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Mead Lovers Digest #1100
Subject: Mead Lover's Digest #1100, 18 May 2004
From: mead-request@talisman.com
Mead Lover's Digest #1100 18 May 2004
Forum for Discussion of Mead Making and Consuming
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Re: BJCP Mead Guidelines ("Michael L. Hall")
Re: special occasion meads (George Theall)
Honey Prices ("Lane Gray, Czar Castic")
Re: BJCP Mead Guidelines (Adam Funk)
Mead vs Wine (Robert Sandefer)
Mead vinegar, celebration meads ("wintermead")
Sterilization (Patrick Devaney)
Re: special occasion meads ("Kenneth R. Irwin")
making a high alcohol mead ("john mallon")
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
a searchable MLD archive at hubris.engin.umich.edu/Beer/Threads/Mead
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: BJCP Mead Guidelines
From: "Michael L. Hall" <Mike.Hall@POBox.com>
Date: Sat, 15 May 2004 22:09:16 -0600
First of all, I would like to encourage everyone to comment on the
proper forum (http://www.hopmadness.com/bjcp/). Comments that are
made in the MLD may not be seen by the people developing the style
guides. If you want your opinion to count, please comment there.
There is a very interesting discussion going on there...
Bill Wible <wwible1@comcast.net> writes, quoting me:
> >I have always held the opinion that mead shouldn't be like wine -- wine is
> >too acidic, grassy, buttery, vegetal, pineappley, asparagus-like, etc.
>
> If you're drinking wine that is buttery, vegetal, or asparagus-like,
> you're drinking BAD wine.
The flavors that I've listed are all present in good wines. For
example, one of the main flavor characteristics of a Chardonnay is
a buttery character, and Sauvignon Blancs are known for being grassy.
For more flavor details from wine aficionados, see one of these sites:
http://www.winepros.org/wine101/grape_profiles/varietals.htm#list
http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Wine_Basics/Wine_Basics_Template/0,1199,1004
,00.html
(or http://tinyurl.com/2bpad if that last one is broken)
> I've said this many, many times. Mead is wine, honey wine. It is not
> beer. I questioned early and often since passing the BJCP exam why
> mead is even part of the BJCP style guidelines, which are for beer.
> Jeez, sake is closer to beer than mead is, and the BJCP doesn't
> have even have a category for that. So I still question the inclusion
> of mead as a "style of beer". It is wine. Always was, always will be.
The BJCP is not attempting to classify mead as a style of beer by
any means. This is a gross misrepresentation. The mead guidelines
were developed by many knowledgeable mead people, many of whom read
the MLD. The BJCP is asking for input from this digest. Constructive,
specific comments will certainly be taken into account.
Personally, my point is that mead is not beer, and not wine. It is
its own drink, and should exhibit the characteristics of its
ingredients, be they honey, fruits or spices. (Of course, braggots
will be more like beer, and pyments will be more like wine.)
But that is a short explanation of my position -- please read the
discussion on the forum at http://www.hopmadness.com/bjcp/ .
Cheers,
- -Mike
============================================================================
Michael L. Hall, Ph.D.
President, BJCP Board of Directors (Mtn/NW Rep):
<mailto:President@BJCP.org> <http://www.BJCP.org/>
Member, AHA Board of Advisors:
<mailto:MichaelHall@AOB.org> <http://www.BeerTown.org/>
President, Los Alamos Atom Mashers:
<mailto:AM_President@YahooGroups.com> <http://hbd.org/atommash>
============================================================================
The righteous shall be given to drink pure mead sealed with musk.
- -- The Koran
------------------------------
Subject: Re: special occasion meads
From: George Theall <theall@tifaware.com>
Date: Sun, 16 May 2004 10:36:16 -0400
> From: myn@iyerfamily.net
>
> My daughter's first birthday is coming up. To mark the
> occasion, I had the idea of making a very special mead.
...
> Any suggestions for ultra-special mead recipes?
I started a traditional mead the day my son was born (04/04/04) - 16 lbs
Tupelo honey with Lalvin D47 for a 5 gallon batch. I'll cork one or two
bottles for when he turns 21 and share the rest with family and friends
during his birthday celebrations over the years.
The recipe itself may not be special, but it'll be the thought that
counts.
George
- --
theall@tifaware.com
------------------------------
Subject: Honey Prices
From: "Lane Gray, Czar Castic" <CGray2@kc.rr.com>
Date: Sun, 16 May 2004 13:09:06 -0500
On Sat, 15 May 2004 19:43:52 -0600 (MDT), <mead-request@talisman.com>
wrote:
>
> Subject: Re: Price of honey
> From: Michael Faul <mfaul@rabbitsfootmeadery.com>
> Date: Tue, 11 May 2004 16:49:41 -0700
>
> Not to argue but the information you provide below is incorrect. It
> should read something like this instead ;
>
Or at least *could* have read
> http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2002/NEW00831.html
>
> The Chinese honey was being dumped (low prices) on the US market (not
> dumped because of the contamination) and as a result of the illegal
> 'dumping and the contamination the honey was not allowed to be sold o
> nthe US market.
That was only mentioned tangentially to the story (which was mostly about
the antibiotic), and dumping currently has only been alleged, not proven,
no?
Of course, I'll not get into the debate as to whether it's even morally
legitimate to set up "dumping" laws.
- --
Lane Gray
And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. Gen
2:25
------------------------------
Subject: Re: BJCP Mead Guidelines
From: Adam Funk <adam@ducksburg.com>
Date: Sun, 16 May 2004 21:32:15 +0100
> I've said this many, many times. Mead is wine, honey wine. It is not
> beer. I questioned early and often since passing the BJCP exam why
> mead is even part of the BJCP style guidelines, which are for beer.
> Jeez, sake is closer to beer than mead is, and the BJCP doesn't
> have even have a category for that. So I still question the inclusion
> of mead as a "style of beer". It is wine. Always was, always will be.
I have made a few batches of what I would describe as "ale-like mead":
fermented using ale yeast, primed and bottled as for beer, with an ABV of
around 6%, using honey as the sole source of fermentable sugar. I
thought it was very good. Should I not call it mead?
------------------------------
Subject: Mead vs Wine
From: Robert Sandefer <robertsandefer@yahoo.com>
Date: Sun, 16 May 2004 15:17:17 -0700 (PDT)
Bill wrote:
>>I have always held the opinion that mead shouldn't
>be like wine --
>wine is
>>too acidic, grassy, buttery, vegetal, pineappley,
>asparagus-like, etc.
>If you're drinking wine that is buttery, vegetal, or
>asparagus-like,
>you're drinking BAD wine.
Not necessarily. Chardonnays (esp well-aged) often
taste buttery. Cabernet, Zinfindel, and Sauvignon
Blanc also often have hints of vegetal character even
in the best made examples. In reason these tastes do
not signify bad wine.
>I've said this many, many times. Mead is wine, honey
>wine. It is not
>beer.
And does the world of fermented alcohols have only
wine and beer? This point steps on a matter of
interest to me: classifying alcohols, the development
of styles/classes/categories/whatever.
What is it that makes an alcohol solution a beer,
wine, or mead? What characteristic is the most
important?
Definitions can be developed by anyone, so tell the
Digest: What are your definitions of wine and beer?
Why is mead a wine but not a beer? Is it not different
enough to be its own class?
The definitions I use employ the source of the
majority of the fermentable sugar for the wort/must.
If that source is honey, the fermented product will be
a mead. If that source is a seed/grain, the product
will be a beer. If the source is fruit, then the
result is a wine. And so by my definitions, mead is
not a wine but it's own, unique class of fermented
alcohol.
>I questioned early and often since passing the BJCP exam why
>mead is even part of the BJCP style guidelines, which
>are for beer.
>Jeez, sake is closer to beer than mead is, and the
>BJCP doesn't
>have even have a category for that. So I still
>question the inclusion
>of mead as a "style of beer".
I have read (on the Cider Digest?) that BJCP did not
include cider and mead guidelines because it was
arguing they were "beer" but because ciders and meads
were being submited to competitions and no one else
was stepping up to make guidelines. Any takers?
Robert Sandefer
Novato, CA
------------------------------
Subject: Mead vinegar, celebration meads
From: "wintermead" <wintermead@sbcglobal.net>
Date: Sun, 16 May 2004 20:33:18 -0500
In MLD 1099, Dan McFeeley wrote,
> Another venture, this one into mead cuisine, was with a mead
> vinegar made by Chuck Wettergreen. Mead vinegars have been
> described in the literature as having an especially good aroma
> and flavor, and this vinegar certainly lived up to that reputation.
> The tarragon sprig added an extra touch. Very nice, exceptional
Actually Dan, that was a rosemary sprig. Not to worry, the
oak-enhanced mead vinegar is on its way. :)
Also, Melinda asked,
> Subject: special occasion meads
> From: myn@iyerfamily.net
> Date: Sat, 15 May 2004 12:42:37 -0700 (PDT)
>
> My daughter's first birthday is coming up. To mark the
> occasion, I had the idea of making a very special mead.
> We could then open a bottle every year on her birthday.
> Right now she's not old enough to enjoy it with us, but
> she will be someday :)
>
> Any suggestions for ultra-special mead recipes?
I first started this when my best friend-girl had her first baby.
I made a barley wine bottled in champagne bottles for years
1,2,3,4,5, 10, 15, 20 and 21.
When my firstborn was approaching age 21 I asked him what he
would like in a mead for his birthday. He said he wanted a
raspberry mead. "Matthew's Raspberry Smash" was then born. I
simply made a show mead then added an enormous amount of
frozen/thawed raspberries to the already fermented-out show
mead.. That one won't last for twenty years, unfortunately.
I didn't ask my daughter what she wanted for her mead. "Sweet
Baby Sarah's 21st Birthday mead" took two years to make and was
sampled by attendees of Planet Buzz (the first mead convention,
held in Chicago) as "Odin's Own" in the meadmakers lounge. It was
a blend of chocolate, heather, and several show meads with a
slight hint of raspberry mead. I also added a little bit of
cognac for strength and keeping power. Those that tasted it found
it rich and very complex. I gave Sarah a case of the mead and
told her it would continue to improve over the years, which I
believe to be true. Unlike her brother, she didn't drink most of
it the first year. :)
My suggestion is to make the best mead you can make, with the
highest alcohol percent you can achieve. Bottle it with premium
corks, and then seal it with wax. I printed nice color labels
that included a picture of the child at the age the mead was
made. Lay it back and let it age as you daughter grows in
complexity like the mead.
Cheers,
Chuck
Geneva, Illinois
------------------------------
Subject: Sterilization
From: Patrick Devaney <damien777@yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, 17 May 2004 05:21:55 -0700 (PDT)
Hi everyone,
Is there anyone here who does NOT use sulfites to
kill off any activity prior to bottling? What have
your experiences been? I want to avoid "botle bombs",
but I just hate the damn sulfites so much.
Any advice will help me a great deal.. thanks!!
------------------------------
Subject: Re: special occasion meads
From: "Kenneth R. Irwin" <kirwin@wittenberg.edu>
Date: Mon, 17 May 2004 11:10:36 -0400
The mead that I always use for weddings is an orange-clove mead: 12
oranges, 5 cloves, a bit of darjeeling tea 15-18 lbs of honey, for a 5
gallon batch. There's nothing symbolically weddingish, except that I made
my first batch of mead for my wedding and this is the one I've used. It's
made appearance at several weddings since then. Just be sure you make
enought that there's still some left 20 years later ;)
ken
At 07:43 PM 05/15/2004 -0600, you wrote:
>Any suggestions for ultra-special mead recipes?
>
>Melinda
Ken Irwin kirwin@wittenberg.edu
Reference/Electronic Resources Librarian (937) 327-7594
Thomas Library, Wittenberg University
------------------------------
Subject: making a high alcohol mead
From: "john mallon" <vidapretas@hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, 17 May 2004 15:04:43 -0400
After reading the compleat meadmaker I've had the urge to make a strong
mead.One section of the book discussed feedind the fermentation.That by
starting out with an averagev gravity mead you keep adding a pound of honey
every so often and the yeast will keep working beyond it's naturaL
limitations.If a pound of honey added to one gallon of water has a gravity
of 1.033 it would take 7 pounds and 2 ounces of honey per gallon of water to
make a mead with 30% alcohol by volume.Do you think that a strong yeast like
lavlin EC-1118 combined with the feeding the fermentation method you could
reach an alcohol level of 30% abv.Because i feel like experimenting.thank
you
------------------------------
End of Mead Lover's Digest #1100
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