Copy Link
Add to Bookmark
Report
Mead Lovers Digest #1353
Subject: Mead Lover's Digest #1353, 29 November 2007
From: mead-request@talisman.com
Mead Lover's Digest #1353 29 November 2007
Forum for Discussion of Mead Making and Consuming
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Re: Olive Oil Addition (MeadGuild@aol.com)
Re: Braggot (MeadGuild@aol.com)
RE: Braggot ("Bill Pierce")
Re: Cherry Juicy Juice ("res0h7g2")
MEADLLENNIUM 2008 ("OCurrans")
fermenting questions (sross@rossfoundation.org)
US mail-order mead ordered from overseas (Carsten Pedersen)
Re: Mead Lover's Digest #1351, 19 November 2007 ("Dennis Key")
NOTE: Digest appears when there is enough material to send one.
Send ONLY articles for the digest to mead@talisman.com.
Use mead-request@talisman.com for [un]subscribe/admin requests.
Digest archives and FAQ are available at www.talisman.com/mead
A searchable archive is at http://www.gotmead.com/mldarchives.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Olive Oil Addition
From: MeadGuild@aol.com
Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2007 14:33:41 EST
Phil _dogglebe@yahoo.com_ (mailto:dogglebe@yahoo.com) points out:
> I thought I would just chime in with something I heard
> from Italian wine makers.
>
> These guys use to put olive oil in their batches
> (during the aging stage) to prevent oxidation. The
> oil would form a protective layer on top of the wine,
> keeping all air from it.
>
> Doesn't this contradict the aeration thing people have
> been talking about?
Very interesting point!
My understanding is the olive oil facilitates yeast
reproduction. So I speculate that these Italian
wine makers have filtered the yeast from the must.
Unfortunately I won't be able to test the idea since
I lack the intestinal fortitude to discuss a 50 gallon
primary with my childbride. ;-)
Dick
- --
Richard D. Adams, CPA (retired)
Moderator: misc.taxes.moderated
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Braggot
From: MeadGuild@aol.com
Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2007 15:18:00 EST
Steve Jones asked about blending and Mead with an ale to make a Braggot,
cited the BJCP guidelines, and surmised that "it is wide open for
interpretation."
My response is that he is correct. As long as the 50.01% of the
fermentables came from honey and a substantial portion came from malt,
you have a Braggot.
He asks which of four different ales he might blend with a 3 yr old dry
blueberry honey Mead (~15% ABV).
> a Spiced Winter Ale (cardamom, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon)
> (1.012 FG, 8.5% ABV, 50 IBU)
>
> an Irish-American Cream Ale (1.010 FG, 4.4% ABV, 32 IBU)
>
> an Old Ale (1.020 FG, 12% ABV, 73 IBU)
>
> a Barleywine (1.012 FG, 11% ABV, 72 IBU)
A major issue to me in making a Braggot is that there is a definite
expression of the honey. I would be concerned about the expression being
lost in the Spiced Winter Ale. OTOH, I would almost certainly make
one or two liters of each starting at 50/50 and adding Mead to taste.
It is your Mead so your tastes are what count.
> Would it be better to add some honey to the blend to
> emulate a higher FG for the mead?
Again it's a matter of your tastes.
> I figure that the addition of 1 lb honey to 3 gallons mead
> will raise the specific gravity about 11-13 pts (to 1.010 in
> my case) - is that right?
It's certainly in the ballpark.
> Also, should blend percentages be based on volume or OG?
When fermenting the malt and the honey together, the answer would be the OG.
The answer should be the same for blending. However, a blended Braggot
should retain an expression of the underlying Mead.
> And an additional question: what is the 'standard' value of gravity
> points most people use for honey?
There is a Mead Calculator at GotMead.com. Click "Making Mead"
on the left and it's the sixth entry down. According to it one lb of
honey in a one gallon batch has an OG of 1.037.
Dick
------------------------------
Subject: RE: Braggot
From: "Bill Pierce" <BillPierce@aol.com>
Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2007 16:00:14 -0500
Steve Jones asks about braggot. It's been a while since I made a
braggot, and it's probably time I do so again. The current hop
situation makes low-hopped beverages more appealing.
My first attempt at braggot was a winner, literally earning best of
show at a somewhat small (100 entries) competition some years ago.
My general thought when formulating the recipe was to split the
fermentables by weight 50-50 between honey and malt. The base malt
was American two-row, with the addition of 5 percent (of the malt
bill, not the total fermentables) light crystal malt for some color
and flavor, and 10 percent Carapils malt to add body because the
honey is so fermentable. I did a single infusion mash at 155 F,
again to preserve some body. I hopped it to 12 IBUs with Hallertau
Hershbrucker, added entirely for bittering. The honey, added at
flameout, was ordinary clover honey from a local beekeeper. The
O.G. was 1.063. I pitched a starter of Wyeast 1318, one of my
favorite strains for lightly hopped ales. It has a wonderful soft
fruity quality (think apricot) that I thought would fit the recipe.
The braggot was fermented at 68 F and aged in secondary for six
weeks. The F.G. was 1.007.
The result was not really very mead-like, but much more like a
lightly hopped, fruity ale. It was light in body but certainly not
lacking it. The most remarkable feature was its ability to hide its
7.4 percent ABV. In terms of the alcohol you would swear you were
drinking a light American lager(although it had far more flavor);
only after three of them did you realize how much you had drunk.
Overall the braggot was a winner in almost every respect and
disappeared extremely quickly. I would recommend it more to brewers
than those who make only mead. As I said, it was very ale-like. I
might also mention that the recipe would be an excellent candidate
for brewing as a 50-50 mix of pale malt extract and honey, perhaps
with the addition of some steeped light crystal malt.
Steve also asks about the S.G. of honey. At an average figure of
12.2 lbs. per gallon for honey, that works out to 1.461 if you
divide 12.2 by 8.345 (the weight in lbs. of a gallon of water).
Bill Pierce
Cellar Door Homebrewery
Burlington, Ontario
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Cherry Juicy Juice
From: "res0h7g2" <res0h7g2@verizon.net>
Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2007 15:04:02 -0600
Yes Dick,
Juicy Juice has been tried, and quite succesfully I might add. I used a
similar approach, in that, I used 12 lbs. clover honey, 4 gallons boiled
water, 1 oz sweet orange peel, and 1/2 oz grated ginger root, a 3# can of
cherry puree, and pitched with D-47. This fermented untill time to rack
Racked, topped with 5 cans of Cherry Juicy juice concentrate. Racked again
and forgot it for about 3 months. It came out wonderfully, nice color and
flavor, did'nt last long at all. Cheers!
Duke Chenault, Bryan, TX
------------------------------
Subject: MEADLLENNIUM 2008
From: "OCurrans" <OCurrans@cfl.rr.com>
Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2007 09:26:47 -0500
WHAT: The first Mead-Only competition of 2008. There are just six Mead-Only
competitions in the USA. We are the oldest, and some even say the "most
prestigious." In 2008, we are bringing back the category for Historical
Meads. This is for the meadmaker that prefers to make his or her mead using
ancient recipes, and without the help of modern adjuncts. If you belong to
the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) this will be a familiar category.
Their help was instrumental in creating this category.
WHEN: January 26, 2008. The deadline to get your meads to us is January 19,
2008.
Online registration and payment is available, and encouraged. (It cuts down
on errors registering your meads.)
WHERE: Again in 2008, the University of Central Florida and the Rosen
College of Hospitality Management are allowing us to use their multi-million
dollar facility to evaluate your meads. This wine lab was designed, from the
ground up, specifically for wine evaluation, and we are thrilled to be
evaluating your meads there.
WHY: Provide the home-meadmaker the very best evaluation of their mead, and
offer informative feedback about the qualities of their mead.
AND, THERE ARE ALSO OUR BEAUTIFUL AND DISTINCTIVE PRIZES. For many years we
have awarded more medals for mead than ANY competition.
First, Second and Third Place winners, in each category, will be awarded a
beautiful medal - MADE SOLELY FOR MEADLLENNIUM.
All first place winners will also receive a distinctive, hand-engraved prize
- - MADE ANNUALLY, JUST FOR MEADLLENNIUM.
The "Best of Show" winner will be presented with a special medal and a
unique prize. Last year it was an engraved decanter.
NOBODY AWARDS MORE MEDALS FOR MEAD THAN MEADLLENNIUM!
HOW: Some of the best mead judges in the country will be here to evaluate
your meads. We are proud to have a number of BJCP National, Master and Grand
Master ranked judges and a wine sommelier to help us this year. And, the
Alliance of Sommeliers has graciously loaned their special, lead-crystal,
glasses to us again this year.
HOW MUCH: Still only $6.00 per entry.
The BEST FACILITIES, plus BEST JUDGES, plus BEST TOOLS and MORE MEDALS, ALL
equal the BEST Mead-Only Competition for you to send your meads.
If you are in the area, on January 26th, and would like to possibly judge
some great mead, send your request and qualifications to our team at:
MEAD@cfhb.org
Check all the details, and find the forms at the MEADLLENNIUM web page:
www.cfhb.org/mead
------------------------------
Subject: fermenting questions
From: sross@rossfoundation.org
Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2007 09:50:49 -0800 (PST)
Please help a newbie. 1st I started my first batch and think I nearly
killed my rehydrated yeast (10 grams for 5.5gallons) as per mfg.
instructions of K1116 + GoFerm by sugar shock. 4Lbs of orangel blossom
honey per gallon (1.38 brix). It had very little activity so after 14
hours I added 5 grams more of k1116 yeast and it started but slowly and I
never got any froth. It seems not to be moving now at 1.05 brix 5 weeks
later. I was trying for a very dry mead .999. Any guidance would be much
appreciated. My second question deals with the confusion I have with
scheduled feeding. I know to feed at the end of the lag stage with Fermaid
k and DAP and also at the third sugar break with Fermaid and airating. My
question is some articles I have read say add Fermaid k and DAP to the
starting must before pitching the yeast yet I have read at this stage DAP
can harm to the yeast also is Fermaind K necessary in the must if the
yeast itself has been rehydrated with GoFerm. Next at the 1st third sugar
break are you supposed to again add DAP too or just Fermaid K. My final
question is what do you recommend for a starting brix or SG of a must
using k1116 as the yeast to get the highest final alcohol percentage.
Thanks
Steve Ross
------------------------------
Subject: US mail-order mead ordered from overseas
From: Carsten Pedersen <carsten@bitbybit.dk>
Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2007 23:37:25 +0100
I want to send mead to a friend in the US for Christmas. Can anyone
recommend a meadery/winery? -- preferably one where the online order
form is capable of handling international billing information (the
few I've come across have been exclusive to the US).
/ Carsten
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Mead Lover's Digest #1351, 19 November 2007
From: "Dennis Key" <dione13@msn.com>
Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2007 12:36:04 -0700
"Sam Johnson" <sjohnson@graytrout.com<mailto:sjohnson@graytrout.com>> wrote:
> Date: Wed, 7 Nov 2007 07:35:59 -0500
>
> Does anyone have an easy apple juice based mead recipe?
>
You can't get much easier than this:
4 gallons apple juice
12 lbs honey
Optional:
1 Cup Lemon Juice
Cloves (4 or 5 per gallon)
Cinnamon (1 or two sticks per gallon)
Ginger (1 thin slice per gallon)
<SNIP>
I have been making cysers for a few years. This looks like a really good
recipe.
I have a one fermenting right now
1 gallon raw star thistle honey diluted with 1/2 gallon of cider then
pasteurized and skimmed
2 gallons Manzano Mountain Retreat cider (from the Manzano Mountains of
New Mexico)
Pkt Champaign yeast prestarted
Dash of powdered cinnamon
It is about two weeks into the ferment and is ROARING!!
I just received a five gallon bucket of Dutch Gold orange blossom honey
and I have another eight gallons of the above cider. I plan on making a
true apple pie cyser with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and a touch of clove
following the above procedure.
Search on Manzano Mountain Retreat and Dutch Gold. Dutch Gold ships, as
you can see, and I think the Retreat also does. It is an apple orchard
that dates from the 16th Century colonial days here in New Mexico.
Dione Greywolfe
------------------------------
End of Mead Lover's Digest #1353
*******************************
