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Mead Lovers Digest #1191
Subject: Mead Lover's Digest #1191, 15 June 2005
From: mead-request@talisman.com
Mead Lover's Digest #1191 15 June 2005
Forum for Discussion of Mead Making and Consuming
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Re: Mead Lover's Digest #1190, 11 June 2005 (Michael Faul)
re: Clearing a Cyser ("Paul Shouse")
Re: Subject: Clearing a Cyser (Robert Keith Moore)
Re: Capsimels (Dick Adams)
process for making a rhodomel? (Russ.Hobaugh@erm.com)
re. mead taxonomy (John Misrahi)
California regulations ("Linda Bowman")
Carbonating Mead (Travis Dahl KE4VYZ)
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Subject: Re: Mead Lover's Digest #1190, 11 June 2005
From: Michael Faul <mfaul@rabbitsfootmeadery.com>
Date: Sat, 11 Jun 2005 21:27:47 -0700
mead-request@talisman.com wrote:
>
>>HYDROMEL - A lower alcohol mead, often, but not exclusively, produced by
>>dilution...
>
> This is wrong, both historically and linguistically. "Hydromel" has only
> meant "weak mead" since 1980 and only in the US, as a result of one error
> in one book (enthusiastically perpetuated by folks who like to hang
> labels on things!). It conflicts with historical usage in English,
> definitions in contemporary dictionaries, and cognates in other languages.
> Why do we have to perpetuate this bit of ignorance?
I have to agree. Unfortunatley the term is now used in the IMA list of
mead types for a 'lower alcohol mead' a silly thing IMHO
Mike
------------------------------
Subject: re: Clearing a Cyser
From: "Paul Shouse" <paul_shouse@kmug.org>
Date: Sun, 12 Jun 2005 14:26:44 +0900
>>The stuff tastes great but it is still cloudy in
>>appearance. What suggestions would you make to help me clear up the
>>cyser? Thanks
>>Dave
There are several ways to clear mead; filtration and/or the use of various
finings that you can find more about in any good wine or mead making book. Time
may also help. If the mead is bottled and allowed to rest the particulates
causing the cloudyness may well settle out. Then, you will only need to be
extra careful when decanting that particular batch. I haven't tried this myself
yet, but a small amount of gelatine solution added before bottling may help
bind the haze to the bottom of the bottle. I would be very interested to hear
how that works out, if anyone out there has tried it before.
However, have you considered the advantages of not worrying about it at all? If
it tastes great, enjoy it! Drinking all of it will clear up the problem in no
time, and in fact everyone on this list would LOVE to help. If any of your
friends asks you why it's so cloudy, tell them it is 'White Meade', an ancient
and traditional style not much made anymore because so few have done the
research necessary to recreate it. They will be even more impressed than they
are about how good it tastes.
- -Paul
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Subject: Clearing a Cyser
From: Robert Keith Moore <Rob@ineedachef.com>
Date: Sun, 12 Jun 2005 12:19:29 -0700
Hey,
did you use any pectic enzyme? I have had a few cloudy meads clear with
a little pectonase (I think it is called.) Take out about a half cup
and put a little enzyme in and let it sit an hour or two. If that is the
problem it will clear up and you can add the appropriate amount to the
large batch. Bentonite might also help clear it if the first thing does
not. The homebrew shop should have it along with instructions.
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Capsimels
From: rdadams@smart.net (Dick Adams)
Date: Sun, 12 Jun 2005 22:23:20 -0400 (EDT)
"Dan McFeeley" <mcfeeley@keynet.net> wrote:
> Oh yeah, couldn't tell if Dick Adam's advice to wear painter's
> gloves underneath dishwashing gloves, painter's mask, and
> protective eyeware was tongue in cheek or not. That's some
> pretty heavy duty environmental protection. I wear a single
> pair of hospital gloves when cutting chiles, no mask or
> eyeware, and if I'm simply eating a raw habanero, I just
> pick it up, munch on it, with no protective gear whatsoever.
> Same thing with hot salsas -- no protective gear.
For Red Savina Habeneros (see RedSavina.com), it is not tongue in
cheek at all. I only used surgical gloves before I began growing
Red Savina's.
Dick
------------------------------
Subject: process for making a rhodomel?
From: Russ.Hobaugh@erm.com
Date: Tue, 14 Jun 2005 11:25:00 -0400
I have a huge totally organic rose bush out back, and have been thinking
of doing a Rhodomel. Anyone have a can't miss recipe and procedure? I have
had these judging and done well they are a thing of beauty, so I want to
give it a try. TIA
Russ Hobaugh
Goob' Dob Brewery
Birdsboro PA
------------------------------
Subject: re. mead taxonomy
From: John Misrahi <lmoukhin@sprint.ca>
Date: Tue, 14 Jun 2005 22:04:39 -0400
"
HYDROMEL - A lower alcohol mead, often, but not exclusively, produced by
> dilution..."
Interesting - in french, Hydromel means mead, as in honey + water mead,
the base product.
John
------------------------------
Subject: California regulations
From: "Linda Bowman" <lbowman@jaguar.net>
Date: Wed, 15 Jun 2005 09:57:02 -0700
Greetings to the group
My husband and I recently opened a small pizzaria in Riverside County,
California which we operate ourselves, striving for a family atmosphere.
We do have a beer and wine license, and would like to be able to serve my
mead, but I'm having a horrible time trying to find applicable regulations
(my local ABC is utterly useless). I do see that California allows
"private label" craft/artisan vintners to sell their product to restuarants,
although not directly to consumers, but can find no information
regarding licensing/taxing regulations for the homebrewer himself. I
assume there *must* be some controls.
If anyone has links to such information in California, I'd greatly
appreciate any help.
Thanks!
Linda Bowman
------------------------------
Subject: Carbonating Mead
From: Travis Dahl KE4VYZ <dahlt@umich.edu>
Date: Wed, 15 Jun 2005 21:10:28 -0400
At 11:59 PM 6/11/2005, Dennis Kay wrote:
>I haven't tried this and have no idea if you might produce bottle bombs
>along the way. I would make a one-gallon batch and experiment with four
>days (for example) a week and 10 days after bottling before
>pasteurizing--being careful, of course, for the possibility of exploding
>bottles. Wear industrial strength rubber gloves and a full face shield
>when handling them.
>
>I once visited the Olympia brewery in Washington and they used a similar
>technique. After the beer was bottled it was run through a giant
>pasteurizing bath at 140 degrees.
I've relatively recently been turned on to the practicing of using a 20oz
soda bottle as a tester. Just fill it up with the beverage to be
carbonated at the same time as all of your glass bottles. Squeeze the soda
bottle every day and when it's very firm, your bottles should all be
carbonated. (And definitely don't leave them out in the August heat in the
dining room and then leave town so that your mother is woken up in the
middle of the night to exploding glass. :( )
My parents still live a couple of miles from the Olympia brewery. Needless
to say, I've taken the tour a few times, although not for several
years. (The facility was actually shut down a few years ago.) As I
recall, they force-carbonated the beer and then pasteurized. Keep in mind
that most large breweries are also filtering out a good portion of the
yeast before the beer is even bottled. Of course, my take on the whole
thing is that since we're amateurs, we can experiment. (Just put the
bottles in cardboard boxes in a cool basement to be on the safe side.)
- -Travis
A2, MI
------------------------------
End of Mead Lover's Digest #1191
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