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Mead Lovers Digest #1312
Subject: Mead Lover's Digest #1312, 2 April 2007
From: mead-request@talisman.com
Mead Lover's Digest #1312 2 April 2007
Forum for Discussion of Mead Making and Consuming
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Re: frisky mead (Dick Adams)
Re: Gout (Dick Adams)
Re: Thanks, an observation, and a question... (Dick Adams)
Re: Need a sweeter yeast than 71B-2112 (Dick Adams)
Re: Frisky Mead (canwebowlnow@aol.com)
Re: Mead Lover's Digest #1311, 27 March 2007 ("Dennis Key")
stopping fermentation (was re "Thanks...") (Dick Dunn)
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Vuarra <vuarra@yahoo.ca>
Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2007 12:40:52 -0700 (PDT)
Regarding "Frisky Mead":
Been there, done that. Usually happens when you bottle too early. I have a
mead that's still in the carboy after 9 months... it'll stay for at least
another 6.
Vuarra
Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur.
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound.)
------------------------------
Subject: Re: frisky mead
From: rdadams@smart.net (Dick Adams)
Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2007 16:49:14 -0500 (EST)
"P&J" <eala@cecomet.net> wrote:
> Okay?hubby just opened a bottle of mead that?s been sitting
> approx 1 ½ years. The cork flew out of the bottle, and the
> foam continued to come out of the bottle like a dog with
> rabies was stuck in the green bottle.
>
> It tastes REALLY good, but what on earth did we do wrong?
Pour some in a glass and hold it up at eye level.
If it is not clear, my money is on "he did not sulfate it
and the yeast continued to ferment in the bottle."
Dick
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Gout
From: rdadams@smart.net (Dick Adams)
Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2007 17:02:52 -0500 (EST)
"Doug Honey Love Ranch" <HoneyLoveMead@msn.com> asked:
> I am wondering if anyone has had any experience with mead
> causing or exasperating gout.
> .....
> If anyone has any experience on how to continue enjoying mead
> when one's body has a propensity to get gout, I would like to
> hear about it. I am thinking that maybe with proper aging or
> by using sorbates to kill any residual active yeast and then
> bottling and aging, I would be able to again enjoy drinking
> the nectar of the gods without worrying about the pain that
> my feet seem to want to make me endure.
In 1995, my wife took me to see a Rheumatologist. I needed a
wheel chair to get from the car to his office. He drew some
fluid from my big toe to confirm it was goutand then injected
my big toe with cortizone. I walked down the stairs when I
left. He had to do it one more time. After that he put me
on a daily dosage of 500 mg of Allopurinol. I saw him a few
weeks ago and he reduced it to 400 mg daily. Over 11 years
later and not a single gout!
Dick
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Thanks, an observation, and a question...
From: rdadams@smart.net (Dick Adams)
Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2007 17:45:56 -0500 (EST)
Dana Acker <ackerforge@yahoo.com> wrote:
> .....
> That aside, I found that I had trouble getting a fermentation
> started in one of my musts. It's starting gravity was 1.138.
> Also it was a 5 gal. batch. I used a Red Star (Lesaffre Group)
> Co^te Des Blancs yeast-- 10 grams--which I figured was plenty,
> given the batch size. I rehydrated the yeast with a mix of
> Lallemand "Go-Ferm" (from Scott Labs) and a little cane sugar
> for a kick start. After about 20 minutes there was significant
> activity in the container, so I slowly blended in some of the
> must to acclimate the yeast to the must temperature. After
> about 10-15 minutes there was still activity, so I pitched
> the yeast--Must was below 80 degrees F.
According to GotMead's Mead Calculator, a 1.138 OG means a
potential for 18.77 ABV. So your yeast are looking at the
possibility of a case of the infamous "Sugar Shock."
> Three days later there was no fermentation activity. I read
> that sometimes high sugar musts can overpower yeasts.
Dat's Sugar Shock!
> A sagely old winemaker
> told me to take a cup or so of the must and cut it 50/50 with distilled
> water. Then I rehydrated another 10 grams of the same yeast with my
> Go-Ferm and sugar. When activity became evident, I pitched the yeast mix
> to the 50/50 water-must mix in a 750 mL wine bottle with a stopper and
> air lock. Fermentation commenced within an hour, and became vigorous
> shortly thereafter. I pitched it to my inactive must 24 hours later
> and fermentation activity was quite evident in a short while--same day.
> When the gravity had gone down by about a third, I added 11 grams of
> Lallemand "Fermaid-K" (from Scott Labs.) It is a good nitrogen source
> for the yeast, and the activity took notice immediately. Rehydrate first
> or you can get a foamy surprise! My experience made a believer out of
> me when it comes to starters. Used the same 50/50 must-H2O-Go-Ferm mix
> working in a bottle for a day and procedure for my second batch and again,
> fermentation took off like a rocket when added to the yeasted must.
>
> Now my question, what is a good way to stop a fermentation--something
> I've never had to do before? Usually a stuck fermentation is something to
> be avoided. My gravity/alcohol are nearing their limits. I cannot chill or
> heat the must significantly enough to kill the yeast. Filtratrion at some
> level can be done but not to sterile--my filtration equipment is designed
> for large lots, not 5 gal. I know that Potassium Sorbate can be added to
> sweet wines to prevent a spontanious fermentation in bottle--but will it
> work on the front end when activity is present, and in what proportion?
> High Sulfur Dioxide levels can inhibit a fermentation at times, but again,
> will it work on the back end to stop a fermentation, and at what PPM?
> Don't want my mead tasting like a burnt match. I'm open to any and all
> suggestions.
OK, I don't understand what you meant when you wrote "My gravity/alcohol
are nearing their limits"? It would be nice to know what the gravity is.
Have you already racked it into the secondary? If so, for how long?
How many times have you racked it?
If you want to KILL the yeast, rack the Mead into a brew kettle and
heat it to 158F (70C), hold it there for 20 minutes, chill it, rack
it to a carboy to let the dead yeast settle to bottom, and bottle it.
Dick
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Need a sweeter yeast than 71B-2112
From: rdadams@smart.net (Dick Adams)
Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2007 18:13:53 -0500 (EST)
Eric Chumley <eric.chumley@wku.edu> asked:
> From Ken Schramm?s Mambo in Your Mouth recipe in
> The Compleat Meadmaker (minus blueberries)
> /*_June 25, 2006 ? 21:00_*
> 15 lbs canola honey
> 4 gallons spring water
> Blackberries, Cherries, Raspberries, Blueberries, Strawberries
>
> 2 tsp. nutrient
> 2 tsp. energizer
> 71B-2112 yeast
> O.G. 1.14
> F.G. 1.00
>
> This is an awesome drink, yet most of my family would like it
> sweeter. I would like to accomodate, but I don't want it alot
> sweeter. What would be a reasonable next step up in yeast?
> Just a little sweeter, please. Would D47 fit the bill? Or,
> is it drier because I used 4 gallons water instead of 3 or 3.5?
First, I congratulate you on fermenting a high gravity Mead
dry and getting the taste right!
The problem is neither 71B-2112 nor you're following the
instructions and using 4 gallons of spring water! The
problem is that you fermented it dry <period>
Put a quarter teaspoon of honey into 4 oz of Mead. If it
still not sweet, add a little (as in very little) at a time.
If it's too sweet, add more Mead.
Dick
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Frisky Mead
From: canwebowlnow@aol.com
Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 00:59:16 EDT
Sounds like your yeast wasn't entirely dead when you bottled your mead. It
kept fermenting after you sealed the bottles and built up pressure; ie it
carbonated. Just my opinion.
In a message dated 3/27/2007 11:14:23 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time,
mead-request@talisman.com writes:
Subject: frisky mead
From: "P&J" <eala@cecomet.net>
Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2007 20:54:06 -0400
Okay?hubby just opened a bottle of mead that?s been sitting approx 1 ½
years. The cork flew out of the bottle, and the foam continued to come out
of the bottle like a dog with rabies was stuck in the green bottle.
It tastes REALLY good, but what on earth did we do wrong?
Just wondering.
~Paula
Janelle Leek
Brigit Find
Wolves Den/Clan Risio
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Mead Lover's Digest #1311, 27 March 2007
From: "Dennis Key" <dione13@msn.com>
Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 11:09:40 -0600
CSubject: gout
From: "Doug Honey Love Ranch"
Date: Sat, 24 Mar 2007 12:46:13 -0700
I am wondering if anyone has had any experience with mead causing or
exasperating gout.
<snip>
Dear Doug,
I am now 65 (and have been an RN for 25 years) and also have episodes
of gout over the last several years. I haven't been able to relate it
to any specific food or drink. I take Probenicid which controls the
outbreaks very well. As you may know, gout is caused by elevated serum
uric acid levels. In some people, the uric acid precipitates as
crystals in joints or along tendon sheaths causing inflamation and
sometimes very exquisite pain. The normal level for males is 4.5-8 mg/dl
and mine was a high normal of 8 mg/dl when I was diagnosed.
Uric acid is produced when purines are broken down by enzymes in the
liver. Purines can be generated by the body itself (via the breakdown of
cells in normal cellular turnover) or can be ingested in purine-rich
foods (e.g. seafood, beer). Most people with gout, however, do not
produce more than the normal amount of uric acid. Instead, most people
with gout tend to be underexcretors. The kidney is responsible for about
one third of uric acid excretion, with the gut responsible for the rest.
It may be possible that defects in the kidney that may be genetically
determined are responsible for the predisposition of individuals for
developing gout.
It is a form of metabolic arthritis and was at one time considered a
"rich man's disease" because it was thought to be caused by rich foods.
Alcohol, incidently, inhibits the removal of uric acid from the
bloodstream but it seems strange that only mead would cause you the
problem and not other alcoholic drinks. If you or anyone else is
interested in more details, check out the link below or search on Google
for gout.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gout<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gout>
Dennis Key
Mead maker and drinker for 20 years
------------------------------
Subject: stopping fermentation (was re "Thanks...")
From: Dick Dunn <rcd@talisman.com>
Date: Thu, 29 Mar 2007 21:53:34 -0600
In MLD 1311, Dana Acker <ackerforge@yahoo.com> wrote (among several items)
> Now my question, what is a good way to stop a fermentation--something
> I've never had to do before?...
...
> ... I know that Potassium Sorbate can be added to
> sweet wines to prevent a spontanious fermentation in bottle--but will it
> work on the front end when activity is present, and in what proportion?
No, it won't work on an active fermentation; it can only prevent dormant
yeast from re-starting.
>...High Sulfur Dioxide levels can inhibit a fermentation at times, but again,
> will it work on the back end to stop a fermentation, and at what PPM?
> Don't want my mead tasting like a burnt match...
Yes, you can stop a fermentation by sulfiting. Possible difficulty is that
the effectiveness of sulfiting is strongly dependent on pH. Dana mentioned
working in the wine world; my experience on this is actually with cider.
A pH of 3.8 is essentially the upper limit for sulfiting being effective--
beyond that pH you can't get enough sulfite in to make it work. As pH
drops (i.e., as acidity increases), the requirement decreases. Do you have
at least some subjective feeling for how acidic your mead is?
- --
Dick Dunn rcd@talisman.com Hygiene, Colorado USA
------------------------------
End of Mead Lover's Digest #1312
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