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Mead Lovers Digest #0912
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 #912, 12 March 2002
Mead Lover's Digest #912 12 March 2002
Forum for Discussion of Mead Making and Consuming
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
What's in the cellar? (Nancy McAndrew)
Re: What else are people brewing out the ("Matt_lists")
Re: question for the pros ("Geoffrey T. Falk")
Pricley Pear Cacus Mead ("Martella, Paul C. (PCMartella)")
RE: Mead Lover's Digest #911, 9 March 2002 ("Don Conley")
RE: Mead Lover's Digest #911, 9 March 2002 ("Sylvia T. Webb")
What's in my cellar? ("Robert Goulding")
Re: Storage and aging cellar (JazzboBob@aol.com)
Re: Prickly Pear Mead (JazzboBob@aol.com)
sage (Bob and Winnie)
Mazer Cup comments ("Ken Schramm")
Re: Fig Mead (JazzboBob@aol.com)
NOTE: Digest appears when there is enough material to send one.
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: What's in the cellar?
From: Nancy McAndrew <mcandrew_n@yahoo.com>
Date: Sat, 9 Mar 2002 12:04:32 -0800 (PST)
Well, nothing.
However, the closet is another matter entirely!
Currently; 6 gallons of Juniper mead clearing up
nicely with many handfuls of American Oak chips.
A gallon tester of Raspberry which tastes just like
the fruit and not much like mead at all...
~Nancy.
------------------------------
Subject: Re: What else are people brewing out the
From: "Matt_lists" <Matt_lists@hotmail.com>
Date: Sat, 9 Mar 2002 13:43:27 -0800
Ok, lets see, what do I have going right now??? Ready???
5 gallons of a spiced elderberry that is freakishly dry (0.994) that I have
to sweeten back up.
5 gallons of a traditional mead mad w/ cotton honey and a Belgian ale yeast.
I need to flavor it with something as the Belgian yeast didn't impart a very
good flavor. Live and learn.
3 gallons of a cabernet / merlot pyment that needs bottling.
3 gallons of Oregon Grape melomel that still needs more aging (even after
the two it has on it now)
5 gallons of a traditional w/ snowberry honey.
10 gallons of "wrecking yard" mead. This is two 5 gallon batches that I F-ed
up and blended together in hopes to make it drinkable (one too dry and
bitter one way too sweet)
As for what I have bottled up down there, too many to mention and at this
point I really have no idea what I've got left.
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)
Over 400 beers and 16 meads online, shipping available.
- ----- Original Message -----
------------------------------
Subject: Re: question for the pros
From: "Geoffrey T. Falk" <gtf@cirp.org>
Date: Sat, 9 Mar 2002 15:31:40 -0700 (MST)
> Subject: question for the pros
> From: "William Boutwell" <wboutwell@emeraldhomeloan.com>
> Date: Wed, 6 Mar 2002 15:15:48 -0800
>
> I recently did my first mead batch. 10# clover and 3# desert mesquite,
> nutrient, ginger, lemongrass tea, a little hops and topped at 5gal. I used
> Lalvin 71B-1122 started up. Since I made the huge mistake of not taking a
> gravity reading, should I give it a week in the primary before racking onto
> some fruit and citrus peels? Anyone with some experience with this yeast and
> its behavior that you care to share with me? Thanks
> William
Not a pro (yet), but always learning. Lalvin 1122 is good for mead,
especially melomels. This yeast will ferment out some of the fruit's
malic acid by itself. See the datasheets at www.lalvin.com (very
instructive). I have a batch of cranberry, which just started a renewed
fermentation (L. oenos?), and I'm betting that it'll be smooth!
I would personally never use a champagne yeast such as Premier Cuvee, or
Lalvin 1118, for mead. It does nothing for the flavour profile.
I used Lalvin D-47 for my batch of Traditional, added lemon and grape
tannin (a bit too much?) and carbonated. It tastes just like dry
champagne.
Above all, have fun with it, and learn from mistakes..
Cheers
Geoffrey
------------------------------
Subject: Pricley Pear Cacus Mead
From: "Martella, Paul C. (PCMartella)" <PCMartella@chevrontexaco.com>
Date: Sat, 9 Mar 2002 18:06:04 -0800
Response to David Craft,
David, I make prickley pear cactus mead annually when the cactus are ripe
(August). Through the years I have tasted my meads at different ages to
determine when the subtle flavors of the cactus comes through. I have not
noticed the cactus distinction start until after about three years on the
average. Until then, it does have a distinct after taste that is short of
impressive. The flavor becomes more apparent in the following years as does
the color, and the after taste then become substantially improved. I am not
sure what cactus fruit the puree is made of, but be aware that there are
different varieties of prickly pear and not all are created equal. I
personally favor the local red as it is sweeter. Local Green variety has
more meat, so produces more juice but is short on sweetness. Long term color
effect will also be different. I have used combos of these varieties, but
prefer the pure red method. The fruit I use I pick from local cactus in the
San Joaqin Valley (a sometimes delicate affair). The Red Mexican fruit I
have tasted is even sweeter, but I have never come across commercial prickly
pear cactus puree. Can you tell me some details? What yeast do you use? Any
particulars on your fermenting method?
Paul C. Martella
Byron, CA
------------------------------
Subject: RE: Mead Lover's Digest #911, 9 March 2002
From: "Don Conley" <dconley1@san.rr.com>
Date: Sat, 9 Mar 2002 18:48:19 -0800
Bella wrote:
____________________________________________________________
Subject: Re: Mead Lover's Digest #910, 6 March 2002
From: Belinda Messenger <davispigeon@yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 6 Mar 2002 15:08:28 -0800 (PST)
"What's in MY cellar?
Well, I'm embarrassed to say that the
Mango-Passionfruit mel is still patiently awaiting
bottling.
As is the latest batch of Cherry Vanilla.
I still have a bit of traditional mead from 1995
(hoarding that stuff...mine, mine, precioussss) and
some from 1997 and 1999.
The first batch of Cherry Vanilla is still
around...kinda like a really good pink champagne.
As to the rest, thirsty mead-lovers have drunk up all
of my apple cinnamon melomel and the traditional made
with blackberry honey.
happy brewing...
Bella"
_____________________________________________________________
Hello Bella,
If you can, would you please share your recipe for your Cherry Vanilla?
I've been thinking of a new batch to make and that sounds irresistibly
delicious!
Thanks in advance,
Don Conley
San Diego, Ca.
------------------------------
Subject: RE: Mead Lover's Digest #911, 9 March 2002
From: "Sylvia T. Webb" <amberisis@earthlink.net>
Date: Sat, 9 Mar 2002 23:52:45 -0700
What do other folks do to store their mead for extended times
without a basement? It would be nice to have ideas in mind as I
keep looking around. One idea might be to fit a window air
conditioner in a well-insulated space on an exterior wall. I
would prefer not to go this route as I like to use as little
electricity as possible.
Help?
- - --
Mark Taratoot
- ------------------------------
[Sylvia T. Webb] Dear Mark,
I certainly understand. We have a house in the east mountains outside of
Albuquerque NM and although our summers are relatively mild it only takes
one really hot day to start refermentations and a few bombs. I have been
storing in cabinets in utility room on the north side of my house (no
airconditioning) and this is fine in winter but in spring/ early summer we
have some very warm days. We are looking at building a 10 by 8 foot room
with exterior entrance only, onto the north side of the house, supper
insulate it and have only pre-framed area for a window air conditioner if
needed. However that is an expensive proposistion. There are almost no
houses in the east mountains with basements due to the rockiness of the
region. Good luck. The other think is to look for a house owned by a wine
collector with a climate controled room already installed.
BB
Magickmead
------------------------------
Subject: What's in my cellar?
From: "Robert Goulding" <sanctuary@rushmore.com>
Date: Sun, 10 Mar 2002 00:47:44 -0700
Hey Nathan, I really hope you wanted to know all of this, it took a long
time to write. I like to experiment with what honey can do and I also have
a few standards I make without any at all, like stout. There is quite a bit
in my cellar, not all of it Mead. Some braggots, some Mead, some beer.
Virtually all of the honey I use is unprocessed. A friend of mine from our
brew club and I went in together and bought a 60 gallon drum of unprocessed
clover honey from a beekeeper in North Dakota about a year and a half ago.
720 lbs is tough to move around but we got a really good deal. I only have
9 gallons left so we will probably have to get some more soon. My nickname
at the homebrew club is Honeybear. Here we go:
3 Gallons Chokecherry Melomel 21 Nov 01
2 gallons Whole Chokecherries
3 quarts honey
KV 1116 Yeast
Haven't tasted this one, don't know yet but it should be good.
(24 Gallons) Nancy's Favorite Braggot 18 August 01 (First stage-this is a
complicated recipe but my wife Nancy says it is the best thing I have ever
made-this is the second time I have made it, we have 10 bottles left of the
first batch made a couple of years ago). I could not find a lot of braggot
recipes in my research, the best I could find was to add honey to an ale
that was still fermenting or at least had still viable yeast. So this
recipe was originally an experiment (albeit at 30 gallons a big one). My
target was 30 both times but I ended up with 24 considering spillage.
First Stage(Ale)18 August 01
Malt:
33 lbs Liquid light malt extract
Grain for steeping:
1 lb Muntons Roasted Non-malted Black Barley
1/2 lb Muntons Black Patent
Boiling Hops:
2 Ozs Yakima Magnum leaf @ 16.2 HBU
1 Oz Perle leaf @8.4 HBU
1 Oz Tettnang pellets @ 5.6 HBU
Aroma Hops:
2 Ozs Cascade Leaf
Yeast:
Nottingham dry ale yeast
Second Stage (Braggot) 24 Nov 01
Malt:
6 lbs Dry malt extract (Dark)
Grain for steeping:
3 lbs Carapils
4 lbs 40 love crystal
Boiling Hops:
4 1/2 Ozs Perle leaf
7 Ozs Kent Goldings leaf
Aroma Hops:
4 Ozs Cascade leaf
44 lbs honey
With the liquid amount figured as dry (26.4 lbs equivalent) and 6 lbs of dry
malt the total fermentables in this is 76.4 lbs. I tasted it a couple of
weeks ago and it was wonderful although still a little sweet (and green -
the first batch took a year to be really good although it was quite
drinkable after 6 months from the mixing together). I mixed all of it from
my first stage (kept in 15 gallon plastic water containers) with the second
stage in a brand new 30 gallon plastic garbage can (that I thoroughly
sterilized) . Then I put it all into carboys. The first batch I made a
couple of years ago kept getting drier even after bottling. Sometimes I
think that honey just never quits feeding yeast.
I would be willing to discuss Nancy's Favorite, (or any of my other brews),
privately over the net. My e-mail address is at the end of this very long
post.
(10 Gallons) Dr. Kings Mead 16 Feb 01
(Recipe from 17th century England)
8 Large lemons (cut in half, well squeezed and dropped into boiling water)
6-10 nutmegs (depending upon size) finely chopped or ground (fewer if
ground - I chop them and use an old coffee grinder I keep for grinding
spices.)
Boil the lemons and nutmegs until the whole house smells wonderful.
Add 30 lbs of honey.
Champagne yeast
This one takes about 6-9 months to be drinkable, a year to be really good.
It is really good now. I made it on the day Nancy and I renewed our wedding
vows. We plan to drink a couple of bottles each year on our anniversary for
a very many years.
(5 Gallons) Eau de Vie Braggot (with hops) 27 May 01
This was made with a new wine yeast that the president of our local home
brew club turned me on to. It is called "Eau de Vie" and was advertised to
yield 21% alcohol. It does. OSG 1.172, on 15 Feb 02 the measurement was
1.026. It is still a little green but really good. There is a little bit
of molasses taste to it and it is sweet but YEEHAH!!!!! I expect that it
will probably take at least 18 months, perhaps 24 to be really ready to
drink.
13 lbs light liquid malt extract
14 lbs honey
Boiling Hops:
2 1/2 Ozs Cascade leaf @6.2 HBU
4 Ozs Centennial leaf @ 10 HBU
Aroma Hop:
.8 Oz Centennial leaf
(5 Gallons) Eau de Vie Braggot (without hops) 27 May 01
Same fermentables, no hops, much stronger molasses flavor, not good yet.
This one was perhaps a mistake, I may dry hop it. OSG 1.170, don't know what
it is now, didn't test it.
(10 Gallons) Bob's Good Stout 29 July 01
Bob is the president of our home brew club (Ale-Riders) and came up with
this recipe for me one day off of the top of his head when I wanted to make
a good stout. I almost always have a stout on tap or on the way. This is a
tasty one. We really like it. No honey in this one so maybe I shouldn't
even list it on the MLD but it is in my cellar so here it is.
Steeping grains:
1/2 lb Carapils
3/4 lb Roasted
3/4 lb Black Patent
1 3/4 lbs 80 love Crystal
Malt:
DME (dry malt extract) 3 lbs Dark, 11 lbs Amber
Hops: Goldings @ 5.2 HBU
5 Ozs for the boil
1 Oz for finishing
Yeast was probably Nottingham's dry, I didn't record it but it is almost
always the one I use for ales.
(12 gallons) Boysenberry Melomel 25 Nov 01 (8 gallons to start)
12 lbs Boysenberry Puree
24 lbs honey (more later)
Pasteur Champagne yeast
28 Dec 01 added 12 lbs honey and enough water to make 12 gallons in one of
the 15 gallon plastic water containers I sometimes use for a primary.
This one is still raw but shows great promise, the flavor is great and the
alcohol level is too!
(5-6 Gallons) Orange Melomel 28 Dec 01
5 Gallons Orange Juice (we found half gallons with no preservatives on sale-
2 for 1) I have reconstituted frozen cans and had it work just fine.
15 lbs honey
Yeast nutrient
Montrachet Champagne yeast
I haven't tasted this one yet but I have made it several times before and it
has always been very good. I used a vanilla bean in a batch once and it
tasted like Dreamsicles! My friends still talk about that one several years
later. If you use a vanilla bean in the secondary make sure you taste test
and take it out before the vanilla flavor overwhelms the orange. This
recipe takes about a year to be good, longer if you add the vanilla bean.
(10 Gallons) Bob's Wonderful Suitable for Graduation Extra Special Bitter 2
Jan 02
I am graduating with a computer networking degree in May and my buddy Bob
came up with this recipe for an ESB for himself that I really liked so we
recreated it for my party on May 18th this year. If any of you are going to
be in South Dakota mid-May give me a holler, I throw great parties!
No honey in this one either, I wanted an exact copy of Bob's because it was
so good.
Dry malts:
3 lbs Wheat (60/40)
6 lbs Amber
6 lbs Light
Steeping grains:
1/2 lb 40 love Crystal
1/2 lb 80 love Crystal
5 Ozs Chocolate
1/2 lb Honeymalt
1/2 lb Carapils
Boiling Hops:
1.2 Ozs Nugget @14.8 % HBU
2.6 Goldings @7.3 % HBU
Aroma Hop:
1 Oz Goldings
Nottingham dry ale yeast
I have tasted this recently and it was great, not ready yet but it should be
for May 18th!
A Very Hoppy Mead 2 Jan 02
This one is another experiment, I used one lb. of dry malt for the boil with
the hops but otherwise it is all honey. I wanted to see what using honey
instead of malt, but otherwise an ale recipe, would do.
Steeping grains:
1/2 lb. Black Patent
1 lb. 80 love Crystal
Boiling Hop: 1 Oz Yakima Magnum @ 16.2 HBU
Aroma Hop: 2 Ozs Cascade, 1 @ 5.8 HBU and 1 @ 9.4 HBU
15 lbs honey
Nottingham dry yeast
This one is nowhere near ready yet but it tastes pretty good, I have high
hopes for it.
(10 Gallons) Honey Scotch Ale 02/02/02
16 lbs liquid Amber Malt extract
Steeping grains:
1/2 lb toasted 2 row
2 lbs. 40 love Crystal
1/2 lb chocolate
1/2 lb Carapils
5 lbs honey
Nottingham dry ale yeast
6 Ozs Goldings @ ? Sorry, didn't write it down, probably @ 7.3 HBU
Haven't tasted this one yet either, made it at the request of a brew club
member for our annual summer campout. I have made it before and it has
always been great.
(9 Gallons) Loganberry Melomel Late Nov 01
I made this about the same time I made the Boysenberry but this one I forgot
to write down . I was going to add more honey and water to this one the way
I did the Boysenberry but it tastes so good I decided to leave it alone.
12 lbs Loganberry puree
Champagne yeast
? lbs honey
tasty but not ready yet.
Well, that's it except for a Dark Honey Ale that I don't like. I have an
Orange Mel and a stout on tap and many various odds and ends in bottles as
well.
Hey Dick Dunn, you are right, simpler is better, I heat my honey as little
as possible anymore. I do like to get it mixed in so I often add it to the
hot wort or must after I turn the fire off. Sometimes I just put the batch
together, stir it up some and sprinkle dry yeast on top. No ill effects
either. I have lost a few batches because of contamination in my basement
but since I moved the operation upstairs I haven't had any problems.
All comments, suggestions, criticisms etc are welcome, drop me an e-mail or
even call if you want.
Robert Goulding
625 South Street
Rapid City SD 57701-3633
605-348-7799
sanctuary@rushmore.com
Honey is wonderful.
Now remember, Time flies like an arrow but fruit flies like bananas!
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Storage and aging cellar
From: JazzboBob@aol.com
Date: Sun, 10 Mar 2002 23:26:16 EST
Byron Burch from The Beverage People in Santa Rosa, CA has written an article
that addresses this type of situation.
His idea is to convert an old refrigerator into a cold box. It's done by
taking the door off an old refrigerator, building an insulated extension from
plywood that doubles or triples the interior space, and rehanging the door.
An external thermostat is used to allow a proper "cellar" temperature to be
maintained instead of the cold refrigerator's thermostat. It doesn't put
much of a strain onto the compressor because the cold box remains closed most
of the time unlike a refrigerator that swings open all day long. Plus, the
mead/beer acts as a large thermal mass the more full the box becomes. It can
be done pretty cheaply and makes a great stable storage area.
Bob Grossman
Subject: storage quandry
From: Mark Taratoot <taratoot@peak.org>
Date: Fri, 8 Mar 2002 08:17:34 -0800 (PST)
When I lived in Utah, I had an unheated but insulated space on
the shady side of the house I rented. It stayed just above
freezing in the winter and remained cool in the summer. I also
had an interior closet that remained fairly cool but at a fairly
constant temperature which was good for storing bottles of
finished product.
What do other folks do to store their mead for extended times
without a basement? It would be nice to have ideas in mind as I
keep looking around.
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Prickly Pear Mead
From: JazzboBob@aol.com
Date: Sun, 10 Mar 2002 23:29:48 EST
I have made Prickly Pear mead from Charlie's recipe. I have enjoyed it
immensely and think it's a terrific mead. I would make it again if I had a
chance.
The beautiful pink color has faded with time, but the taste is still good.
Bob Grossman
------------------------------
Subject: sage
From: Bob and Winnie <natvwine@cut.net>
Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2002 17:00:26 -0700
Here is a great reason why some folks use scientific names for plants;
The sage used in absinthe is Artemesia absinthium. It is in the
Composite or Aster family.
The sage mentioned below is in the Mint (Labiatae) family and has
nothing to do with absinthe. Most likely used to stuff your turkey with!
> I'm no sage sage, but googling around for "sage thujone essential oil"
> finds some pages that say 40-50% for the essential oil of /Salvia
> officinalis/, which is supposed to be the standard culinary sage. But
> commerce in herbs and spices seems to operate on the "whatever smells
> vaguely similar" standard (look at bay, oregano, cinnamon), so I would
> not be shocked to find sage in the grocery store being other Salvia
> species, some of which apparently have little or no thujone.
>
> - --
> Eli Brandt | eli+@cs.cmu.edu | http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~eli/
>
P.S.
I have tasted a couple of commercial abinthes from Spain, one from the
Chech, and a blackmarket from the Swiss. In my opinion they were all too
sweet and had too much anise. The one from Switzerland was the most
complex with lots of herbal character.
Bob Sorenson, Native Wines
------------------------------
Subject: Mazer Cup comments
From: "Ken Schramm" <SchramK@resa.net>
Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2002 16:45:39 -0500
I am not the Competition Director of the Bill Pfeiffer Memorial Mazer Cup
this year, but when I was in the past. I kept a very strict ban on
collapsing categories. To my way of thinking, if you enter a traditional,
it should be judged against traditionals. It's only fair. Imagine having
entered a light, sparkling dry traditional and having to have it judged in
the same flight with a roasted barley braggot.
As for the breaking down of the melomel category, we looked at that pretty
hard. It might seem on first glance that you could break it down quickly
and easily, but it isn't quite so straightforward in practice. The
breakdown varies substantially from year to year. One year lots of
raspberries, next year very few, and a bunch of prickly pear (yes, it is a
melomel). One year one peach, the next, six. Tropical fruits had a big
surge in that last competition. With that much variation, it makes it
difficult to cull out "odd fruits.'
Many entries are the result of several fruits being combined. That might
be the best place to start. Maybe get those off on their own. The Mazer
Cup has changed over time and, even though I speak for others, will
continue to change and grow to provide a level playing filed for mead
competition.
To the best of my knowledge, the "open/mixed" category would be the one
David referred to as "fruited spiced." You might have little competition
numerically, but don't bet on mopping up just by sending in an entry. I
have judged the final round of meads at AHA Nationals now on a couple of
occasions, and in some categories, the Mazer Cup first rounds were better.
The Mazer Cup draws folks who don't know or care about the AHA but can
brew a mead that blows the doors off of some of the stuff I have tasted
elsewhere. The cometition can be STIFF; Dan McFeeley, Bill Pfeiffer (who
may still be entering for years to come, because I know someone with some
of his cache), Ron Lunder, Robert Kime, Phil Fleming, Micah, Byron (some
of these guys don't even need last names). Just 'cause the numbers are
thin don't mean the competition is, too.
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Fig Mead
From: JazzboBob@aol.com
Date: Tue, 12 Mar 2002 00:31:57 EST
Fig Mead:
I'd think the figs gave the bitterness especially if the skins of the figs
were pureed. The do have a tangy bitterness to them. Also, as a kid and
eating fig cookies I can say after you eat a few there is a bitterness if
the back of my mouth. The sugar content of figs makes them a nice thing to
try, but I'd think there's tanen or acids which would cause his problem. It
might disipate over time.
as told by my friend Steve...JazzboBob
------------------------------
End of Mead Lover's Digest #912
*******************************
