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Mead Lovers Digest #0933
From: mead-request@talisman.com
Errors-To: mead-errors@talisman.com
Reply-To: mead@talisman.com
To: mead-list@talisman.com
Subject: Mead Lover's Digest #933, 1 June 2002
Mead Lover's Digest #933 1 June 2002
Forum for Discussion of Mead Making and Consuming
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Pine needles and what ("Kemp, Alson")
Adding Fruit ("Michael Yacht")
Re: Fruit Sugar Content (Sherfey)
Re: Screw-tops and pineapple (Aaron)
Pine Needles (DoctorRob13@aol.com)
Re: Mead Lover's Digest #931, 25 May 2002 (Lofty@aol.com)
yeast nutrients - malt extract (Russ Riley)
re:sugar content of juice (MLD #929, #931, #932) ("Dennis Henry")
Pineapple Mead - ? (Bamboo Bandit)
Plum Mead? Why yes, I'd love some! (Bamboo Bandit)
lilac mead ("mmeleen")
Re: Mead Lover's Digest #932, 29 May 2002 (Habanero Chomper)
RE: pineapple mead... (Mark Kornell)
NOTE: Digest appears when there is enough material to send one.
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Pine needles and what
From: "Kemp, Alson" <alson.kemp@cirrus.com>
Date: Wed, 29 May 2002 13:55:16 -0700
Lots of discussion about pine needles got me thinking
about my oak experiment last night. I've been reading about oak
and the chemical effect that various levels of toasting have on
the finished wine. So last night I took some untoasted American
oak chips, divided them in half and toasted/broiled (in a
toaster/oven) half of the chips. Put each half into a seperate
glass of 10%vodka/90%water to see what the difference between the
two oaks would be. I'll smell them tonight when I get home.
You might try doing the same thing with the pine needles.
OF COURSE, you'll have to be careful with the toaster oven
because pine needles are probably more combustible than oak
chips. Let us know if you try. Toasting wood makes a large
different in the character of the wine, so I'm sure that toasting
pine needles will do the same.
-Alson
------------------------------
Subject: Adding Fruit
From: "Michael Yacht" <yacht@idealconditions.com>
Date: Wed, 29 May 2002 19:58:51 -0400
Is there any danger from adding fruit purees (in a fruit mesh bag) to
the must when it comes to bacterial contamination?
I'm going to clean the strawberries, cut off the green stems, then
puree. Will freezing them help? I just don't want to spend the $50 to
make the 5 gallons then have it spunk on me.
I guess what I'm asking is, what is the risk of adding fruit to the
must, and what's the best way to add it?
By the way, I've now bottled my 2nd and 3rd batch of mead. The 2nd
batch was made over a year ago (spiced cyser) but I used WAY WAY too
much clove (oh boy too much). There was actually enough clove in it
that it numbed my tongue when I first tasted it 9 months ago. I was
going to toss the whole 5 gallons when someone on the list just told me
to let it age in the carboy. And lo, 9 months later (13 months since
the yeast was pitched), it is drinkable!
I also made a cranberry/orange melomel back around Thanksgiving and
bottled it two weeks ago. Wow is it good. If anyone wants the recipe,
I can give it.
Anyone have any good strawberry/vanilla recipies? I'm thinking of
trying some new yeast too, since I'm out of Lalvin d-47.
- -Mike
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Fruit Sugar Content
From: Sherfey <sherf@warwick.net>
Date: Wed, 29 May 2002 20:00:35 -0400
All-
Here's a link to a site with plenty of fruit content info;
http://www.thefruitpages.com/contents.shtml
Additional information is available on the HBD.org site, whenever it gets
back up online (down since Friday for an ISP change).
Hope this helps!
David Sherfey
Warwick, NY
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Screw-tops and pineapple
From: Aaron <gumbyk@ureach.com>
Date: Thu, 30 May 2002 13:15:13 +1200
My first batch of mead mostly went into corked bottles, but I had some over
which went into a smaller screw-top bottle. When it cam,e to drinking time
, this was the only bottle that had bad flavours. I'm not too sure whether
or ot this was attributable to the closure, but it has made me reluctant to
try screw-tops.
For what it's worth, there are more and more wineries here in New Zealand
using "Stalvin closures" (the technical term for the metal pressed-on screw
caps found on wine bottles), and almost all of the wine produced is for the
ready-to-drink market..... But there is still nothing like that 'pop' as
you pull the cork out of a nice, old bottle of wine, or mead for that matter.
RE: Pineapple mead, I haven't made a mead with pineapple but I've made a
pineapple wine with store-bought juice (we were feeling lazy that day) . It
turned out great, fermented quickly, and cleared almost as quick. I should
think that it would be the same for mead. If it is store-bought, make sure
that it doesn't have any preservatives in it. The buffering agents used as
acidity regulators may even help.
Aaron Marshall
If you must choose between two evils, pick the one you've never tried before.
------------------------------
Subject: Pine Needles
From: DoctorRob13@aol.com
Date: Wed, 29 May 2002 22:15:03 EDT
I have made Hemlock tea before and its has a good taste. Just take the ends
of the branches, leaves and branch and all, and boil them for a while. Fresh
growth works best. You might want to filter the tea. I know nothing about
using it to make mead though.
Good Luck,
Rob Klinshaw
[Janitor's note: Rob is talking about the hemlock TREE, an evergreen, genus
Tsuga. DO NOT confuse this with the "poison hemlock" plant. All parts of
the poison hemlock are poisonous and must not be used in food in any way.]
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Mead Lover's Digest #931, 25 May 2002
From: Lofty@aol.com
Date: Thu, 30 May 2002 10:11:46 EDT
In a message dated 5/25/02 11:09:14 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
mead-request@talisman.com writes:
> I would think the best way to preserve your rose petals
> would be to make Rose water, and freeze it. To get the
> best resuts of your rose water is to make it like Sun Tea,
> put it in an enclosed container filled with water, and
> gently brew it in warm water
Rose water- I'm interested in making it. Additional information is
requested.
I'm making a rose mead starting 5-30-02
have others input on rose mead. jim
------------------------------
Subject: yeast nutrients - malt extract
From: Russ Riley <russriley61999@yahoo.com>
Date: Thu, 30 May 2002 07:21:24 -0700 (PDT)
Lately there has been some discussion of the option of
using yeast nutrients in meadmaking. As I understand
it, sometimes when they are used they can lend
off-flavors that need to be aged out. Has anyone ever
tried using a small amount of extra light malt
extract, like the kind one would use in a very light
lager? The colors are similar enough and the amount
added might be small enough that the taste would be
only minimally changed. If you have tried this, how
much do you use? Is the fermentation time
significantly shortened?
Russ
------------------------------
Subject: re:sugar content of juice (MLD #929, #931, #932)
From: "Dennis Henry" <dennis.henry@comdev.ca>
Date: Thu, 30 May 2002 12:43:24 -0400
Another good source of nominal measurements on fruit is the Iprona web
site:
http://www.iprona.com/english/daten.htm
It has data sheets for 38 kinds of fruit.
Dennis
------------------------------
Subject: Pineapple Mead - ?
From: Bamboo Bandit <sidartha@crosspaths.net>
Date: Thu, 30 May 2002 18:37:49 -0400
Here is my take on Pineapple Mead.
I've done one Pineapple mead and I'm going to keep doing them.
*Recipe
*Look - I'm not one of the "purist" mead makers. Buy it - heat it,
pitch it. That's it.
2 Pineapples - pureed
12 lbs honey (any kind) - I can't tell the difference anyway
Yeast
6 cans pineapples (I think they were 64 oz)
Pineapple juice (I used 4 64 OZ cans)
Water to top off
(in 6 gallon carboy)
___
What happened? This is the first and only mead that I have made that
blew the top off of the carboy. Use caution. Use a blow tube. The
pureed pineapple really caused some bubbles that didn't like to sit-down
and act respectable. The blowout wasn't too bad but when I left the
apartment that I made this batch in I had to clean the ceiling pretty
well.
How does it taste?
1st taste: "MMM, this tastes like crap - want some?"
2nd taste - (3 months later) "MMM, this tastes ok - want some?"
3rd taste - (6 months later) "MMM, this tastes like crap - why don't I
pour you something else!" (read this - WOW this tastes GREAT!!!)
Take your time with the pineapple. Cough syrup comes to mind when I
remember how it tasted out of the carboy but it is currently one of the
best meads that I have ever made. The pineapple has a wonderful, warm,
mellow flavor that I love. It's wonderful.
JBF
------------------------------
Subject: Plum Mead? Why yes, I'd love some!
From: Bamboo Bandit <sidartha@crosspaths.net>
Date: Thu, 30 May 2002 18:44:43 -0400
Some time ago (i've been busy relocating) someone posted about plum
mead.
Here is what I've done - with great success:
5 lbs. fresh plums (farmers market in Lancaster, PA is great for this
one at the end of the plum season)
Prune Juice (about 4 gallons)
1 package dried prunes
12 lbs of honey (it may have been 15 - *shrug* I don't record this
crap!!!)
3 cinnamon sticks while pasteurizing
Yeast
Water to top off
I pureed the plums AND the prunes and pureed, pitched and waited for 6
months.
Plum is NOTORIOUSLY difficult to get to clear. Pectin enzyme is your
friend here. BE PATIENT!! It took about 2 months for this to clear up.
It wasn't the funnest thing that I have ever done - but in the end it
came out to be a great mead (imho).
How does it taste?
I like the earthy, chocolate flavors that this mead imparts. It's not
harsh and you can actually taste the fruit. Final alcohol content =
about 15%.
The cinnamon IMHO is a great aftertaste that isn't too strong but not
too weak not to be noticed.
No blowouts reported...
JBF
------------------------------
Subject: lilac mead
From: "mmeleen" <mmeleen@tiac.net>
Date: Fri, 31 May 2002 07:15:33 -0400
Hello Meaders,
Does anyone have a recipe for lilac mead to share? The lilacs here are =
in full bloom right now and smell heavenly. I imagine that a lighter =
honey would be called for in such a recipe? Perhaps a clover honey would =
be nice.
Gotta start drinking some of this mead, I'm running out of room!
Thanks,
Mel
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Mead Lover's Digest #932, 29 May 2002
From: Habanero Chomper <peppernerd@yahoo.com>
Date: Fri, 31 May 2002 09:34:28 -0700 (PDT)
I want to thank everyone for the great information on the world of mead....
I have two questions that probably have been answered many times in the past...
What is the problem with using pectin enzyme after fermentation...?????
And I've heard talk of some very good prickly pear recipes... if someone
could send any that they consider the best...
Or where can I purchase prickly pear juice...????
Thanks ahead of time for the help.....
Thanks...
Rob
------------------------------
Subject: RE: pineapple mead...
From: Mark Kornell <mkornell@shaw.ca>
Date: Sat, 01 Jun 2002 00:49:11 -0700
> Subject: pineapple mead......
> From: "Charles Sroka" <yasb1@psbnewton.com>
>
> I would like to make a pineapple mead,,,, using frozen pineapple
> juice and what ever honey I can find around here... probably clover..
> Has anybody done so with real good success ?? Do you have a good recipe ??
> I'll take them all........
I started a pineapple/banana wine, with 1/3 honey as part of the
fermentables, just over a year ago, and am quite happy with the results so
far. I had considered using all honey, instead of honey & sugar, but since
the honey I had was a fairly strong apple blossom, I decided that it might
be too harsh in combination with the pineapple, so I chickened out.
Indeed, about 2 months into it, I had a sample, and it was very harsh.
Undrinkable. However, I bottled it a few weeks ago, as it had mellowed out
considerably, and showed promises of being _very_ drinkable. Still needs to
age; I'll probably crack a bottle at Christmas and see what it's like. The
batch might not last long :-)
It fermented out slightly sweet (1.010 RS), which is what I was looking for,
with a highish alcohol level (15.2%)
I really like the taste, although it is not what I expected. It's not
pineapple-ly. I gave samples to a few people, and none of them identified
the pineapple or banana (nor honey, oddly enough). It is more of a dessert
wine, with a heavy mouth feel and tons of body. I really can't describe it
any better than that; it's not like any other meads I've made, nor is it
like grape wines. (And no, I won't send you a bottle so you can find out for
youself :-)
I used 100% pineapple juice off the grocery store shelf (not frozen - in 1
litre tetra packs) and bananas on the green side. The honey came from hives
in the middle of an apple orchard; presumably it is primarly apple blossom,
but there's probably some clover and other fruit trees (cherry, at least) in
it, too.
As you'll notice in the reciple, I used a 2:1 sugar to honey mix, but you
could probably go all honey if you used a lighter honey and made some
adjustments to the acid. And, of course, if you didn't want it to be so high
in alcohol, you could use less total honey+sugar than I did.
Recipe for 13 litres (that's 3.5 gallons for my USA friends)
1 kg bananas 2.2 lbs
1.25 kg honey 2.75 lbs
2.5 kg sugar 5 lbs
5 l pineapple juice 10.5 pts
15 ml acid blend 1 tbsp
10 ml pectin enzyme 2 tsp
5 ml grape tannin 1 tsp
20 ml yeast nutrient 4 tsp
1 yeast package 1 I used Lalvin 71B
You could use whatever yeast nutrients or energizer you like.
Steps:
1) Pasteurize the honey. (Or not, I won't get into that debate.)
2) Prepare the bananas by slicing them into thin discs, leaving the skins
on. Tie in a cheesecloth, and simmer in 2 litres (2 qts) water for 30
minutes. Remove bananas from water and let cool.
3) Put sugar in your primary fermenter (if you want to use sugar), and then
add the hot banana liquor to dissolve the sugar. Add 3 litres (3 qts) water,
honey, acid blend and pineapple juice. Stir.
4) When the banana pulp has cooled enough to handle, squeeze the liquid out
of it, into the fermenter. Be careful not to burn yourself; I found out that
even when the surface of the ball of pulp was cool to touch, the liquid
squeezed out of it could still be quite hot.
5) Add water to 13 litre (3.5 gal) mark, and let the mix cool to room
temperature.
6) When cool, add pectic enzyme, tannin and yeast nutrient. Stir and let sit
for 12 hours.
7) Add yeast, proceed with standard ferment/rack cycle.
The initial SG was 1.122, and took about a month to ferment to 1.012. I
didn't bother checking SG until bottling (12 months after pitching), at
which time it was 1.010. If you use more honey, expect it to take longer to
finish fermenting.
It was pretty cheap to make - about $5 for the pineapple juice, $4 for the
bananas, $2 for the sugar, and the honey was free (came from my
father-in-law's hives. Probably around $6 at market prices.) I bottled it in
500 ml bottles, so the cost per bottle (24 of 'em) was under $0.50.
- --mark;
------------------------------
End of Mead Lover's Digest #933
*******************************
