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Mead Lovers Digest #1298
Subject: Mead Lover's Digest #1298, 15 January 2007
From: mead-request@talisman.com
Mead Lover's Digest #1298 15 January 2007
Forum for Discussion of Mead Making and Consuming
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
RE: Heating honey and braggot (canwebowlnow@aol.com)
Re: braggot, attempt two (Drew Lawson)
Re: Mead Lover's Digest #1297, 12 January 2007 ("Dan&jan")
Re: Mead Lover's Digest #1297, 12 January 2007 ("Dan&jan")
Re: Mead Lover's Digest #1297, 12 January 2007 ("Dan&jan")
Mead competitions ("Spencer W. Thomas")
Re: MLDt #1297, 12/1/07 - Braggot and old time brews (Arthur Torrey)
Re: heating honey and braggot (Dick Adams)
Re: Milk (Dick Adams)
Re: Question for any Lalvin K1-V1116 yeast users out there... (Dick Adams)
Re: Hops in braggot ("Mike")
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Subject: RE: Heating honey and braggot
From: canwebowlnow@aol.com
Date: Fri, 12 Jan 2007 02:43:21 EST
"Subject: heating honey and braggot
From: "Spencer W. Thomas" <hbd@spencerwthomas.com>
Date: Mon, 08 Jan 2007 09:44:08 -0500
Dick Adams says "If you got the honey from a beekeeper, you should heat
it." without any supporting evidence. So, Dick, why?"
I can't speak for Dick, but personally, if I'm using raw honey, I mix it
into my water and bring to a very low boil for about 15-30 minutes. This brings
the excess waxes, little bee parts, and anything else that will really not
help your final product to the surface where it can be skimmed off and disposed
of. But that's my personal preference. I just made my first batches earlier
this year, and all are still way too young to be sampled at this point, so I
can't vouch for how they turned out yet.
Janelle Leek
Brigit Find
Wolves Den/Clan Risio
------------------------------
Subject: Re: braggot, attempt two
From: Drew Lawson <drew@furrfu.com>
Date: Fri, 12 Jan 2007 07:27:32 -0500
According to mead-request@talisman.com:
> From: "John P. Looney" <valen@tuatha.org>
> He doesn't offer an idea of how to make a braggot however - hops weren't
> introduced to Irish brewing in the second millenium, I think. How important
> are hops to a braggot ? Could I use some other flower with anti-bacterial
> properties, like heather ? Sound historical references for any suggestions
> would be appreciated.
Hops aren't even required in an ale. Brief searching says that
hops didn't get into use in the British Isles until the 15th century.
I'm a fan of Old Ales, which is the name for (typically British)
ale from the pre-hop era.
One article I recall (though I don't have a sound reference for it)
claimed that exporting hop plants was once a capital offence in
Bavaria.
Hops certainly do help in the long storage of beer, but wines manage
to survive for long times without them. With clean methods, think
of hops more in their bittering and aroma roles. There are lots
of candidates for that. I keep meaning to come up with a recipe
(ale or metheglyn) that leans on ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea).
- --
Drew Lawson | Pass the tea and sympathy
| for he good old days are dead
drew@furrfu.com | Let's raise a toast to those
| who best survived the life they led
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Mead Lover's Digest #1297, 12 January 2007
From: "Dan&jan" <montveil@skybest.com>
Date: Fri, 12 Jan 2007 08:37:58 -0500
>>I made a vanilla cinnamon mead using about 1 full vanilla bean per gallon
and about 1 to 1/2 full cinnamon sticks (5 inches) per gallon. I can't
really
taste the vanilla, but even a year later it seems like that was a bit too
much cinnamon. <<
I suggest that one adds volatile flavors such as vanilla after fermentation.
The CO2 during fermentation tends to blow off the volatile assesses. Other
flavors that are more oil based will fare better ie cinnamon, anise etc.
Another suggestion is not to add any flavors until fermentation is finished
and racked.
Place spices in a cheese cloth bag with a string or fishing line to retrieve
You can then control the amount of extraction by monitoring.
Oil based spices like cinnamon sticks will yield their oils rather freely in
the alcohol solution but more slowly than flavorings that are already
extracted such as vanilla, mint that yield flavors almost immediately. I add
these first employing a bench test and when I feel I have what I want I then
add the oil based spices
Dan Veilleux
in the mountains of NC
zone 6a
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Mead Lover's Digest #1297, 12 January 2007
From: "Dan&jan" <montveil@skybest.com>
Date: Fri, 12 Jan 2007 08:46:21 -0500
>>Dick Adams says "If you got the honey from a beekeeper, you should heat
it." without any supporting evidence. So, Dick, why?<<
>>I have always just added hot water to the honey (or vice versa) to get a
target temperature of about 160 to pasteurize the must before pitching.
But others I respect don't heat at all.<<
I also heat the honey water to 160 to knock down the all the wild yeasts
before inoculation.
I usually heat the water and honey together BUT the hot water addition would
be quicker and less likely to scorch the honey. It seems to me that it might
retain more of the honeys aromatics. I will give it a try next time.
I have made mead using the wine approach with no heat and adding K sulfite.
This method is quick, no heating needed, and retains almost all the
aromatics.
Any comments on pros and cons of heating vs sulfite.
Dan Veilleux
in the mountains of NC
zone 6a
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Mead Lover's Digest #1297, 12 January 2007
From: "Dan&jan" <montveil@skybest.com>
Date: Fri, 12 Jan 2007 08:54:20 -0500
>>As for braggots, who says they have to have hops? I've had excellent
braggots with no hops. The only required ingredients in a braggot are
honey and malt.<<
I have made beer with extracts and the addition of dark honey for flavor and
extra fermentable and boil both for at least one hour to get protein
separation
When making a braggot do you do the same?
If so, when do you add the honey, at the beginning or at the end?
Dan Veilleux
in the mountains of NC
zone 6a
------------------------------
Subject: Mead competitions
From: "Spencer W. Thomas" <hbd@spencerwthomas.com>
Date: Fri, 12 Jan 2007 10:52:34 -0500
Maybe the oldest continuously-running competition, but definitely not
the oldest. The (late?, lamented) Mazer Cup began earlier. I remember
judging in a Mazer Cup in the early 90s. The earliest reference that I
can find online is in Issue 27 of the MLD:
http://homeroastnbrew.info/mead/1992/27.txt
> We are the oldest, and some even say the "most
> prestigious."
------------------------------
Subject: Re: MLDt #1297, 12/1/07 - Braggot and old time brews
From: Arthur Torrey <arthur_torrey@comcast.net>
Date: Fri, 12 Jan 2007 19:11:49 -0500
One book that I reccomend is "Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers - The Secrets of
Ancient Fermentation" by Stephen Harrod Buhner ISBN 0-937381-66-7
It has a section on mead that is pretty good, and a lot of coverage of herbal
brews from around the world. I don't use it so much for recipes as an "idea
book" of things that I can experiment with.
Note that a lot of his emphasis is more on the "methyglin = medicine"
herbalist and religious uses as opposed to "tasty" formulations.
Among other things, he has a significant sections on gruit, both it's history
and discussion of the herbs used in it.
ART
On Friday 12 January 2007 02:36, mead-request@talisman.com wrote:
> Subject: Re: braggot, attempt two
> From: "J Bailey" <jbmail@isomedia.com>
> Date: Mon, 8 Jan 2007 18:02:21 -0800
>
> I lurk on this list, but had to come out of hiding to comment. How cool to
> come across another Early Irish Farming reader who also brews braggot! I've
> only done 2 small braggot batches so far, one plain basic recipe and one
> with nettles (used an ounce of some leftover hops from the fridge). Maybe a
> gruit type herb/mix would be period for early Ireland.
> http://www.gruitale.com/intro_en.htm
>
> Anyway, I look forward to the responses to this question, as I want to try
> more historically accurate recipes myself.
>
> - --Joanna
------------------------------
Subject: Re: heating honey and braggot
From: rdadams@smart.net (Dick Adams)
Date: Mon, 15 Jan 2007 02:00:04 -0500 (EST)
Spencer, our valued colleague, wrote:
> Dick Adams says "If you got the honey from a beekeeper, you should
> heat it." without any supporting evidence. So, Dick, why?
>
> I have always just added hot water to the honey (or vice versa) to
> get a target temperature of about 160 to pasteurize the must before
> pitching. But others I respect don't heat at all.
That's exactly what I meant to convey.
> As for braggots, who says they have to have hops? I've had excellent
> braggots with no hops. The only required ingredients in a braggot
> are honey and malt.
This is good news!
Dick
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Milk
From: rdadams@smart.net (Dick Adams)
Date: Mon, 15 Jan 2007 02:25:10 -0500 (EST)
circle mouse contributed:
> so, I went ahead and started a milk mead. here's my recipe:
>
> 1.75 gallons well water
> local raw blackberry honey to 1.100 gravity
> .5 gallon raw goat milk from a dairy down the road
> ec-1118
> .....
You just solved a problem for me. I wanted to make a milk stout,
but store bought milk sours! Because raw milk is nothomogenized,
it turns into butter milk rather than souring.
One problem remains. I am not near a dairy farm. Where does
one purchase non-homogenized milk?
Dick
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Question for any Lalvin K1-V1116 yeast users out there...
From: rdadams@smart.net (Dick Adams)
Date: Mon, 15 Jan 2007 02:48:17 -0500 (EST)
"Todd Miller" <todd.miller@borderlandnet.net> asked:
> My typical mead recipe uses ~12 lbs of honey for a five gallon batch.
> For my next batch, I'm considering bumping the amount of honey I use
> (wildflower, from southern Wisconsin) up to ~18 gallons. Just curious
> about how dry I can expect it to ferment out to, if anyone has
> experience with that. Thanks!
I know you meant lbs instead of gallons.
According to GotMead's terrific Mead Calculator at
http://www.gotmead.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=745&Itemid=16
same as
http://tinyurl.com/vh7tx
A five gallon batch with 18 lbs should have an expected OG of 1.132
with a high-end ABV of 17.93.
K1V-1116 can certainly handle that. Whether I use 12 lbs or 18 lbs,
I always pitch two packets of dry yeast. My recommendation is to
add 2.5 tsps of yeast nutrient after the yeast has been pitched and
1.25 tsps three hours later and again when the SG drops to 1.090.
It helps to cold ferment. Since you are in Wisconsin, you should
have little problem finding an area of your house between 50F and
60F. EC-1116 will ferment down to 45F.
Dick
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Hops in braggot
From: "Mike" <carraig@earthlink.net>
Date: Mon, 15 Jan 2007 08:56:47 -0800
Spencer,
I hate hops... well that may be a bit strong but I make three commercial
braggots and none of them are really hopped. I find that hops tend to mask
the subtlety of the honey.
The three I have are;
Diabhal - a Belgian style braggot made with Belgian malts, Belgian Yeast,
Belgian Hops, Honey and Belgian candi sugar. It is around 15 IBU's and
8.2%ABV
Honey Red - an Irish style red ale. 15IBU and 5%ABV it is malty, red to
brown in color and only hopped enough so you know it has hops.
Biere De Miele - a braggot styled after a Kolsch at 17IBU and 4.2%ABV, it is
the hoppiest thing I have but still only just noticeable.
Personally, I think hopping braggots is a sin, especially with lighter
honeys which is what I use. I want to the ale to be drinkable. I want people
to want more. I want people to like it and not think it is overly malty,
hopped or honey flavored. Everything in balance.
Mike
Rabbit's Foot Meadery
As for braggots, who says they have to have hops? I've had excellent
braggots with no hops. The only required ingredients in a braggot are
honey and malt.
=Spencer in Ann Arbor
------------------------------
End of Mead Lover's Digest #1298
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