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Mead Lovers Digest #1295
Subject: Mead Lover's Digest #1295, 28 December 2006
From: mead-request@talisman.com
Mead Lover's Digest #1295 28 December 2006
Forum for Discussion of Mead Making and Consuming
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Fermentation Fridge died (Dick Adams)
Specific Gravity Calculations (Vuarra)
Subject: To splah or not to splash ("Jeff Tollefson")
Re: To splah or not to splash (Drew Lawson)
?searchable archive? (dan@geer.org)
ABW calculation (dan@geer.org)
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: Fermentation Fridge died
From: rdadams@smart.net (Dick Adams)
Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2006 15:00:22 -0500 (EST)
My fermention fridge stopped cooling. The compressor kept running so I am
hoping that it only needs a freon charge. I will have no problem taking it
to the dump because it was a freebee and its replacement will be a freebee.
My concerns are the yeast and the hops. The temperature was 48F (~9C)
in the fridge where the yeast was stored and 14F (-10C) where the hops
and the Maple Syrup was stored.
I am estimating the fridge stopped three days before I caught it and it
was at 77F (25C).
The yeast went into the chest freezer where a controller keeps the
temperature at 44F (6.7C). The hops went into the standup freezer at 0F
(-17.8C). I threw out any grain because it was over 3 years old.
Will this rise in temperature affect my yeast or my hops?
Dick
------------------------------
Subject: Specific Gravity Calculations
From: Vuarra <vuarra@yahoo.ca>
Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2006 12:29:27 -0800 (PST)
Dick:
You came up with the correct gravity, but the way you did it is incorrect.
The proper way of doing it would be to multiply the volume units by the
specific gravities of each fluid, adding the volumes and (what is now
weights), then dividing the weight by the volume.
That is:
5 (gal) @ 1.03 = 5.15 (weight of product - makes more sense in metric)
1 (gal) @ 1.00 = 1.00 (water is defined as a sp. gr. of 1 for most purposes)
5.15+1.00 = 6.15 (weight of total product)
5+1=6 (total volume units)
6/6.15 = 1.025 sp. gr.
I learned this dealing with petro-chemicals, but it's just as true for
any fluids. You came up with the right answer, but if you were blending
meads, you'd need the more detailed way of getting an alcohol content.
Merry Christmas
Vuarra
Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur.
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound.)
------------------------------
Subject: Subject: To splah or not to splash
From: "Jeff Tollefson" <jtollefson245@hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, 25 Dec 2006 10:47:21 -0800
>Subject: To splah or not to splash
>From: "Mitchell Omichinski" <mitchell2@hugs.com>
>Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2006 09:27:05 -0600
>
>Hello
>
>I come to mead making from wine making, where the practice of splashing
>the fermented must to the bottom of the carboy on first racking is a
>common practice. The beneficial effects of aerating the forming wine in
>this manner are accepted as common knowledge. However, this practice of
>splashing on first racking seems to be taboo for mead, or is it? I came
>across this link for a recipe of dry mead that splashed not once but
>thrice in the process. =20
>http://www.makewine.com/makewine/drymead.html
>
>I would like to hear your comments on whether splashing would be
>beneficial or not.
>
>Mitchell
The Lalvin guys say that aerating (splashing) is a good thing for yeast for
the first 2 days of fermentation, at which point the yeast enter their next
phase and there is risk of oxidation. There is nothing to punch down with
most meadmaking, anyway.
As a side note, the info from those guys has really improved my mead making.
The schedule they recommend for strong yeast is to add a complete type of
nutrient at pitching, like Fermaid K, at the rate of 1/2 tsp per gallon.
Then 2 days later, add 1/2 tsp of DAP per gallon and aerate very well
(careful, it will foam up a bit!). Then attach airlock and leave it. This
process works great for me, and my meads are usually done and clear in 2
weeks or less. By the way, the yeast really need DAP, but they say that it
is actually bad for the yeast when they are first starting out (i.e. first
pitch).
Jeff
------------------------------
Subject: Re: To splah or not to splash
From: Drew Lawson <drew@furrfu.com>
Date: Mon, 25 Dec 2006 19:00:23 -0500
According to mead-request@talisman.com:
> From: "Mitchell Omichinski" <mitchell2@hugs.com>
> I come to mead making from wine making, where the practice of splashing
> the fermented must to the bottom of the carboy on first racking is a
> common practice. The beneficial effects of aerating the forming wine in
> this manner are accepted as common knowledge. However, this practice of
> splashing on first racking seems to be taboo for mead, or is it?
Brief background: Mead writing tends to come from two different
camps. One is wine makers and one is beer makers. Beer making
almost always involves boiling and then cooling the liquor. Wine
making (I am told) almost never does.
If you are following a mead making practice that heats or boils the
must, then it is important not to splash or otherwise aerate the
must while it is still hot. I'm sure someone better than me can
quote a transition temperature, but I recall it being around 100F.
(I forget what the products of "hot side" aeration are.)
I heat to 160F (may try no-heat soon), and then siphon after using
an immersion chiller. So I can splash a little if I wish. I don't
bother because I usually do a multi-day yeast starter (that is
aerated as much as I can) and use that. As yeast mainly uses
oxygen in reproduction, my thinking is that I don't need the major
aeration in the actual batch.
But I'm only about 2 years into making mead. I'm probably wrong
about many things.
- --
Drew Lawson | What you own is your own kingdom
| What you do is your own glory
drew@furrfu.com | What you love is your own power
| What you live is your own story
------------------------------
Subject: ?searchable archive?
From: dan@geer.org
Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2006 11:29:53 -0500
the frontmatter of the digest posting says...
> A searchable archive is available at www.gotmead.com/mead-research/mld
but I get
> Forbidden
>
> You don't have permission to access /mead-research/mld on this server.
- --dan
------------------------------
Subject: ABW calculation
From: dan@geer.org
Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2006 12:12:13 -0500
Does the mead making community have an actual consensus
on how to calculate ABV?
I'd search archives, but every time I try I get "Forbidden."
- --dan
=====================================================================
http://www.realbeer.com/library/beerbreak/archives/beerbreak0301.php
ABW = 76.08(OG-FG)/(1.775-OG)
ABV = ABW (FG/.794)
=====================================================================
http://www.realbeer.com/hops/kcalc_js.html
Javascript source
ogp = (-0.003829+Math.sqrt(Math.pow(0.003829,2)-4*0.00001572*(1-og)))/(2*0.00001
572);
fgp = (-0.003829+Math.sqrt(Math.pow(0.003829,2)-4*0.00001572*(1-fg)))/(2*0.00001
572);
rep = fgp*0.8192+ogp*0.1808;
re = 1+0.003829*rep+0.00001572*Math.pow(rep, 2);
etohwt = (ogp-rep)/(2.0665-0.010665*ogp);
etohvol = etohwt*1.25;
kcals = (6.9*etohwt+4*(rep-0.1))*3.55*fg;
=====================================================================
the guy I learned from
ABV = 1.29*(OG-FG)
=====================================================================
http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/calculate_convert/alcoholcalculator.htm
l
as with all Apple gear, "You don't need to know how it works."
=====================================================================
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End of Mead Lover's Digest #1295
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