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Mead Lovers Digest #0908
From: mead-request@talisman.com
Errors-To: mead-errors@talisman.com
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To: mead-list@talisman.com
Subject: Mead Lover's Digest #908, 27 February 2002
Mead Lover's Digest #908 27 February 2002
Forum for Discussion of Mead Making and Consuming
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
white scunge (leavitdg@plattsburgh.edu)
Cream of Tartar in Mead? ("Kemp, Alson")
Re: my first mead brew ("Kemp, Alson")
Re:"Cream of Tartar" ("Matt_lists")
OOPS! ("smarshall")
re: absinthe (J33pluvr@aol.com)
Absynthe (Bob and Winnie)
adding fruit also attenuation (Bob and Winnie)
Re: Warm mead [was: Re: your submission to MLD - not plain text] ("Ken Tab...)
Putrid mead ("Steve Gaskin")
Re: Oak treatments & effects (JazzboBob@aol.com)
Re: Mead Lover's Digest #902, 13 February 2002 (Christopher C Carpenter)
NOTE: Digest appears when there is enough material to send one.
Send ONLY articles for the digest to mead@talisman.com.
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Digest archives and FAQ are available at www.talisman.com/mead. There is
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: white scunge
From: leavitdg@plattsburgh.edu
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2002 14:04:42 -0500 (EST)
I have brewed several meads over the last 4 years, and I have one now
in primary (for over 1.5 months) and it has developed a white scum/
skunge on the top. I have never had a mead do this. Can this be an
infection?
.Darrell
------------------------------
Subject: Cream of Tartar in Mead?
From: "Kemp, Alson" <alson@corp.cirrus.com>
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2002 11:20:44 -0800
> Cream of Tartar - "buffering agent"
Roger Morse recommends adding Cream of Tartar to meads.
His 1.25G of must beginner recipe is (essentially)
1G H20
3.5# of the goo
4grams acid blend
4grams DAP
4grams yeast nutrient
4grams Cream of Tartar
I spent a lot of time trying to figure out exactly what
cream of tartar does (I'm not a chemist). One possible use is to
encourage Cream of Tartar precipitate.
An interesting experiment (volunteers?!) would be to make
two nearly identical 1.25 gallon batches. Add Cream of Tartar to
one. Measure the pH every day and report back to the MLD. (I
don't have a pH meter. Maybe I'll "borrow" my Dad's and do the
experiment...)
Can anyone comment on how Cream of Tartar would act as a
buffer?
-Alson Kemp
------------------------------
Subject: Re: my first mead brew
From: "Kemp, Alson" <alson@corp.cirrus.com>
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2002 11:24:38 -0800
Runester,
>I've attempted to brew my first mead according to the
>classical mead recipe.
What was the recipe? Kinda difficult to diagnose the
problem without knowing what you've done...
-Alson Kemp
------------------------------
Subject: Re:"Cream of Tartar"
From: "Matt_lists" <Matt_lists@hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2002 11:40:27 -0800
Interesting idea and sound concept. Please let us know what you find out.
>From my experience in cooking with the stuff it does have a distinct flavor.
I would be a little cautious about that. Also I'm of the belief of "If it
aint broke...". I'm curious to know if you have persistent pH problems? Only
speaking from my personal experience, the water in the places that I have
lived seem to have enough buffering salts to keep the pH from going way out
of whack. True I have had a couple of Melomels that needed adjusting but on
the whole I don't really have pH problems.
Matt Maples
Liquid Solutions
12162 SW Scholls Ferry Rd
Tigard, OR 97223
503-524-9722
www.liquidsolutions.ws (web site)
http://list.liquidsolutions.ws/scripts/lyris.pl (mailing list)
------------------------------
Subject: OOPS!
From: "smarshall" <smarshall@pecofficemachines.com>
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2002 12:23:28 -0800
Hi all,
I was hoping for help on two different fronts:
First, last night I was in the process of racking a mead I started in
January onto 4 pounds of blackberries when my hydrometer decided to be
suicidal and jump off the table and shatter on the floor. I was unable
to take any readings to see how much the blackberries changed the
gravity of the mead. Do any of you have even a vague idea what 4 pounds
of blackberries in appox 5.5 gallons of mead might make? Also is 4
pounds even vaguely the right quantity for a batch this size? (Just for
the record I used approx 18 pounds of honey and some champagne yeast to
start this one off with...) Also I suspect that my fermentation may be
stuck, I can just rehydrate some yeast and toss them in there to get it
going again right??
Second, I'm curious... I have a cinnamon mead that is in it's third
carboy and is just over 2 years old. My concern is that it is still
fermenting, nothing earth shattering mind you but while it is almost
crystal clear if I place a flashlight behind the carboy I can see carbon
dioxide bubbles rising. If I'm patient enough I also get to see
activity in the airlock. I'm just curious as to how long a ferment is
too long of a ferment (if there is such a thing)? I'd love to check the
gravity, but as you read in the first paragraph I'll have to wait until
I get down to my local brew shop...
I appreciate your help/opinions.
Stan
------------------------------
Subject: re: absinthe
From: J33pluvr@aol.com
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2002 17:33:38 EST
here is a website with excellent absinthe info and a few recipes one of which
is an ale
<A HREF="Zenbeer's">http://www.zenbeer.com/absinthe/absinthe.htm">Zenbeer's Realm of
Drunken Behavior - Oulawed Liquors, Absinthe</A>
THE JEEP LOVER
In Love, In Life, we make choices or have things choosen for us that are a
mystery. Why we are and what we become is a matter of our decisions to these
choices.
The Wolf Credo
Respect your elders. Teach the young. Cooperate with the pack. Play when you
can. Hunt when you must. Rest in between. Share your affection. Voice your
feelings. Leave your mark.
------------------------------
Subject: Absynthe
From: Bob and Winnie <natvwine@cut.net>
Date: Sun, 24 Feb 2002 19:56:38 -0700
It seems that most of the comments about absynthe are from folks who
have read something about it. All experienced mead makers know that this
kind of knowledge is... tenable.
Here are some ideas from one who has lots of experience making and
drinking this product :
1. When using herbs of any kind, all recipes should be dealt with
carefully, that is, four handfuls of A. absinthium grown in one area may
very well have up to 10 times the active ingredients than four handfuls
from a different enviornment - in my experience, four handfuls is way
way too much and will not only make you sick but will be undrinkable.
2. Depending on the soil that the plant is grown in (highly
mineralized), it will contain many other alkaloids in addition to the
thujone and many of these are much more unfriendly to humans than the
thujone.
3. There are at least two species of Artemesia that are used in the
production of absynthe. One should be very careful about using anything
that is grown or picked by someone else.
Having warned about the dangers, I would like to say that the pursuit of
knowledge about the active ingredients in any plant is an individual
decision and for some people can be highly rewarding. Thujone is a
controlled substance and is illegal to posess or consume in most
countries.
Most of the historical information about the effects of absynthe are
mere propaganda that was used as fodder in the fight for termperance. In
the 18th and 19th centuries, the art of distillation (in the west) was
in its infancy and many crass errors were made by society as a whole in
the consumption of alcoholic beverages: they were viewed by many to be
cure-alls and were prescribed for the old, infirm and for infants, many
times poisonous substances such as lead and mercury were added to the
absynthe for organoleptic purposes, from the examination of historical
records it is estimated that the alcohol content of much of the absynthe
consumed in the 19th century was well above 140 deg., and most of the
common sense rules about alcoholism were not yet developed - that is,
people would often drink all day, every day for every reason including
toothaches. None of these factors has anything to do with thujone, the
active ingredient in absynthe.
Most art historians consider absynthe to be responsible for the
impressionist movement, having been avidly consumed by the likes of
Monet, Matisse, and Van Gogh. Check out the colors!
This diatribe is in no way to be interpreted as encouragement to break
the law.
Bob Sorenson
------------------------------
Subject: adding fruit also attenuation
From: Bob and Winnie <natvwine@cut.net>
Date: Sun, 24 Feb 2002 20:30:55 -0700
In answer to Dick's question,
Yes, I have made many batches of mead, adding fruit at various times and
I can say that the earlier that fruit is added to the must, the more
aromatics are lost (in general).
One of the problems with adding fruit later in the fermentation is the
added time required to properly age and clear the mead, the other is
that if you believe in the power of the natural nutrients found in the
fruit, the fermentation will not benefit from the addition of the fruit
at the onset and may be sluggish.
By far the most dynamic meads we make here are ones that are made by
adding fresh fruit to dry, finished mead; in particular, aromatic fruits
such as blackberries, raspberries and apricots. The main drawback of
course is the time commitment of waiting for the mead to finish, then
refermenting the fruit and ageing the mead.
In response to the yeast attenuation question, much depends upon the
nutritional health of the yeast.
Several years ago I made a mead using Lalvin 1118 and it stopped
fermenting at about 17 percent. Well, we sold it all except for a
couple of 7.5 gal carboys to which I added some wild blue plums
(damsons) at which point it took off again. It is now three years old,
fermenting very slowly, and presently at 23 percent alcohol! I am going
to continue syrup feeding it with honey until.......
The point is that the addition of the fruit (plums are a great yeast
food) negated everything that the manufacturer said about the yeast and
in the words of Tom Petty, "The sky is the limit".
Incidentally, we have a waiting list for the remaining 75 bottles @
$34/bottle.
Bob Sorenson, Native Wines
> "Common knowledge" is that it's better to add fruit after fermentation is
> under way and has settled down. The argument is that waiting causes less
> loss of aromatics from the fruit. The idea makes sense. But is it
> "knowledge" or is it just "common"?
>
> So...I've asked before and I'll ask again: Has anybody actually tried a
> comparison? I promise I'll do one this year, but it has to wait until
> - ---
> Dick Dunn rcd@talisman.com Hygiene, Colorado USA
>
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Warm mead [was: Re: your submission to MLD - not plain text]
From: "Ken Taborek" <Ken.Taborek@Verizon.net>
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2002 19:41:04 -0500
> Subject: Re: your submission to MLD - not plain text
> From: "Martin Smith" <yourruler@hotmail.com>
> Date: Sun, 24 Feb 2002 13:31:52 +0000
>
> My freind and I have been making mead for a little while, and have been
> reassured that it tastes delicious warm - especially in the
> winter. However,
> any attempt to heat it results in the rapid vinegarisation of the alcohol
> due to oxidisation. Does anyone know how to warm mead up without this
> unfortunate effect? At the moment the only thing warm mead is
> good for is to
> put with chips :S
> My thanks,
> Martin Smith
Martin,
Your information is correct, warm mead is good. Warm mead can be mulled
with spices for a very warming, relaxing drink, or simply warmed and enjoyed
as is as a warm totty.
Now, as to why your mead suffers 'vinegarisation', I have no idea. If the
mead is not already vinegar, then heating it will not suddenly turn it to
vinegar.
When I heat mead, I do it gently, placing the opened bottle in a pan of
water on the stove, and letting the water heat up and transfer it's heat to
the mead. You may find that the mead expands and overflows the bottle when
it's heated, but any overflow will just drop into the pan, so no mess is
caused. I do not allow the water to come to a boil.
Since the mead is in it's bottle, there is little chance for oxidation to
occur prior to serving.
Hope this helps!
Cheers,
Ken
------------------------------
Subject: Putrid mead
From: "Steve Gaskin" <stevegask@ihug.com.au>
Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2002 11:21:47 +1030
> Hi guys,
> I've attempted to brew my first mead according to the classical mead
>recipe. I've followed instructions to the letter. All of my vessels have
>been properly disinfected and cleaned. I racked after one month and I have a
>cloudy yellow/brown liquid which has a muddy,bitter flavor with a
>putrid,vinegary aftertaste. Could someone help me on this one 'cos if this
>is mead then I'd sooner drink piss.
>Runester
Hi Arnold,
No doubt you will get buried under a pile of responses on your MLD
posting, but here's my bit.
It sounds very much to me from what you describe that you have an
infected mead! It is VERY unusual, (if you are careful with sanitation)
I have never had one, but it's not impossible. Without being there with
you when the process started and watching, it's impossible to say how it
happened, but it does sound like you are describing a bad mead.
All I can say is put it aside somewhere and wait and see, meanwhile try
again - it's not over till it's over. :-)
Steve
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Oak treatments & effects
From: JazzboBob@aol.com
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2002 23:23:48 EST
I haven't used the OakBoy strips that Byron sells, but would be very
surprised if they weren't an excellent product. Byron won AHA Meadmaker of
the year twice and is also a good wine maker. I'm sure he would only sell
something that is good.
I use another oak product that is called Oakmore. It comes plain or toasted
and looks like sawdust. It is so fine that it becomes saturated with the
mead and sinks to the bottom of the fermentor. I used to boil it in a little
bit of water and add it to the secondary. But a brewer at Sam Adams told me
about a better treatment that he uses with his IPA. Just add 1 tablespoon at
the end of the boil to sterilize and extract the flavor. It can go right
into the fermentor where it acts as nucleation sites for the yeast. It'll
settle out with the yeast sediment and not float like regular oak chips.
One tablespoon per 5 gallons of mead has been the best balance and is very
predictable in result. It's available from Presque Isle Winery in PA.
Bob Grossman
> I used about 3 oz of oak chips in 5 gallons. I boiled it
> briefly and decanted the liquid, adding the oak to the aging
> carboy for about 2 weeks. I added the oak and tasted the
> mead a week later... then a week later... tasted okay...
> bottle it!
>I too have used oak in some of my meads. Anyway, I found out that the key
to >using oak in meads is to taste test often. The amount of flavor pickup
is a function >of surface area per unit volume and time. The species of oak
and the degree of >toasting also are factors.
>The problem that I've had with oak chips is twofold. The first is that
>the chips float in the mead and therefore extraction of flavors is
<uneven. Secondly, there is no accurate way of measuring the surface
>area of the wood chips.
>That's why I was surprised when I received a catalog from "The Beverage
>eople", Byron Burch's homebrew shop. (BTW, I have no affiliation with
<hem) They offer a product that the call "OakBoy". It's basically
>oasted wood slats in both American and French oaks that are small
<enough to fit into a glass carboy.
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Mead Lover's Digest #902, 13 February 2002
From: Christopher C Carpenter <chris.carpenter@ndsu.nodak.edu>
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2002 22:32:44 -0600
- --On Wednesday, February 13, 2002 9:20 AM -0700 mead-request@talisman.com
wrote:
> blu/green tint- light a small clear/green 8oz Coke bottle) it was a cone
> in shape- having no base so it couldn't be set down (lest someone slip
> you some arsenic)
Well, This is exactly where my pet peeve lies with the desire to be
perfectly documented and "authentic" in your desires to recreate history.
puleese will someone tell me the percentage of mead drinking people who
actively sought places to consume mead that had the likelyhood of someone
poisoning them? I think it was not representative. If you really think
people chose their drinking vessels from fear of poisoning, then you need
to subscribe to paranoiacs anonymous. The majority of mead was consumed in
regular vessals that were used to consume water, milk, or whatever. You
could set them down to play a game, or do work. If you truly want an
authentic mead vessel, research the time period, and find out what kind of
cups, bowls or whatever they used to eat out of, they would have poured
mead into them also. Just because an oral tradition is not clearly
documented does NOT mean it did not exist, and just because you find a
document for something, does NOT mean it is representative to what people
acutally did. Sorry if I annoyed anyone more than I bacame annoyed.
Chris Carpenter
------------------------------
End of Mead Lover's Digest #908
*******************************
