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Mead Lovers Digest #1239
Subject: Mead Lover's Digest #1239, 8 January 2006
From: mead-request@talisman.com
Mead Lover's Digest #1239 8 January 2006
Forum for Discussion of Mead Making and Consuming
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Re: Maltodextrin is NOT a non-fermentable sugar (to Dick Adams) (Marc Shapiro)
re: frozen apple juice (Eric Wescott)
Add now, or wait until later... ("Michael Zahl")
Maury Yeast (Robert Keith Moore)
Transfer pump (Bradley Hunter)
Temperatures/fermentation (tom veatch)
New Sanctioned Competition Program (Ed Westemeier)
Extended fermentation question ("Rick")
What year should I put on my label? ("Rick")
hydrometer vs refractometer (Robert Keith Moore)
NOTE: Digest appears when there is enough material to send one.
Send ONLY articles for the digest to mead@talisman.com.
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Maltodextrin is NOT a non-fermentable sugar (to Dick Adams)
From: Marc Shapiro <mshapiro_42@yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, 02 Jan 2006 00:34:40 -0800
docmac9582@aol.com wrote:
> Beware, maltodextrin is non-fermentable, and gives a nice mouth-feel to
> root beer and has many other uses. However, it is NOT a non-fermentable
> sugar or sweetener.
You might want to try glycerin. It has been quite a while since I have
used it, since I do not normally try to sweeten my meads, but I have
used it in the past. In moderate amounts (1 - 2 oz / gallon) it adds
some sweetness, as well as mouthfeel. It is also a natural byproduct of
fermentation, so you are not adding something which is totally alien to
your mead, either.
- --
Marc Shapiro
mshapiro_42@yahoo.com
------------------------------
Subject: re: frozen apple juice
From: Eric Wescott <eric.wescott@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 13:34:34 -0500
Jonathan Bastian wanted to know about using frozen apple juice: It is
fine. No problems. Just give it a stir to mix it up after it thaws.=20
Using AJ from frozen concentrate is not an issue.
To bring up the sugar content, you could add honey and make a cyser
(an appropriate suggestion on a mead board), or sugar and make a
fortified cider. I've read many recipes for adding white-sugar to
cider to make it higher alcohol, but have only used honey and AJ
concentrate myself to do so. For more on sugar-added to cider, try
some general brew forums cider sections. Here's one I like a lot:=20
http://forum.northernbrewer.com/viewforum.php?f=3D9
Eric Wescott
Stratford, CT
------------------------------
Subject: Add now, or wait until later...
From: "Michael Zahl" <mzahl@cox.net>
Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2006 00:28:15 -0800
After starting my mead batches for the season (11 batches totally 74
gallons), a recent discussion with the local home brew store owner brought
up an interesting topic for discussion here (I hope!)
Is it better (or not) to add the ?extras? (like spices, fruit etc) during
your primary or secondary fermentation. In my short tenure (4 years) of
mead making, I?ve always put the fruit and spice in right when I started
primary fermentation. My home brew store owner Jon, prefers to add
everything into secondary.
His point to me is that you will get a stronger (aka better) aroma by adding
it later. But he conceded that you probably will get more flavor adding to
primary.
So, gang, what do y?all experts say?
*inquiring minds are dying to know*
Michael
------------------------------
Subject: Maury Yeast
From: Robert Keith Moore <Rob@ineedachef.com>
Date: Wed, 04 Jan 2006 16:20:56 -0800
Hey,
I have seen this stuff mentioned in a few articles and recipes.
Where can I get some? I even looked in the archives and there was talk
of it but, no one said where to get it.
Thanks
Rob
------------------------------
Subject: Transfer pump
From: Bradley Hunter <hunter@midcoast.com>
Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 10:27:26 -0500
I've been reading about a new wine racking pump that is designed
specifically for small scale operations.
It is from Crownridge Winery , Model 204 Wine Racking Pump and has a
battery operated impeller pump and is built from Stainless Steel and
food grade plastic. It also has an optional filtering attachment.
Sounds perfect for moving my Mead around!
It is very reasonably priced but before I send out my cash I'm
wondering if anybody out there has any hands on experience with this
unit?
I'm curious about durability, workmanship, power and effective
filtering.
Any input, pro or con, is greatly appreciated,
Brad
------------------------------
Subject: Temperatures/fermentation
From: tom veatch <buzzme@inbox.com>
Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 10:45:06 -0800
My Q is how to be sure that the fermentaion has run its course.
I combined several gals of fresh squoze prickly pear juice and a number of
lbs of fresh spun honey last August. It was quite riotous for several
weeks.
After racking, I added a bit more honey and again watched the bubbler
blow. Now that the temps have fallen in area I call my meadery/honey
house, there is no discernable activity. A batch of lager is happily
working there even now.
I'm cautioned to bottle for the chance the ferment will resume once temps
rise again. I propose to rack and simply store the batch in carboy till
late spring-bubbler in place.The color is still very blood red. I really
expected to just keep a slight tint. Maybe its not done working. Just
what gravity range should it be in before I bottle? Thnx in advance, TV.
------------------------------
Subject: New Sanctioned Competition Program
From: Ed Westemeier <hopfen@malz.com>
Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 07:36:46 -0500
The AHA and BJCP are pleased to announce that we have combined our
competition registration programs, effective January 6, 2006.
The new AHA/BJCP Sanctioned Competition Program (SCP) is a joint
project initiated by the BJCP Board and the AHA Governing Committee,
and will be the single source for all competition materials.
Registration with the SCP will automatically get your competition on
the website calendars of both beertown.org and bjcp.org, as well as
publication in Zymurgy magazine (if you register with enough lead time).
For full details, please see the official notice at www.bjcp.org/
scp.html.
Ed Westemeier
BJCP Communication Director
communication_director@bjcp.org
------------------------------
Subject: Extended fermentation question
From: "Rick" <beekeepers@insightbb.com>
Date: Sat, 7 Jan 2006 12:14:29 -0600
I had a peach melomel successfully stop fermentation with ending gravity
of .998. I then racked twice, after the first and second months, and
then sweetened with two cups of honey, which resumed the fermentation.
It has been slow, but continuous for almost two months. The bubble out
of the airlock has been less then every thirty minutes, but little
bubbles are continuously being created and congregating up in the neck
of the carboy. Should I rack the mead off the gunk at the bottom even
though it's still fermenting, or let it keep going? I don't mind the
higher alcohol content, as I think it really needed it. But I would
like to sweeten it when it's time to bottle. My main concern at this
point is that if I let it continue to ferment, will it suffer from being
on the lees for this long? Thank you all.
------------------------------
Subject: What year should I put on my label?
From: "Rick" <beekeepers@insightbb.com>
Date: Sat, 7 Jan 2006 12:15:49 -0600
I started two meads in August and September of 2005. I will bottle them
sometime in the spring or summer of 2006. What year will I put on the
beautiful labels that I am creating for my bottles? Thanks.
------------------------------
Subject: hydrometer vs refractometer
From: Robert Keith Moore <Rob@ineedachef.com>
Date: Sat, 07 Jan 2006 13:17:16 -0800
Hey,
when testing the same mead with both hydrometer and a refractometer I
got different readings. I was testing a mead that has been going for
about 2 weeks. The hydro reading was 21 brix, the refract reading was 27
brix. Why does that happen? What does that say about choice of tool to
use? Oh yeah the mead was 68 degrees. The refractometer has ATC.
Thanks,
Robert
------------------------------
End of Mead Lover's Digest #1239
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