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Mead Lovers Digest #1332
Subject: Mead Lover's Digest #1332, 24 July 2007
From: mead-request@talisman.com
Mead Lover's Digest #1332 24 July 2007
Forum for Discussion of Mead Making and Consuming
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Re: FAQ query ("Dan McFeeley")
Re: Mead Courses and Textbooks ("Dan McFeeley")
Re: FAQ query (MeadGuild@aol.com)
Rasberry Mead (TSeastrom@aol.com)
Water (MeadGuild@aol.com)
Re: Mead Lover's Digest #1331, 17 July 2007 (Mail Box)
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Subject: Re: FAQ query
From: "Dan McFeeley" <mcfeeley@keynet.net>
Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2007 13:22:41 -0500
On Fri, 13 Jul 2007, in MLD 1331, Menardsk@cs.com wrote:
>I would like make my first Mead, I will use Bartlett Pear's. Do
>I peel the pear's to ferment or ferment with the skin on? 2nd
> question does anyone have a good proven dry mead recipe
>to share. 3rd is it a good idea to freeze and thaw the pear's first?
>Thanks to all
Sure -- freeze and thaw 'em. It's an old winemaker's tip -- freezing
can disrupt cell walls, making more of the good juice available
after thawing.
<><><><><><><><><><>
<><><><><><><><>
Dan McFeeley
Kankakee, Illinois USA
"Meon an phobail a thogail trid an chultur"
(The people's spirit is raised through culture)
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Mead Courses and Textbooks
From: "Dan McFeeley" <mcfeeley@keynet.net>
Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2007 13:22:51 -0500
On Sun, 15 Jul 2007, in MLD 1331, Dick Adams asked:
>Does anyone offer Mead Courses and/or textbooks similar
>to those offered by Siebel Institute for Beer?
I'm afraid not. Mead has been referred to as the "forgotten
child" in the panorama of fermented beverages, in spite of
its long history. The bulk of serious academic research
honey fermentation and mead production has come out
of the University of Cornell, and that seems to have ebbed
with the passing of the late Roger Morse and Robert Kime.
I think this could change if mead were to occupy a market
niche as important as beer and wine, also cider, but that
seems to be something yet in the future.
Textbooks -- most would recommend Ken Schramm's
book "The Compleat Meadmaker" as the most contemporary
work available, but Ken has moved past a lot of the material
he first presented in the book. I'd love to see a revised
version of Ken's book, updated with all of the tricks and
info that Ken has incorporated into his meadmaking since
its publication, made available to the public.
<><><><><><><><><><>
<><><><><><><><>
Dan McFeeley
Kankakee, Illinois USA
"Meon an phobail a thogail trid an chultur"
(The people's spirit is raised through culture)
------------------------------
Subject: Re: FAQ query
From: MeadGuild@aol.com
Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 17:20:58 EDT
> I would like make my first Mead, I will use Bartlett Pear's. Do I peel
> the pear's to ferment or ferment with the skin on? 2nd question
> does anyone have a good proven dry mead recipe to share. 3rd is
> it a good idea to freeze and thaw the pear's first?
1. Someone else will need to comment on the appropriateness of
using Bartlett Pears.
2. Skin off, discard pear seed, add juice and pulp to secondary.
3. Proven dry? Use Lalvin EC-1118 or K1V-1116.
4. Someone else will need to comment on =E2=80=9Cfreeze-n-thaw=E2=80=9D.
Dick
- --
Richard D. Adams, CPA (retired)
Moderator: misc.taxes.moderated
------------------------------
Subject: Rasberry Mead
From: TSeastrom@aol.com
Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 21:24:38 EDT
I made an apple mead last year (2 gal of fresh pressed apple juice, 3 lb of
honey and a pound of light brown sugar). I let it ferment dry and after about
nine months it's proved to be a very delicate enjoyable wine. I want to do
a rassberry mead this fall but I'm concerned about how to handle the
rasberries. Apples were easy as they came as juice but I'm not sure what
to do with plain fruit. Should I freeze them, try to juice them beforehand
or simply mash them up and go from there.
Thanks,
Tom Seastrom
------------------------------
Subject: Water
From: MeadGuild@aol.com
Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 16:56:21 EDT
We all know a few things about Mead and water:
1. Do not to use distilled water and
2. Boil your water or just let it sit overnight to remove chlorine.
Can anyone tell me why soft water vs. hard water is not supposed
to make a difference when making Mead when it makes a world of
difference in making beer?
Dick
- --
Richard D. Adams, CPA (retired)
Moderator: misc.taxes.moderated
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Mead Lover's Digest #1331, 17 July 2007
From: Mail Box <mail-box@comcast.net>
Date: Sun, 22 Jul 2007 12:28:35 -0400
> Subject: FAQ query
> From: Menardsk@cs.com
> Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2007 21:41:19 EDT
>
> I would like make my first Mead, I will use Bartlett Pear's. Do I peel the
> pear's to ferment or ferment with the skin on? 2nd question does anyone have
a
> good proven dry mead recipe to share. 3rd is it a good idea to freeze and
> thaw the pear's first?
> Thanks to all
Menardsk,
Bartlett pears are fairly low in flavor. I'd recommend using a few
other varietals, or using a whole lot of Bartletts. Freezing and
thawing is a great way to break down most any fruit. Pears pretty much
turn to mush after this treatment.
I've made one melomel with fresh pears (and one mixed cyser using
bottled pear juice). Here's my recipe for the batch with fresh fruit:
6lbs D'anjou pears
6 lbs Bosc pears
5 lbs Asian pears
6 lbs Bartlett pears - Ripening
5 lbs Red pears - Ripening
7lbs assorted light honey (6lbs clover, 1lb orange blossom)
2 quart starter lalvin dry yeast (I neglected to note which kind! This
was started in Oct 2002 and bottled in Feb 2004, and I have no memory of
what kind of yeast I may have used)
All ingredients save the ripening pears were combined. Pears were
frozen and thawed. All broke down into a coarse, grainy mush save the
Asian pears which were cut into small segments. Topped to 6 gallons.
SG 1.070
When Bartlett and Red pears were ripe, froze them.
After fermentation had completed (SG 1.002) racked onto thawed pears and
added 2lbs honey.
Notes read that the flavor was nice, but lacked pear character. And
that was with 17 lbs of fruit!
Fermentation finished - SG 0.996 - Sorbate and sulfite
1 year later, sulfite, 1/2 cup blueberry honey, and bottled.
This mead was tasty, but never exhibited much recognizable pear flavor.
Very few people correctly guessed the ingredients.
Of all the varieties of pear that I used, I'd say that the Bartletts are
the least flavorful. If you're making a strictly Bartlett melomel and
you want some pear flavor, I'd suggest at least 20 lbs in a 5 gallon
final volume batch.
Cheers,
Ken Taborek
------------------------------
End of Mead Lover's Digest #1332
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