Copy Link
Add to Bookmark
Report
Mead Lovers Digest #1171
Subject: Mead Lover's Digest #1171, 28 March 2005
From: mead-request@talisman.com
Mead Lover's Digest #1171 28 March 2005
Forum for Discussion of Mead Making and Consuming
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Strawberry Melomel ("Sarah Kowalski")
Neverending fermentation? (Jeremy Janzen)
Re: MLD #1169, 22/3/05 - Capping, Another beekeeping mead maker ("Arthur T...)
Judges & Entries Needed, 12th Annual BUZZ Off May 21st ("Christopher Clair")
Pomegranate Mead Cordial ("david.lane ")
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
A searchable archive is available at www.gotmead.com/mead-research/mld
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Strawberry Melomel
From: "Sarah Kowalski" <skowals1@nycap.rr.com>
Date: Fri, 25 Mar 2005 03:33:44 -0500
Strawberry season is approaching here in upstate NY, I am looking for a =
strawberry melomel recipe. I am a bit unsure of the technique involved =
to process the berry? Please advise, Mark Kowalski skowals1@nycap.rr.com
------------------------------
Subject: Neverending fermentation?
From: Jeremy Janzen <jeremy.jj@sasktel.net>
Date: Fri, 25 Mar 2005 02:36:37 -0600
One of my batches of mead just keeps fermenting... And I'm starting to
get a bit worried something might be wrong, like wild yeasts or
something else bad.
The mead has been crystal clear for at least two or three weeks now, but
I can still see CO2 rising from the base of the carboy, and the
fermentation lock bubbles every few minutes (about every 3 minutes last
I checked). Is this normal? Stats: 2+ months into fermentation, about
10 pounds of honey used, 1 packet champagne yeast (can't recall the
variant, Lalvin something), plenty of yeast nutrient etc.
------------------------------
Subject: Re: MLD #1169, 22/3/05 - Capping, Another beekeeping mead maker
From: "Arthur Torrey (no spam please!)" <atorrey@cybercom.net>
Date: Wed, 23 Mar 2005 21:46:46 -0500
On 2005.03.22 22:24 mead-request@talisman.com wrote:
>
> Subject: Re: Corking or capping
> From: "Charles Gee" <cgee@mhtv.ca>
> Date: Thu, 17 Mar 2005 10:45:53 -0800
>
> Over the last number of years I have slowly changed my bottling process
> to what I consider satisfactory. As it has something to do with
> corking/capping I offer that experience to my fellow imbibers.
<Much snippage>
I still use the recycled wine bottle approach for most of my brews, my primary
consumption is when I bring things to parties, and the 750ml size seems about
right. I use synthetic corks and a floor corker (MUCH better than a hand
corker as it works with all types of bottle necks and is lower effort)
I prefer the synthetic corks because I don't have to soak them ahead of time.
Since I often don't know just when I'll have time to bottle, this fits my
lifestyle better.
The exception to this is my "Firewater Capsicumel" mead, which is a very spicy
hot pepper mead which I serve in very small glasses as most folks only want it
in small amounts. (but it is popular) For that I use "swing-top" type bottles
so that I can easily open them and reseal what is left. I have some clear
750ml bottles that originally had some fancy lemonade in them, the rest are a
batch of blue 1 liter bottles that I purchased from my local brew supply house.
> ------------------------------
>
> Subject: re: BeeKeepers
> From: "Dilley, Steve" <Steve.Dilley@pegs.com>
> Date: Thu, 17 Mar 2005 16:13:03 -0700
>
> Chris,
>
> I started keeping bees because of my mead habit. I found a
> local beekeeper so that I could save money and somehow I now
> have 6 hives. I harvested 4 gallons of honey about 5 weeks ago
> and more should be coming in soon. (I'm very afraid to calculate
> $/lb).
>
> I am in Arizona so can't help you out much, but I wouldn't limit
> yourself to mead making beekeepers (or meadsters with bees?).
> All the beekeepers I've met have been willing to bend over
> backwards to help out people new to bees. I found a local club,
> BACA (Beekeepers Association of Central Arizona) that has been
> a tremendous resource - full of great people. I would look for
> the local equivalent.
>
> Oops - hopefully make that owner of 7 hives; I picked up a
> swarm before work today.
>
> Let me know how you get on. Be careful of your time; I have
> 10 carboys going of which at least 4 need to be kegged/bottled
> and empty carboys waiting for a batch but never seem to find
> the time now. I blame it on the kids, not the other hobbies.
>
> I've wondered how many other mead makers have turned into
> beekeepers - anymore out there?
>
> Good luck
> Steve Dilley
>
> >hi all i dont want to take up to much time on the list but i
> >know there are several bee keepers on here, id like to start
> >keeping my own bees i live in the central valy of california
> >if any one els keeps bees here it would be great to talk to
> >them.
> >
> >Chris Anderson
>
I'm a New England based (Near Boston, MA) beekeeping meadmaker, just
starting my 5th year of beekeeping and my 6th of home brewing. I just have
one hive (so far) but I find that I get about 10 gallons a year out of it,
which is enough to keep me in brewing honey and supply my friends and
neighbors as well. (Honey is also good for holiday gifts, etc)
It's a mixed bag in terms of cost effectiveness, especially here in New
England where it is a gamble as to whether a hive will make it through the
winter or not - Thus far I've lost mine 3 winters out of 5. If I hadn't had
to purchase 3 new packages of bees I might just be starting to approach a
break even point on costs. If you have more hives and get enough to sell some
of the surplus that might help some, but it is still not cheap.
However beekeeping in and of itself is a fascinating hobby, the more you
watch the bees the more amazing they get. It is also relatively low in terms
of time requirements as the bees mostly take care of themselves.
Look in your area for a local bee supply place and / or a local beekeeping
association (There is one in almost every county) and you will find all the
help you need, beekeepers tend to be an incredibly helpful bunch and are more
than happy to share their experience and advice with you.
I reccomend taking a course (Most associations will offer one around this
time of year, usually through some school's adult ed program) and talking with
local people over reading books. Each area is a bit different in terms of
what techniques work best, when the nectar flows are, etc. so local knowledge
will often be better than the generic stuff in books.
ART
------------------------------
Subject: Judges & Entries Needed, 12th Annual BUZZ Off May 21st
From: "Christopher Clair" <buzzclub@verizon.net>
Date: Sun, 27 Mar 2005 21:55:22 -0500
Brewers Unlimited Zany Zymurgists (BUZZ) is proud to announce that the 2005
BUZZ Off home brew competition will be held on Saturday, May 21st at Iron
Hill Brewery & Restaurant in West Chester, PA. For another year we will be
a qualifying event for the prestigious Masters Championship of Amateur
Brewing (MCAB) as well as the Delaware Valley Homebrewer of the Year. All
BJCP recognized styles (2004 guidelines) including meads and ciders are
eligible for entry. For complete details and forms, please visit the BUZZ
web site at http://hbd.org/buzz.
Entries will be accepted between May 1st and May 15th. For drop off and
mail in locations please refer to the BUZZ web site. Please, do not send
entries to Iron Hill.
BJCP Judges and stewards will be needed. If you are interested please
contact me or another committee member (contact information can be found on
the web site). All judges must be BJCP certified (any ranking).
Good luck and cheers!
Christopher Clair
buzzclub <at> verizon.net
http://hbd.org/buzz
"The mouth of a perfectly happy man is filled with beer."
- - Ancient Egyptian Wisdom, 2200 B.C.
------------------------------
Subject: Pomegranate Mead Cordial
From: "david.lane " <david.lane@utahisp.com>
Date: Mon, 28 Mar 2005 21:33:45 -0700
I assembled a pomegranate mead this evening:
24 lbs Miller=92s clover honey
5/4 gallons pomegranate juice (unsweetened)
2 packages Lalvin EC-1118 yeast
enough water for 5 gallons
I=92ll add some French oak to the secondary, and make
up for racking volume loss with more juice.
Peace,
David
------------------------------
End of Mead Lover's Digest #1171
*******************************
