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Mead Lovers Digest #0891
Subject: Mead Lover's Digest #891, 17 December 2001
From: mead-request@talisman.com
Mead Lover's Digest #891 17 December 2001
Forum for Discussion of Mead Making and Consuming
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
West - North - West ("Kemp, Alson")
IL meading ("Stephen J. Van der Hoven")
Two most recent meads ("Stevenson, Randall")
Meading ("Spencer W. Thomas")
Books ("David Craft")
Sir Digby's meads (Dan McFeeley)
RE: A Gathering (Joanna Hammerschmidt)
cider/mead? (leavitdg@plattsburgh.edu)
Chlorine / Chloramines in Water (Nathan Kanous)
Re:Cane syrup ("Joseph S. Gaglio")
Re:Here's a small Christmas tip ..... ("Matt_lists")
Re: Northwest Mead-ing 2002 (BldHghlndr@aol.com)
local and regional gatherings (Mead Lovers Digest)
Re: Mead Lover's Digest #890, 13 December 2001 (bev art)
Hawaiian Honey (bev art)
NOTE: Digest 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.
Digest archives and FAQ are available at www.talisman.com/mead. There is
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: West - North - West
From: "Kemp, Alson" <alson@corp.cirrus.com>
Date: Fri, 14 Dec 2001 09:54:02 -0800
Regarding meeting: I'm located in Silicon Valley. Near
to San Francisco. Sonoma, Dry Creek Valley, Russian River and
Alexander Valley are also here (parents own a vineyard in the
Russian River Valley, so I can't mention Napa (bad word)).
I'd be interested in a summer meeting in Portland,
SF/Sonoma, Seattle or LA.
Probably show up on Friday afternoon, have dinner with
the group, free day on Saturday, mead tasting and dinner with
group on Saturday, mead/brewing discussions on Sunday and take
off on Sunday evening.
- Alson
------------------------------
Subject: IL meading
From: "Stephen J. Van der Hoven" <sjvande2@ilstu.edu>
Date: Fri, 14 Dec 2001 11:02:48 -0800
When I lived in Salt Lake, I had a large group of friends who were brewers
(beer and mead). We started an annual meading which was held on
Halloween. It was mostly social tasting event but we had a low key contest
and voted on who's creation we thought was the best. The tradition
continues in my absence, but I send samples so I won't be forgotten. If
anyone out there wants to get in touch with the SLC group, let me know.
Now that I'm in IL, I haven't hooked up with any mead makers in my
area. Plenty of friends who'll drink my mead, but none who make it. I've
noticed that there are a number of posters in the Chicago region. I would
be happy to participate in/organize/host a meading for those of us in the
greater Chicago region. If you are interested, please contact me directly
and I will get the ball rolling.
Steve
_____________________________
Stephen J. Van der Hoven
Assistant Professor
Department of Geography-Geology
Illinois State University
Campus Box 4400
Normal, IL 67190-4400
Phone: 309/438-3493
Fax: 309/438-5310
------------------------------
Subject: Two most recent meads
From: "Stevenson, Randall" <rstevenson@ldi.state.la.us>
Date: Fri, 14 Dec 2001 10:45:46 -0600
I tried an experiment to make a sweet mead. I started with more honey
than usual and added lemon and almond extract (flavoring). I also
soaked cinnamon in Everclear (pure grain alcohol) and filtered the
mixture through a coffee filter to remove the tiny cinnamon pieces. I
pitched Lalvin D-47 yeast and after a few weeks when the rapid
fermentation slowed to more than 5 minutes between bubbles passing
through the air lock, I added the cinnamon/Everclear to raise the
alcohol level and stop the fermentation. The mead fell clear in a
couple of weeks. I'm pleased with how the process worked and the flavor
is good, but too sweet (due to my adding way too much honey). The
almond and lemon extracts combine to give the drink an orange flavor.
As I bottled the batch just mentioned, I used a recipe that I found for
the second batch (I increased the ingredients to make a three gallon
batch):
1/2 gallon of honey
2-1/4 gallons of water
1-1/2 cups of lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon of allspice
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
This is supposedly an old mead recipe and is reportedly ready to drink
in 6 months. We'll see.
I cannot resist mentioning that the Winter Solstice is upon us (Dec.
21st). It was a traditional time for the ancients in Western Europe to
imbibe a horn of mead in celebration. They were not sure that the dying
sun would come back, so when it did, they were relieved and held a
celebration. The event was called Alban Arthan in the Celtic lands and
Yule in the Norse lands. Still in Wales young men go wassailing around
this time -- a pot of apple juice is taken house to house singing songs
where the dwellers would add sherry, port, wine, mead, etc. Producing
the drink wassail. This is also the inspiration of the song "Wassailing
We Will Go".=20
Wassail!
Randall Stevenson
------------------------------
From: "steven neufeld" <steveneufeld@hotmail.com>
Date: Fri, 14 Dec 2001 19:11:32
I am trying to make still traditional mead. It is at the correct alcohol
level, but is still fermenting. I added camden tablets that should have
stopped fermentation. I have been trying to degass it since then, but the
carbon dioxide levels remain high. Any suggestions? Thanks. Steve Neufeld.
------------------------------
Subject: Meading
From: "Spencer W. Thomas" <spencer@umich.edu>
Date: Fri, 14 Dec 2001 10:04:06 -0500
Another possible event is the Bill Pfeiffer Memorial Mazer Cup Mead Competition.
Judging will be held in March, 2002 in the metro Detroit area. Maybe we could
make a weekend event of it, with some "meading" along with the judging.
See http://hbd.org/mazercup for more info.
=Spencer Thomas in Ann Arbor, MI
------------------------------
Subject: Books
From: "David Craft" <David-Craft@craftinsurance.com>
Date: Fri, 14 Dec 2001 07:40:13 -0600
I recently purchased Roger Morses book, 1980 ( I hope I have the name right,
the book is at home and I am at work). I was a little dissappointed, not
knowing that the book is 20 years olds. It lacks recipes to a large degree
and much current information. I am sure it was the "bible" 20 years ago!
Can anyone recommend a more current book, sources too.
Regards,
David B. Craft
Battleground Brewers Homebrew Club
Crow Hill Brewery
Greensboro, NC
------------------------------
Subject: Sir Digby's meads
From: Dan McFeeley <mcfeeley@keynet.net>
Date: Fri, 14 Dec 2001 15:18:08 -0500
Not so long ago over on the hist-brewing list, Bob Grossman was asking about
the old Digby 1600's recipes and the difficulty of converting them to modern
use since they used an egg in place of yet-to-be invented hydrometer, wanting
to know if there was any information on converting Digby's suggestions to
modern descriptions.
Lord Corwin of Carkwater (aka Douglas Brainard) investigated this question
and published his results in the SCA journal _Scum_, (no. 16, Winter AS XXIX)
under the title "To Bear an Egge." He worked out a chart of Digby's use of
the egg versus hydrometer readings that can be used for converting his
recipes to more familiar terms. As you'll see below, he categorized each
reference to the use of an egg found in Digby's recipes, matching it with
coin size and the specific gravity he measured in the recipe.
There are a few caveats, however. It's known that the diameter of English
coinage varied somewhat, according to the date it was minted, making Digby's
suggestions the kind of thing his contemporaries would know immediately while
the rest of us have to guess. Corwin researched this, but the actual coin
size may still be questionable. English eggs are another guess -- Corwin
based his measurements on a modern day 18 oz "small" egg, hypothesizing that
this would come very close to the everyday egg Digby was familiar with.
And, honey itself is going to vary in water content, especially in an era
where honey gathering was an unregulated industry, such as today. This
would have an effect on Digby's egg-hydrometer readings.
Still, these are happenstance, ball park style measurements, not the
precision readings we like to take today. Digby's egg measurements
were meant to get you close to what a good honey must should be, and
no more. Folk back then were much more reliant on personal observation
and the intuition born of long experience, rather than the precise
measurements we prefer.
With those warnings, here is the chart below, as drawn up by Lord Corwin.
Initial Proportions of Water to Honey
| 2 1/2:1 | 3:1 | 4:1 | 5:1 | 6:1 | Unspecified
| 1.120 | 1.105 | 1.084 | 1.070 | 1.060 |
Coin | | | | | |
_--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Penny | | 1 | | | |
_--------------------|-------|--------|---------|---------|---------------
Twopence | | | | | | 3
_--------------------|-------|--------|---------|---------|---------------
Threepence| | | 3 | | |
_--------------------|-------|--------|---------|---------|---------------
Groat | | 2 | 5 | | | 5
_--------------------|-------|--------|---------|---------|---------------
Sixpence | | | 2 | | |
_--------------------|-------|--------|---------|---------|---------------
Shilling | | 1 | | | |
_--------------------|-------|--------|---------|---------|---------------
Hazelnut | | | | | | 1
_--------------------|-------|--------|---------|---------|---------------
Unspecified 1 | 6 | 8 | 1 | | 7
_--------------------|-------|--------|---------|---------|---------------
Egg sinks | | | | | 1 |
_-------------------------------------------------------------------------
<><><><><><><><><><>
<><><><><><><><>
Dan McFeeley
mcfeeley@keynet.net
------------------------------
Subject: RE: A Gathering
From: Joanna Hammerschmidt <lilleanya_eq@yahoo.com>
Date: Fri, 14 Dec 2001 06:58:28 -0800 (PST)
Russ,
I think a gathering in Chicago would be great I'm based in Kansas City and
know of quite a few people who would welcome the chance to gather and share
both ideas and thier meads. Chicago would be close enough for us all to drive
up.
Joanna
------------------------------
Subject: cider/mead?
From: leavitdg@plattsburgh.edu
Date: Fri, 14 Dec 2001 07:41:02 -0500 (EST)
I am new to the list, have made more beer than mead, but I have made about
5 batches of mead over the last 4 years. I believe in the "no boil" method,
ie keeping the honey and water at 170F for 30 minutes or so, then chilling to
pitch the yeast...
My question: can one do this with 1/2 honey and 1/2 apple cider? ie not
boil, but just steep at 170F? Will this kill the bacteria in the fresh
cider?
.Darrell
------------------------------
Subject: Chlorine / Chloramines in Water
From: Nathan Kanous <nlkanous@pharmacy.wisc.edu>
Date: Fri, 14 Dec 2001 14:00:26 -0600
AJ DeLang posted on the homebrewers digest within the most recent few years
that adding sulfites to water will remove BOTH chlorine and
chloramines. As I recalll (search the archives if you wish) it was
somewhere in the neighborhood of 1/4 to 1/2 of a campden tablet per 5
gallons. I've used this ever since and my mead and beer come out
fine. Hope this helps.
nathan in madison, wi
------------------------------
Subject: Re:Cane syrup
From: "Joseph S. Gaglio" <jgaglio@tampabay.rr.com>
Date: Fri, 14 Dec 2001 16:12:39 -0500
Has anyone ever used cane juice or cane syrup to brew mead? I think it
might be more nutrient rich than honey.
Also, I'm still trying to get some input on either finding a mazer or
getting one made.
Thanks for any clues,
joe
- --
Yours in truth,
Joseph S. Gaglio MHS
http://The_Holeyman.tripod.com/many_incarnations.html
"They counted on being able to punish them into being better, on being
able to inspire them into being better, on being able to educate them
into being better. And after ten thousand years of trying to improve
people --
without a trace of success -- they wouldn't dream of turning their
attention elsewhere."
------------------------------
Subject: Re:Here's a small Christmas tip .....
From: "Matt_lists" <Matt_lists@hotmail.com>
Date: Fri, 14 Dec 2001 14:00:56 -0800
>mead. When you mention honey-wine they can better imagine what you're
>talking about. So seen from a marketing perspective meadery is not a
>tactical name! I would use the term honey-winery then ....
>
>Have a merry Christmas all! I know I will ...
>
>Roel
I disagree, with the term honey-winery. I admit that mead does need a lot of
marketing exposure before it as an industry has any real chance of catching
on but if there is going to be any real mead industry in the US I think we
need to do what we can to develop (more to the point expose / educate
others) on our own nomenclature.
The Feds require the term "Wine" to be on every label and frankly that just
mucks things up. Here at my shop I can't tell you how many times people have
looked at my display and said "so mead is a type of wine" and of course my
answer is "No, mead isn't a wine per-say but is it own category much the way
cider is in it's own category."
If mead does nothing more than try and ride the coat-tails of wine it will
always be thought of as the bastard step child of the wine industry and
never be thought of as a unique and exquisite beverage that it is. That is
not to say mead makers should not try and develop a mead or two that might
pander to the wine drinking crowd but to position a meadery as a winery only
confuses things and does nothing to promote MEAD on its own merits.
Sorry if I seem a little impassioned about this by I think commercial mead
does have a chance here in the US and is currently on a sharp upswing (There
is two maybe three new meaderies starting up in my neck of the woods alone).
If handled right and promoted well a real industry may form and it wont just
be a flash in the pan. Right now some very good work is being done (as in
Mountain Meadows and Heidrun) but they are all out there doing their own
thing and not really pulling together (mostly because they are working so
damn hard to make their business work).
I am just waiting for the day that I can go to a nice restaurant order up a
Cajun blacked salmon dinner and a nice bottle of dry snowberry mead.
Matt Maples
May mead regain its rightful place as the beverage of gods and kings.
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: Re: Northwest Mead-ing 2002
From: BldHghlndr@aol.com
Date: Sun, 16 Dec 2001 01:05:51 EST
>Subject: Re: Northwest Mead-ing 2002
>From: Mick <mwn@harborside.com>
>Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2001
>
>Sounds great! I'm just down here on the Oregon Coast, and I'd love to
>get together with some fellow NW mead-makers. I know of a few other
>meadmakers in this area to whom I shall send word.
><snip>
>Mick
Sounds great to me too!
I reside 15 minutes just this side of the US/Canadian border along I-5, so a
summer gathering in Seattle would be great!
Keep me (us) apprised of dates/details, & as long as there is no scheduling
conflicts on my end, I look forward to it!
Cheers!
Terry Holmes
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=
>Subject: 2002 Northwest Mead-ing
>From: butcher <butcher@drizzle.com>
>Date: Sat, 08 Dec 2001
>
>Good suggestion Jay.
>
>I will throw myself in to the arena and offer a summer
>solstice mead-ing here in Seattle, Washington, US. There
>are plenty of local brewers to make it a fine turn out
>and it is a pretty place to have one.
>
>Also, there is a park nearby that has handled the Hemp
>Fest a few years ago and has some built in BBQs for
>warming up the water. I assume we would want to make a
>few batches while we are all together.
>
>If 10 or more people say this is a good idea and like the
>date and place, I will reserve the park area.
>
>Butcher
------------------------------
Subject: local and regional gatherings
From: mead@talisman.com (Mead Lovers Digest)
Date: Sat, 15 Dec 2001 23:30:07 -0700 (MST)
Although local/regional gatherings are a great idea, I would like to ask (as
digest janitor) for a bit of caution/restraint in using the digest as the
way to arrange these gatherings and contact people. The trouble is that,
although if you're trying to organize a meading in Montrose, CO this is a
good way to reach folks in Telluride and even up to Delta and down to
Durango, it is also a way to reach folks in Norway, Zaire, and New Zealand,
who actually may not be even slightly interested in your gathering, no
matter how exquisite the meads or how scintillating the company. The MLD
has international distribution...the lower bound on non-US subscribers is
about 10%, and I suspect it's closer to 20%. (I can't tell because of
.com ISPs that are international.) And even within the US...think about
the 98% of the digest list that's not in your region.
The MLD has carried announcements of regional competitions, but that's
never been much of a concern because they're typically large-area regional
rather than local, they're of interest to everyone who might submit an
entry (as opposed to those who would actually travel to the event), and
they're relatively infrequent.
Again, because I would like to encourage regional gatherings, I would like
to find a way to help people hook up for meadings...without necessarily
loading up the digest with one article per event or event-idea. One idea
was to add a new email target (say, mead-ing@talisman.com :-) where you
could send an announcement or a request for gathering(s) in your area, with
some moderately standard format and with contact info so it could move off-
digest...I could collect these into one summary article at the end of each
digest.
Tell me what you think of this approach, or PLEASE tell me if you've got a
better idea. But please direct your comments to mead-request@talisman.com,
and NOT to the digest itself. As soon as we can come up with a method for
announcing meading events, I'll set it in motion.
Thanks,
Mead-Lover's Digest mead-request@talisman.com
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor Boulder County, Colorado USA
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Mead Lover's Digest #890, 13 December 2001
From: bev art <bevart@ameritech.net>
Date: Sun, 16 Dec 2001 08:44:49 -0600
Russ:
Last year we had a great mead tasting and seminar with more than 30 commercial
meads. The quality of the meads we found available was mostly outstanding. We
hope to do this again this spring .
Greg Fischer
Owner ,Wind Song Meadery (Future Opening in Chicago)
Bev Art Brewer & Winemaker Supply and Beekeeper
> From: Russ Riley <russriley61999@yahoo.com>
> Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2001 06:26:54 -0800 (PST)
>
> Dean from Easton, MA wrote:
>
> How about doing regional gatherings?
> For example I live in Masschusetts. A page of States and contact for
> each could be posted. May be a little more do-able so to speak.
>
> A date would be set by the host, a time, a place and a deadline to signup.
> - -------------
>
> Dean,
> Probably the most workable idea. I'd be all for it,
> although I'd be a paltry showing with only one mead of
> my own. I'd probably have to bring a few commercial
> ones just to earn my keep! If anyone is up for one
> near Chicago, let me know!
>
> Russ
> Buffalo Grove, IL
>
> ------------------------------
>
------------------------------
Subject: Hawaiian Honey
From: bev art <bevart@ameritech.net>
Date: Sun, 16 Dec 2001 10:17:43 -0600
Hawaiian Honey,
If you get to the Big Island Volcano Winery makes 2 meads one from
Macadamia nut honey and the other from Lehua. They serve it in their
tasting room. If you have time, hop on a plane and visit the Big
Island. Inter island commuting is almost like taking a bus. In Captain
Cook there is a big honey producer that should have honey. If I find out
where I put his name I will post it again.
Volcano Winery's meads are very light color, but they say its from
Macadamia and Lehua. The coffee honey I got was dark and pretty strong
in flavor, but made an excellent pineapple mango mead. The Keavia (SP?)
honey is their most prizes honey, but they sell it for $15.00 LB. It is
very light , but could be to light to leave any flavor for a mead.
If you go to the Big Island hike out to the lava flows they 're
incredible! Bring a bottle of mead and maybe offer some to the gods.
Aloha
Greg Fischer
Wind Song Meadery (Future opening in Chicago)
ubject: Maui Honey
From: JazzboBob@aol.com
Date: Wed, 5 Dec 2001 23:10:08 EST
I have two Hawaiian honey variety sample from Castlemark Honey. He sells
Macadamia and Lehua. They are both dark amber colored honeys with strong
tastes. The macadamia does taste nutty. The lehua has a pungent smell and
taste. I wouldn't jump at brewing with these types unless you are used to
brewing with darker, strong tastes in your mead. Check out what';s available
when you get over there. They may have some other interesting types.
Bob Grossman
> Subject: Maui Honey?
> From: Nathan Kanous <nlkanous@pharmacy.wisc.edu>
> Date: Tue, 04 Dec 2001 08:10:45 -0600
>
> Greetings,
> I'm lucky enough to be preparing myself for a trip to Maui in
> February. That being the case, any thoughts or recommendations on
> ingredients I might want to bring back with me? Are there any particular
> varieties of honey that some have tried? I'm sure there are many different
> kinds (christmas berry, macadamia nut, whatever else) but would like to
> hear thoughts from others. Thanks.
> nathan in madison, wi
>
------------------------------
End of Mead Lover's Digest #891
*******************************
