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Mead Lovers Digest #1053
From: mead-request@talisman.com
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To: mead-list@talisman.com
Subject: Mead Lover's Digest #1053, 25 October 2003
Mead Lover's Digest #1053 25 October 2003
Forum for Discussion of Mead Making and Consuming
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
How long in the fermenter is safe? ("Murphy-Marsh, Leigh")
Jim Potts's re: micro-oxygenation (Dennis Key)
Some questions (Joe Nelson)
Re: Refusnic Fallout ("Ken Taborek")
Sweetening mead before bottling ("Robert Farrell")
Re: Cider Pressing Bags (Dick Dunn)
International Mead Festival (quick results) (Mead Lovers Digest)
NOTE: Digest appears when there is enough material to send one.
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: How long in the fermenter is safe?
From: "Murphy-Marsh, Leigh" <Leigh.Murphy-Marsh@wmc.com>
Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2003 20:58:39 +0800
How long can you safely, after fermentation has finished, leave the mead
in the fermenter (properly airlocked of course) or is it unlimited in
time?
Ta,
Leigh.
------------------------------
Subject: Jim Potts's re: micro-oxygenation
From: Dennis Key <dione@swcp.com>
Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2003 09:55:27 -0600
Don't be bashful! Oxygen is the enemy of alcohol but the friend of
unfermented must. The yeasties love it. I frequently bubble pure O2
through a sanitized air stone (from an e-cylinder) for about 20 minutes
before pitching the yeast. Industrial O2 is OK for this if you don't
have access to medicinal O2. I have not encountered problems from
contaminants using industrial oxy, but I have ready access to medicinal.
Merry Mead, Dennis Key
------------------------------
Subject: Some questions
From: Joe Nelson <some1_ate_my_capn_crunch@yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2003 09:42:49 -0700 (PDT)
I have a strawberry melomel that I lost in my closet
for a year and a half. I bottled it last winter and
it has been aging ever since. I just opened one of
them and while the strawberry character is wonderful
I've lost most of the honey character and it's very
bitter. I was thinking about sweetening it but I have
some problems: When I opened the bottle, it tasted
fizzy. A very carbonated mouthfeel. Now this
wouldn't normally be a problem, but this is supposed
to be a still mead. Also, this was only a gallon
batch, so I don't want to lose any of it.
I would really like to salvage this because of the
quality of the strawberry flavor, but I'm a little
leery of letting it age more because of the risk of
carbonating regular, still wine bottles.
Any help would be greatly appreciated,
Joe N.
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Refusnic Fallout
From: "Ken Taborek" <Ken.Taborek@verizon.net>
Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2003 21:34:54 -0400
> Subject: Refusnic Fallout
> From: "John Copeland" <JohnCopeland222@msn.com>
> Date: Sun, 19 Oct 2003 13:09:37 -0400
>
> I started my first batch of mead in the beginning of August, its
> October now and I have yet to siphon it out. I have yet to do so
> because I am waiting for the last of my fruit to settle to the bottom,
> but it wont. I started the batch, after sterilizing everything, with
> about 4.5 gallons of water and 15 Lbs. of honey, I added a clove, some
> cinnamon sticks, some hand squeezed orange juice (for nutrients) and
> about 20 cherries (for flavor). Before adding all of the extra items to
> the honey, water, and yeast I boiled all the fruits and the clove
> together to insure they contained no bacteria. And now half of the way
> through its third month the cherries have yet to fall-out to the bottom.
> Should I just siphon it out with the cherries still floating? And for
> my final question, when I do siphon the good liquid out should I
> refrigerate it during the aging process (I spoke with an owner of a
> micro-brewery and he told me to refrigerate during aging.) ?
>
> Thanks,
> John Copeland
John,
Your finished mead contains a good deal of dissolved carbon dioxide. This
may be what is continuing to float your cherries. Given that the cherries
are still present, I take it you have yet to rack your mead. Not a big
deal, but you can take advantage of a bit of synergy by racking now, and
using a filter (a hop bag works nicely) on your racking cane to prevent the
cherries from moving over to your secondary (or clogging your siphon).
Your issue with the floating cherries is one of the reasons why a fruit bag
is such a handy thing to use in the primary. You just lift out the bag, and
the fruit comes with it. :)
Regarding refrigeration, it may be handy for helping to clear your mead, but
it is not advisable during aging because the cool temperatures will slow the
aging process and reduce the benefits of extended bulk aging.
- --
Cheers,
Ken
------------------------------
Subject: Sweetening mead before bottling
From: "Robert Farrell" <bfarrell100@hotmail.com>
Date: Tue, 21 Oct 2003 12:47:31 -0700
Let's assume that fermentation is complete and I have added sorbate to
inhibit additional fermentation.
1. How long should one wait after sorbating before adding honey to sweeten?
2. What is the best method to add this honey?
A. Just dump it into the fermenter, stir carefully, and let it
dissolve over time?
B. Remove some of the mead, mix with honey at room temperature, and
add back to the mead?
C. Remove some of the mead, heat to about 150 degrees, add honey,
pasteurize (reheat to 155 and hold for 10 minutes), then add back to the
mead?
3. If using 2B or 2C, can this honey mixture be (slowly) poured into the
carboy and if so, is there a potential for oxidation?
4. Are fining agents typically introduced after the sweetening process?
Bob Farrell
Portland, OR
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Cider Pressing Bags
From: rcd@talisman.com (Dick Dunn)
Date: Fri, 24 Oct 2003 00:43:53 -0600 (MDT)
Ken Vale <kenvale@rogers.com> wrote:
[I wrote]
> > (This is why basket presses are inefficient: the juice from the center
> > of the mass can't find its way out as the pulp is compressed around it.)
> What other types of presses are there? I'll admit to being mostly
> clueless about presses.
This is getting into Cider Digest territory, but...
More traditional larger apple presses have a (heavy!) flat bed and a flat
plate above which is driven down, not unlike a basket type, but the mass of
pulp in between is open on the sides and is layered. The layering helps
to hold the mass together (to keep it from squeezing out) and also gives
channels for the juice to escape. The layering nowadays might be done
by wrapping each layer of pulp in a polypro cloth, with a rack of crossed
slats of wood or plastic in between each layer. The cloth and the slats
allow channels from the center of the mass to the edges, so that the juice
doesn't get trapped as the pulp is compressed. (Note that it's not *just*
the slatted racks, as by themselves the pulp would just get driven into
them. The cloths are part of the picture, and they have to be strong
enough to resist being pushed into the slats.)
In bygone days, the layering was done with horsehair or straw.
- ---
Dick Dunn rcd@talisman.com Hygiene, Colorado USA
------------------------------
From: "Mark A. Salowitz" <belg@pheonix.org>
Date: Sat, 25 Oct 2003 10:57:47 -0400
Just wanted to thank everyone for all the input, public and private, on
my high-OG must problems. For anyone keeping track, my solution ended up
being twofold:
1) I had edded enough nutirent and energizer that the Wyeast 3347 was
REALLY trying hard to kick off a stable fermentation...
2) I had picked up a slap pack of Wyeast Trappist HG... which I pitched
into a starter which was 1/3 the original 1.174 and water, and let it
sit for 24 hours.
By the time I was ready to pitch the Trappist, there were some early
signs of "I'm trying really hard" but since I had the yeast ready to go,
I pitched it anyways, and the net result is a nice, happy bubbling
sensation in my airlock...
Thanks to all,
Mark Salowitz
------------------------------
Subject: International Mead Festival (quick results)
From: mead@talisman.com (Mead Lovers Digest)
Date: Sat, 25 Oct 2003 17:55:38 -0600 (MDT)
Presumably there will be more detail to follow from official sources, but
since a digest is just about to go out and I've got the info handy, here's a
synopsis of the awards from the International Mead Festival in Boulder, CO,
this weekend:
Traditional
Gold: Traditional Mountain Honey Wine (Redstone)
Silver: Ambrosia by Kristy Mead
Bronze: Pirtle Sparkling Mead
Varietal & Tej
Gold: Rabbit's Foot (Sweet)
Silver: Spurgeon Vineyards Mead
Bronze: Rabbit's Foot (Dry)
Hydromel & Braggot
Gold: Sunshine Nectar (apricot) (Redstone)
Silver: Vierge d'Or (InterMiel)
Bronze: Black Raspberry Nectar (Redstone)
Melomel
Gold: Black Currant Honey Wine (Intermiel)
Silver: Pirtle Raspberry Mead
Bronze: Cranberry Honeywine (Honey Run)
Metheglin & Pyment
Gold: Kastelanski
Silver: Pinot Noir Mountain Honey Wine (Redstone)
Bronze: Spice Nectar (Mountain Meadows)
Dessert & Specialty
Gold: Maxwell Liqueur Mead
Silver: Agave Mead (Mountain Meadows)
Bronze: Jadwiga
- ---
Mead-Lover's Digest mead-request@talisman.com
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor Boulder County, Colorado USA
------------------------------
End of Mead Lover's Digest #1053
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