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Mead Lovers Digest #1153
Subject: Mead Lover's Digest #1153, 19 January 2005
From: mead-request@talisman.com
Mead Lover's Digest #1153 19 January 2005
Forum for Discussion of Mead Making and Consuming
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Re: MLDigest #1152, 15/1/05; Caveman Mead ("Arthur Torrey (no spam please!)")
pH and acidity (Ken Schramm)
Re:caveman mead (Steven Sanders)
War of the Worts X (vince@scubadiving.com)
9th Annual Big Bend Brew Off 2005 Tallahassee FL (Jandw1112@aol.com)
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: MLDigest #1152, 15/1/05; Caveman Mead
From: "Arthur Torrey (no spam please!)" <atorrey@cybercom.net>
Date: Sat, 15 Jan 2005 22:52:04 -0500
This sort of reminds me of some of the formula's I've seen for jailhouse
'Pruno' Wine, or the 'Rubber Wine' I made back in my college days (1 can
Welch's grape juice concentrate, 4 cups sugar, Fleishmann's yeast, water to a
gallon jug, tie a large balloon over the top - If the balloon blows off
replace it. Wait 21 days or until the balloon goes flat) It contained alcohol,
and was cheap, but those were about the only virtues.
I would expect your formula to be somewhat better tasting, it is a mead after
all <grin> but there are multiple problems with this approach that I would
anticipate causing problems.
1. The plastic in soda bottles may be problematic by some standards. I would
not reccomend it for long term storage, but it probably won't be a problem for
as long as the fermentation is active.
2. Bread yeast is not generally reccomended for brewing, it tends to give off
bad flavors which aren't a problem in bread, but can make brews taste funky.
Bread yeasts also often have low alcohol tolerances so you end up with a
fairly weak brew. Most serious folks use a brewers yeast which isn't that much
more expensive, usually either an ale or champagne variety.
3. It is DANGEROUS! A sealed bottle with fermentation happening inside it is
a potential BOMB! Plastic is somewhat safer than glass in this regard, but it
could still cause serious injury and make a big mess if it lets go. You will
sometimes hear brewers refer to 'Glass Grenades', there is a reason. With the
exception of people making naturally carbonated beers or sparkling wines
(which use special bottles and techniques to reduce the risks) you should
NEVER ferment in a sealed container.
While we mostly use bubble type airlocks, the easiest/cheapest fix is the
balloon method I mentioned above - use a balloon to close the bottle instead
of a cap. This is also a pretty good fermentation completion indicator - The
CO2 from the yeast will inflate the balloon, and then diffuse out through it.
When fermentation slows to the point where the CO2 is diffusing faster than
the yeast produces it, the balloon goes flat and your brew is ready for
drinking or aging. OTOH, if the yeast get overly busy, the worst case is the
balloon either bursts or blows off. This makes no real mess, and you simply
replace the balloon, knowing that there was enough CO2 being produced that
there shouldn't have been a significant contamination problem.
4. Small batches of brew tend to be a bit problematic, it is harder to control
the recipes, they are more sensitive to temperature changes, they are more
prone to contamination problems, etc. The brewers that I know suggest that 1
gallon is the minimum reliable batch size and that 5 gallons is better. For
home brewing, 5 gallons is about the optimal batch. It's big enough to be
easy to work with, but it's also just about the biggest container that is
fairly easy to move around.
All that said however, you will probably get something 'drinkable' from your
process, and possibly something fairly good. Just keep in mind that with
better equipment amd ingredients along with a larger batch size, you will
probably make something even better.
ART
On 2005.01.15 14:13 mead-request@talisman.com wrote:
>
> Subject: Re: Mead Lover's Digest #1151, 11 January 2005
> From: Micah Henry <saabman84@yahoo.com>
> Date: Tue, 11 Jan 2005 10:31:33 -0800 (PST)
>
> Hi,
>
> I'm new to the list and new to mead, too. Having never tasted mead before,
> I searched for mead infomation and found a simple recipe for plain mead on,
> of all things, a science website.
>
> I wonder if my ultra-cheap mead setup will produce a decent mead. I found
> the technique here: http://www.cavemanchemistry.com/cavebook/chmead3.html
>
> Has anyone here attempted such a simple setup? I have no airlock or
> carboy, just 16 oz. of honey, a packet of Fleishmann's bread yeast, juice
> of one small lemon, and water to make 2 liters (my "carboy" is a 2 liter
> Dr. Pepper jug, washed first and label removed, of course). I release the
> CO2 each evening (slowly opening cap) as recap tightly after venting.
>
> It DOES smell good!
>
> I began this "experiment" on Dec. 31 and it's still fermenting away at
> last check (1/10/05).
>
> Any tips/suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
>
> - --Micah Henry in NC
>
------------------------------
Subject: pH and acidity
From: Ken Schramm <schramk@mail.resa.net>
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2005 07:53:41 -0500
More on Eric's pH question: with respect to taste, Total Acidity will
have a much greater impact on taste than pH. Acids present as sour or
tart. pH represents the ratio of acids to alkaline (or buffering)
compounds in a solution, but since pH is dynamic, you can have a
solution with a lot of both. In that case, the pH will not appear to be
acidic, but the sour/tart character may be profound. TA represents the
amount of acid in your solution as a percentage. As such, it correlates
to taste far more accurately than pH.
When you adjust a mead to taste by adding acid you are not, for the most
part, concerned with pH. Simply add the acidity in small amounts until
you get to the "bite" level you prefer. Most folks use one of (or a
blend of) four acids: Malic (apples), citric (citrus), tartaric (grapes)
or, less commonly, ascorbic (vitamin C). They all have distinct tastes.
You might want to dissolve some of the specific acid(s) you are
considering using in some distilled water to determine the profile you
like best.
Ken
------------------------------
Subject: Re:caveman mead
From: Steven Sanders <geigertube@yahoo.com>
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2005 06:33:49 -0800 (PST)
> Subject: Re: Mead Lover's Digest #1151, 11 January
> 2005
> From: Micah Henry <saabman84@yahoo.com>
> Date: Tue, 11 Jan 2005 10:31:33 -0800 (PST)
> I wonder if my ultra-cheap mead setup will produce a
> decent mead. I found
> the technique here:
>
http://www.cavemanchemistry.com/cavebook/chmead3.html
> Any tips/suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Micah,
It should work fine. I'd add a food grade hose to your
set up, to siphon the mead off of the sediment that
drops out. You dont want it to rest on a thick layer
of sediment for too long.
Other than that, you should be good to go for a basic
starting point.
steven
=====
I'm Steven M. Sanders, and I approved this email.
The 9,573,382th wonder of the world: http://www.studiosputnik.com
------------------------------
Subject: War of the Worts X
From: vince@scubadiving.com
Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2005 12:27:57 -0500 (EST)
Calling all mead lovers:
Yes, we are beer brewers, drinkers and judges, but we are also mead
lovers, connoisseurs, and overall supporters, (and we claim that one
doesn't prevent the other). We would love to receive your mead entries and
to have this category well represented in our competition!
Keystone Hops is excited to announce the 10th War of the Worts on February
19, 2005 to be held at Iron Hill brewery in North Wales, PA. This AHA
sanctioned competition is open to beer, mead and cider and will follow the
2004 BJCP guidelines.
This competition is known for its nice turnout and outstanding prizes from
our generous sponsors (including 3 BOS grand prizes last year). The 10th
anniversary promises to be a special event that will just be the best
ever.
Entry fees are $6/first entry, $5/subsequent entries. More details
including judge registration can be found at
http://www.keystonehops.org/wotw/ or by calling 215 855 0100
Vince Galet
Organizer
------------------------------
Subject: 9th Annual Big Bend Brew Off 2005 Tallahassee FL
From: Jandw1112@aol.com
Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2005 09:47:04 EST
Big Bend Brew Off 2005
9th Annual Homebrew competition sponsored by the North Florida Brewers
League, Tallahassee, Florida
AHA and BJCP registered event.
Date: Saturday, March 12, 2005
Beef O???Brady???s Restaurant, 1830 Thomasville Rd, Tallahassee, FL 32308.
(850) 222-2157. Judging will begin at 9:30 EST.
Awards announced same day after judging completion.
Deadlines: Entries will be accepted from February 18 to March 4.
No walk-in entries will be accepted.
Cost: $6.00 per entry, 3 bottles. All Categories in the new 2004 BJCP
Guidelines.
Ship to: Big Bend Brew Off
c/o The Homebrew Den
1350 E. Tennessee Street #B-3
Tallahassee, FL 32308 (850) 219-1310.
Full entry rules, regulations and entry forms can be obtained from
_www.nfbl.org_ (http://www.nfbl.org/)
Joel Tedder & Wendy Gregory
Competition Organizers
_jandw1112@aol.com_ (mailto:jandw1112@aol.com)
------------------------------
End of Mead Lover's Digest #1153
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