: Mead/beer making and global warming
From: "Jim Hodge" <jdhodge@worldnet.att.net>
Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2001 19:16:14 -0700
If we assume that global warming is a result of increased CO2 levels in
the atmosphere (by no means certain at this point), then fermentation is
not a contributor. Fermentation oxidizes carbon that is already in the
biosphere. If yeast weren't turning this carbon into CO2, some other
process eventually would. For example, if honey is eaten, either by
bees or other animals, it eventually ends up as CO2 as a result of its
being metabolized. The same is true of any other fermentable. All
carbon that is in the biosphere is part of a cycle that pretty much
maintains a steady-state level of CO2 in the atmosphere.
Burning fossil fuels, on the other hand, introduces new CO2 into the
current biosphere. True, coal and oil were once part of the biosphere
in their time, but the Carbon Age had its own share of climatic
problems.
Jim Hodge
------------------------------
Subject: Lemon Mead
From: "Mike Torregrossa" <mtorregr@tampabay.rr.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2001 23:13:02 -0400
this is my first time making mead, and I thought I would
do a lemon flavor. Does anyone know of a good recipe for
a lemon mead?
Thanks
MT
------------------------------
Subject: A few questions from a newbie...
From: Joe Nelson <some1_ate_my_capn_crunch@yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 1 Aug 2001 12:15:53 -0700 (PDT)
Ok, I had a great batch come out of Cher Feinstein's
small mead recipe so I decided to try my hand at a
"better" (read as "slower") recipe. It's bubbling
away happily.
So anyway, on to my question...
Where can I get some Wyeast sweet mead yeast??? My
local shops are all wineries so they, therefore, only
sell wine yeasts. Also because they are wineries they
do not sell ale yeast. I was hoping to try my hand at
an Edme yeast mead sometime soon so I need a supplier
of that as well. Any help would be greatly
appreciated.
And one last question...
I'm a rather impatient brewer that enjoys sweeter
meads. I was wondering if anyone out there had some
good recipes that used Edme yeast that were ready to
bottle within say, a month or so, and were ready to
drink inside of 6 months. I know I'm picky but that's
what being a college student and having thirsty
roommates does to you. :-)
Much Thanks and Happy Meading,
Joe Nelson
------------------------------
End of Mead Lover's Digest #862
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