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Mead Lovers Digest #1003
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 #1003, 24 March 2003
Mead Lover's Digest #1003 24 March 2003
Forum for Discussion of Mead Making and Consuming
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Re:Aeration ("Lane Gray, Czasr Castic")
Re: Shipping Mead ("Mary Johnson")
Re: Mead Lover's Digest #1002, 19 March 2003 (JayAnkeney@aol.com)
re: rhodomel recipe ("Kemp, Alson")
barstops ("phil")
Cyser not Clearing ("Mark Higinbotham")
Breathing mead (J33pluvr@aol.com)
Mead consumption. (Rocco Rizzo)
port-like mead yeast??? (Eric Rorem)
NOTE: Digest appears when there is enough material to send one.
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re:Aeration
From: "Lane Gray, Czasr Castic" <cgray2@kc.rr.com>
Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 10:25:31 -0600
>
> I aerate every batch. You can make a fine mead without
> it, but I dont see any advantage to not aerating,
> while aerating should give a healthier, faster
> ferment. If you dont heat your must, there is an easy
> way to aerate and mix your honey and water together. I
> think this technique started with Lane
> Locke/Shaggyman.. Just use an electric drill with a
> paint/plaster mixer attached to it. Add your honey and
> water together,and give it a good blast with the
> mixer. The mixing action is powerful enough to aerate
> the must pretty well, and you dont have to dork around
> with heating the honey or anything to make it dissolve
> in the water more easily.
>
I aerate using the same Auto-Siphon I use for racking, but I take the
pumping end out of any liquid, take off the racking tip, and use it as an
air pump. The one-way valve doesn't seem to work well for stopping air,
which is why I take the tip off, I then use my thumb over the tip of it on
the compression stroke. I do this about ten strokes or so, more if I feel
like it, less if I'm feeling lazy. I always make sure to do it some,
anyway.
Lane Gray
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Shipping Mead
From: "Mary Johnson" <mar@mj-pg.com>
Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 13:04:01 -0600
I usually just write "Mead". If asked, I tell them it's a honey drink.
Mary Johnson
Retriever Brewers
http://www.mj-pg.com/brewers.htm
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Mead Lover's Digest #1002, 19 March 2003
From: JayAnkeney@aol.com
Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 16:52:10 EST
In a message dated 3/19/03 10:05:53 PM, mead-request@talisman.com writes:
<< wonder how you guys are shipping your mead for competitions that
> are away from home >>
Vince,
Try labeling the bottles as "Preserves". That has always worked for me and is
technically (sort of) valid.
But broken bottles are the biggest risk and greatest hassle for the
competition bottle sorters.
If you want a very secure packaging tip, try shipping each entry packed
inside a PET plastic soft drink bottle. Mead can usually be entered in 9 oz
bottles, and they fit inside a 1 liter PET bottle fine. Larger entries might
need the 2 liter size. Just cut off the bottom of the plastic bottle and
stuff the entry inside with crinkled newspaper as a buffer, then tape the
bottom back on. It adds little to the package's weight and I've never had an
entry break when shipped that way.
Jay Ankeney
------------------------------
Subject: re: rhodomel recipe
From: "Kemp, Alson" <alson.kemp@cirrus.com>
Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 15:07:14 -0800
From: Eric Drake <drake.49@osu.edu>
>I am planning to make my first rhodomel
>here soon and would appreciate advice
I made a rhodomel a few months ago. I regularly pluck the
blossoms from the various rose bushes around my place and freeze
them, so anytime is rhodomel-making time...
I've done 1.5 rhodomels: one with blossoms added at the start
of the ferment and one with blossoms added about 3/4 of the way
through ferment. I recommend the latter; the former left a
soapy, vegetative taste.
Kinda like this:
1) Begin by making a typical 12%-14% still mead.
2) When fermentation is slowing (75% finished), place
20gram/Gallon of rose petals in a nylon mesh bag. Tie bag closed
with long piece of string, push bag into barrel/carboy and secure
string between bunghole/carboy-opening and stopper.
3) Two days later, pull out roses, squeeze liquid into mead.
Discard roses.
4) Continue as if making a typical 12%-14% still mead.
5) wait for it
6) wait for it
...
491) wait for it
492) Bask in the pinkish, reflected glory of you rhodomel.
-Alson
------------------------------
Subject: barstops
From: "phil" <pcwojdak@earthlink.net>
Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 20:00:01 -0800
Sounds like a great idea. Even if there is some difference between the
diameters of the corks, it still may work well given the shrinkrap.
Lots of low alcahol things like sherry and port are often corked the
same way. If you try it, please let us know the result. If you don't,
I will when I run out of regular corks.
Phil W.
------------------------------
Subject: Cyser not Clearing
From: "Mark Higinbotham" <mark_hig@msn.com>
Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2003 08:53:04 -0500
This is my first ever popsting...great site...well done.
I have a cyser that I made this past August (ingredient sources not really
pertinent, but the apple cider was clear before I started). It got very
strong and very clear in a short period of time, but after about 2 months in
primary (3 gallons worth) I transferred to a secondary glass carboy and
added 2 gallons of 'flash-pasteurized' fresh cider (cloudy) to bring total
to 5 gallons. The brew produced bubbles like carbonation for about two
weeks, then went still. I thought the cloudiness would settle out; but, now
it has been sitting for several months in the secondary and is not showing
any signs of clearing.
This was a lesson learned to leave well enough alone, but I think we all
make mistakes in our experiments and remember them. Any suggestions would be
welcome...hopefully if one of you out there has had this problem. I don't
want to guess what to do and possibly create more damage...refer to
paragraph #1 to see where this experimentation got me.
Thanks ahead of time.
- -Shiggy
Winchester, Virginia, USA (Self-proclaimed Apple Capital of the World)
------------------------------
Subject: Breathing mead
From: J33pluvr@aol.com
Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2003 16:26:58 EST
I started a 3 gallon batch of spiced cyser back in January (3 gallons cider 1
can each frozen orange juice and lemonade 9 lbs honey cinnimon allspice and
clove) fermentation was great i siphoned it off the lees twice have about an
inch of lees again and its still cloudy seems to very slowly be
clearing...the thing that seems odd is the fact that it seems to be
breathing...my airlock is pushing air out one day then sucking air in the
next...is this normal? I've never seen anyone mention this before and seeing
as how this is my first mead i'm not sure if its norm it tastes excellent i'm
thinking it will make a great christmas mead especially served warm...any
thoughts would be appreciated I don't have a gravity reading i'm kinda flying
by the seat of my pants
THE JEEP LOVER
In Love, In Life, we make choices or have things chosen 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: Mead consumption.
From: Rocco Rizzo <rrizzo@hvc.rr.com>
Date: Sun, 23 Mar 2003 22:42:56 -0500
I don't know if I am the only one, but with the state of world, and US
events these days, my mead consumption is up considerably. Is anyone elses?
Rocco Rizzo "The PC Wizard"
email: rrizzo@hvc.rr.com
"Understanding is a three-edged sword."
------------------------------
Subject: port-like mead yeast???
From: Eric Rorem <eric_rorem@yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, 24 Mar 2003 11:21:41 -0800 (PST)
Howdy all,
I'm always looking for the right yeast for my mead. I
really haven't landed on a favorite yet. I've tried
several champagne yeasts and I haven't liked the
results. I want to make a mead with port-like
qualities. Thick, rich, strong. Something you don't
drink by the pint. Does anybody know of a good yeast
that doesn't have the strong flavors that I got from
my champagne experiments? I'd like a tough little
yeast that will produce good alcohol level without
much extra flavor. ???
Thanks much,
E Rorem
------------------------------
End of Mead Lover's Digest #1003
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