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Mead Lovers Digest #1269
Subject: Mead Lover's Digest #1269, 27 June 2006
From: mead-request@talisman.com
Mead Lover's Digest #1269 27 June 2006
Forum for Discussion of Mead Making and Consuming
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Comparing yeasts (Kyle Marcroft)
Re: Rhodomel (Vicky Rowe)
RE: MLD# 1268 Tried and True Yeasts ()
over oaking ("SHAWN WICHMAN")
Re: Mead Lover's Digest #1268, 20 June 2006 (DbGer@aol.com)
Mead Judge Seminar at NHC (Kevin Pratt)
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Comparing yeasts
From: Kyle Marcroft <petkyle@earthlink.net>
Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2006 13:31:29 -0400 (GMT-04:00)
Dick wrote -
++I tried this with 4-liter jugs with a 1-gallon marker so I would
++have head room. The results were not indictative of anything.
++You are generally adding more yeast per gallon than you would
++with a larger batch so you have much more lees than expected
++and I question the yeast colony ability to prosper given the
++high competition for sugar molecules. Is there such a thing
++as too much yeast.
++IMO, a 3-gallon batch is the smallest batch from which you can
++get a realistic test of the effect of yeast upon flavor. But
++I could be wrong.
++Also I am a Traditional Mead amd Other Mead guy (primarily
++a Maple Syrup Mead). My honey comes from a Honey Packer so
i++t does not get heated. If it came from a beekeeper, I would
++pasteurize it.
++So I made a 15-gallon batch with 36 lbs of Orange Blossom honey.
++My yeasts were EC-1118, K1V-1116, and Cote des Blancs. Every
++thing was done the same from aerating to yeast nutrient
++increments. IMO, EC-1118 was the hands down winner.
++I plan a 20-gallon batch this Fall using Orange Blossom honey.
++The yeasts will be EC-1118, DV10, ICV-D47, and Lalvin 43 (if I
++can find some). Other people prefer K1V-1116. My taste buds
++don't particularly care for it. I have used 71B-1122 and feel
++that has to be a better mead yeast. I would try WLP715, but
++it's optimal fermentation range is 70-75F (21-24C) and my
++basement is below 70F from late-November to late-May.
Dick,
A few questions. You say that the SC-1118 was the hands down winner.
Why? What made it stand out?
Yeast, like any other organism (except people :), will
expand it's population to it's food supply as a power
function of the natural number 'e'. Gallon batches should
be (in theory) just as good indicators of a yeast.
This may seem like a dumb question, but why pasturize the
honey? You are killing off many of the healthful organisms
that make honey great. In my personal experience the
modern dry yeasts are competitive enough that they can
do fine without a sterile honey solution. Is it a preference?
or have you had problems without the heating?
Thanks for you time.
Kyle
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Rhodomel
From: Vicky Rowe <rcci@mindspring.com>
Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2006 13:53:07 -0400
Hi Dick,
I made a rose petal rhodomel, and it turned out nicely. The recipe is here:
http://www.gotmead.com/component/option,com_pccookbook/page,viewrecipe/cat_id,5/
recipe_id,24/
In the secondary, after the roses imparted their oils, I had an oily
film on the must that took a couple months to age off (evaporate?
dunno), and had to add rose syrup to back-sweeten as it went too dry. If
I do it again, I'm going to use a less aggressive yeast, and more honey,
since I wanted this to be sweet.
By and all, it was probably second only to my heather mead in popularity
with my friends. I've another gallon of rose petals in the freezer
awaiting a pail coming free (I *really* need to bottle!)
Vicky Rowe
Gotmead.com
> Subject: Rhodomel
> From: rdadams@smart.net (Dick Adams)
> Date: Fri, 16 Jun 2006 23:10:17 -0400 (EDT)
>
> I have made other Metheglins with spearmint and peppermint.
> The mint was overpowering. The spearmint was a one-time thing.
> But I made four batches of peppermint and chocolate Mead before
> I got the peppermint under control. I would really like to get
> this Rose Petal Mead correct on the first try. So anyone with
> experience with Rose Petal Mead, please help.
>
> It will be a six gallon batch using 15 lbs of Orange Blossom,
> EC-1118 (2 packets), and 3 tsps of Fermax yeast nutrient on
> a schedule of 1.5 tsp at pitching, 3/4 tsp three hours later,
> and 3/4 tsp after the SG has dropped 1/3 from the OG. The
> batch will be fermented at 65F +/- 4 degrees.
>
> My expected OG is 1.098. My target SG at racking is between
> 1.010 to 1.015. Expected ABV is 11 to 12%
>
> Frozen rose petals will be placed in the secondary prior to
> racking. Should they be loose or in a weighted hop sock or
> grain bag? Does anyone have an estimate on how much rose
> petals per gallon of Mead? Left to my drouthers, the Mead
> will be in the secondary for 4 weeks and then racked for
> for long-term storage. Does anyone think that's too long or
> too short.
>
> I would really appreciate input from someone who has made
> Rose Petal Mead.
>
> Dick
------------------------------
Subject: RE: MLD# 1268 Tried and True Yeasts
From: <oskaar@gotmead.com>
Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2006 16:56:26 -0400
Subject: Re: Tried and true yeasts
From: rdadams@smart.net (Dick Adams)
Date: Fri, 16 Jun 2006 00:18:35 -0400 (EDT)
Eric wrote:
>> Many people use Lalvin EC-1118 as a go-to yeast in many applications,
>> especially for restarting stuck fermentations. I have made 2 meads
>> with this yeast that turned out ok.
>>
>> I am in the process of acquiring 5 or 6 1 gallon glass jugs that will
>> each get dosed with a different yeast, from one batch of mead must. I
>> plan on pasteurizing at about 150 F for about 15 minutes, stirring well
>> to keep honey suspended as I pour into the different bottles. This will
>> give me an idea of the yeast I like best for a plain mead.
Dick wrote:
>I tried this with 4-liter jugs with a 1-gallon marker so I would
>have head room. The results were not indictative of anything.
>You are generally adding more yeast per gallon than you would
>with a larger batch so you have much more lees than expected
>and I question the yeast colony ability to prosper given the
>high competition for sugar molecules. Is there such a thing
>as too much yeast.
>IMO, a 3-gallon batch is the smallest batch from which you can
>get a realistic test of the effect of yeast upon flavor. But
>I could be wrong.
>Also I am a Traditional Mead amd Other Mead guy (primarily
>a Maple Syrup Mead). My honey comes from a Honey Packer so
>it does not get heated. If it came from a beekeeper, I would
>pasteurize it.
>So I made a 15-gallon batch with 36 lbs of Orange Blossom honey.
>My yeasts were EC-1118, K1V-1116, and Cote des Blancs. Every
>thing was done the same from aerating to yeast nutrient
>increments. IMO, EC-1118 was the hands down winner.
>I plan a 20-gallon batch this Fall using Orange Blossom honey.
>The yeasts will be EC-1118, DV10, ICV-D47, and Lalvin 43 (if I
>can find some). Other people prefer K1V-1116. My taste buds
>don't particularly care for it. I have used 71B-1122 and feel
>that has to be a better mead yeast. I would try WLP715, but
>it's optimal fermentation range is 70-75F (21-24C) and my
>basement is below 70F from late-November to late-May.
>Dick
Hi Dick and Eric:
I have a pretty well documented set of five yeasts (ICV-D47, 71B-1122,
RC-212, Pasteur Red and Montrachet) I picked these yeasts based upon their
similar needs for nutrient, general temperature range, ABV and general
fermentation kinetics. It made sense to me do pick several yeasts that will
yield a mead in roughly the same alcohol range with roughly the same level of
residual sugar. It also makes managing the fermentation, racking and aging
much easier to manage in order to give each yeast a chance to display it's
best qualities. I've done many batches of experimental one gallon sizes
for the specific purpose of evaluating the character that the yeast will
help to bring out in the mead and I've found that this translates well to
larger batches especially for traditional meads as any yeasty notes are
very easy to detect and document during the maturation of the mead.
At first I was going to use several different yeasts with different dynamics
(K1-V1116, Cotes de Blanc, ICV-D47, etc) that would have put the finished
meads at varying levels of sweetness and dryness. In order to ascertain
what kind of influence the yeast played in both the fermentation and the
maturation of the mead it just made more sense to dial in the yeasts by
similar traits and design a must that would provide an optimal medium
for them to work their magic. I'm including a link to the thread I have
documented on Gotmead dot com so you can peruse it and see if there is
anything you might find helpful, or informative. There are some things
that I would have done differently and going forward I'll be sure to include
those in my next several experimentations with yeast. I'm currently enrolled
in the UC Davis Winemaking Certification Program (distance) and have found
that there are some gaps in my winemaking knowledge that will really help
in my overall mead and winemaking techniques and hopefully finished product
as well.
Here's the link:
http://www.gotmead.com/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,103/topic,650.msg4109#msg
4109
I wish you well on your yeast experiments. I'm getting ready to start up a
few more myself as I have found some interesting articles from the ICV on
post fermentation added lees protocols.
Cheers,
Oskaar
------------------------------
Subject: over oaking
From: "SHAWN WICHMAN" <wichways@msn.com>
Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2006 20:02:48 -0600
I have a batch of Chokecherry melomel that I had on Hungarian medium
toast Oak cubes. The label said to put the 2 ounces in a 5 gal batch for
at least 2 months. I did the minimum of 2 months. My melomel tastes
like oak mead at this point. Is my mead ruined or will the oak soften.
I have been told that Hungarian Oak has a softer flavor profile than
French or American. Does anyone have any possible solutions or
suggestions for my dilemma.
Thanks,
SHawn WIchman
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Mead Lover's Digest #1268, 20 June 2006
From: DbGer@aol.com
Date: Fri, 23 Jun 2006 18:21:52 EDT
Greetings All,
Wonder if I could ask for some expert advice. I brewed and carboyed a
metheglin this past autumn, and recently checked it for taste. Fermentation is
more than complete, but I think I left the cloves in a little too long - the
usually floral aroma is slightly overpowered by the medicinal clove aroma, and
the flavor, while still delicate, is dominated by the cloves - which are in
high enough concentration to cause some numbness in the mouth while drinking.
Any suggestions on how to salvage this batch? Add honey? Other spices /
fruits? Use it to clean windows?
Assistance would be greatly appreciated.
All the best,
Bob Gerhardt
------------------------------
Subject: Mead Judge Seminar at NHC
From: Kevin Pratt <oh2bontv@yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2006 11:01:12 -0700 (PDT)
Howard H. Curran Wrote:
> Unfortunately, the BJCP and the AHA are focused mainly on beer, (as they
> probably should be) but, lately, mead is becoming a more important
> after-thought. As mentioned in a previous message, they are going to have a
> Mead Judge Certification Process, BUT there will be no points or ranking for
> the new mead judges.
I agree that the BJCP has been very beer-centric. I also agree that
education on how to evaluate mead and cider has been largely ignored
in the history of the BJCP. But that does not mean this error is
also going to be the BJCP's future.
Mead and Cider judges will be their own ranks. These judges will
earn experience points on the same schedule as beer judges.
> Another example of our status with them is the fact
> that all attendees of the different speakers, at the AHA Convention, will
> gain Continuing Education Points, from the BJCP - with the exception of
> Mac's lecture on mead judging.
Sorry, but that's untrue. CEP credit was offered for this session.
You make it sound like it was intentionally omitted. It was not on
our early list of sessions, but was part of the approved courses by
the time the conference opened. The CEP program is very interested
in promoting Mead and Cider awareness for judges.
The CEP does need interested individuals, such as yourself, to bring
these opportunities (or ideas) to our attention for credit. If
direction is desired, we will help to shape it for maximum judge
impact.
It is important to remember that we both want something very
important: better judges and evaluations.
Kevin Pratt
BJCP CEP Assistant Director
------------------------------
End of Mead Lover's Digest #1269
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