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Mead Lovers Digest #1410
Subject: Mead Lover's Digest #1410, 26 February 2009
From: mead-request@talisman.com
Mead Lover's Digest #1410 26 February 2009
Forum for Discussion of Mead Making and Consuming
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
re: Chamomile? (dan@geer.org)
Re: unwanted pettilence (dan@geer.org)
("Kurt Sonen")
Clearing on Cote des Blanc ("spamgatherer97@juno.com")
Re: Melomel assistance (Kevin Morgan)
Re: Mead Lover's Digest #1409, 16 February 2009 ("Dennis Key")
Eismead? (Mark Forrester)
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Subject: re: Chamomile?
From: dan@geer.org
Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2009 17:31:08 -0500
For a 5-gallon batch of chamomille, I'm happy with
twenty (20) Celestial Seasonings tea bags, boiled
separately with the resulting tea being (some of)
the "water" in the must.
You could certainly go higher. Thought of as tea you
would drink, and using English measures, five gallons
is 80 cups so using 20 bags is 1/4 strength tea.
- --dan
------------------------------
Subject: Re: unwanted pettilence
From: dan@geer.org
Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2009 17:54:39 -0500
Thanks to those who offered advice on my issue
of unwanted petillence.
I admit to being puzzled. If I am to understand
the general points being made, these would seem
to be two. First, that under no under amount of
aging will any yeast raise the alcohol level to
that yeast's self-destruction point, and, second,
that without the modern nicety of Campden tablets
all sweet wines have always been ready to explode,
which seems contrary to history.
Best,
- --dan
------------------------------
Subject:
From: "Kurt Sonen" <KurtS2@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2009 00:04:19 -0500
> From: Chazzone <chazzone@sbcglobal.net>
> Subject: unwanted pettilence
>
> One more thing, with so much sugar left, you might want to
> find some refrigerator space for the remaining bottles.
> It'll stop the fermentation and reduce the pressure, otherwise
> find an explosion proof box and await the carnage.
Assuming these are not corked, just gently crack the cap enough to release
the pressure. The contents will foam - stop, wait for it to calm down,
repeat. It will take some time and many repetitions, but it will save the
mead and the bottles.
I force carbonated half a batch and left the other half still. All the
stills took off and I had to do the above method.
Note that carbonation inhibits yeast growth; I've never had a carbonated
bottle restart fermentation. Thankfully I like sweet and carbonation. :)
Yeah, I could sorbate, but why?
Kurt
------------------------------
Subject: Clearing on Cote des Blanc
From: "spamgatherer97@juno.com" <spamgatherer97@juno.com>
Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2009 17:57:02 GMT
David,
I always use this yeast when I make a Melomel as it enhances fruit flavo=
rs. It is also the yeast I use every year in my Gewurztraminer to accent=
uate the grapefruit notes of that grape.
All are brilliantly clear.
Sorry, I'm no help here.
- -frank
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Melomel assistance
From: Kevin Morgan <kmorgan_99@yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 18 Feb 2009 20:31:04 -0800 (PST)
Just catching up with some 'very' old digests. In MLD #1395 Matt said:
Hi All. I made my first sweet melomel on 08-08-08.
It was 20# clover honey and 5# blackberries in a 6g batch.
I added 2.5 tsp energizer, 3 tsp nutrient, and 1.5 tsp acid
to the must. I used 2 packs of EC-1118 yeast. I also made
a few nutrient and energizer additions every week or so since.
I believe the OG was 1.104. (Notes are scrawled)
> 20# of honey in 6 Gal. of must should give and OG of about 1.133,
>and that is without the Berries.
On 08-27, it was at 6.89% alcohol and 1.078 and pH was 3.16.
On 10-24, it was at 12.54% alcohol and 1.035 and pH was 3.31.
Right now it is way too sweet so I was planning on adding about
a half gallon of boiled water to thin it out a bit. But I was
also hoping to get a bit higher alcohol.
Can I just add some more EC-1118? If so, how should I do that?
Make a starter with some of the mead before I add it to the full batch?
Dump in the pack? Or just let it go on its own?
>I know its a little late, but, I would just let it go for at least another
>month and see what happens. If its in a cool/cold place you might
>try moving it some where warmer..............Kevin
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Mead Lover's Digest #1409, 16 February 2009
From: "Dennis Key" <dione13@msn.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2009 17:53:39 -0700
Subject: Chamomile?
From: "Louis LeBlanc" =
<brew@fayreforest.net<mailto:brew@fayreforest.net>>
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2009 11:23:56 -0500 (EST)
Hello again everyone,
<snip>
The problem is how much chamomile and how to add it. I want a sweet mead,
preferably in the 12% to 14% alcohol range, and I'd like to get the chamomile
in there somewhere between overpowered and "where's the chamomile?".
<snip>
You might try a box of 20 Celestial Seasons chamomile teabags. I have
used several flavors of their teas with good results. This amount of
their Carribean Oasis teabags in five gallons made a good flavor in one
of my batches.
If you Pasteurize, add the teabags at that stage. If you boil the water
then add to honey, steep the bags at this step. If none of the above,
bring two quarts of water to a boil then steep the teabags for about 20
minutes and add the tea to your must. If you have time, you might try
a one-gallon test batch with four teabags to see how strong or weak it is.
Be aware that chamomile is relaxing and tends to make you sleepy. A nice
glass of chamomile mead might be just the thing before an afternoon nap!
Dione Greywolfe
Dragonweyr, NM
------------------------------
Subject: Eismead?
From: Mark Forrester <markforrester@comcast.net>
Date: Sun, 22 Feb 2009 07:39:39 -0600
To: Mead Lovers Digest
From: Mark Forrester: markforrester@comcast.net
Re: Re: Inquiry about Eismead
I have been a mead maker and all-grain brewer for ten years. I have
brewed, lagered and then processed two batches of Eisbock (Ice Bock)
and wonder if the same, or similar, process can be used to
concentrate a still mead into an Eismead. Here is what I have done to
make an Eisbock.
First, after a month of lagering a dopple-bock in a cornelius keg at
32F, I crash my freezer down to around 5F. At this point the water in
solution separates, pops to the top (I always need some extra head
space in keg, so begin with 4.5 gallons), and then I gently push the
concentrated "ice bock" from the frozen keg into a secondary keg via
C02 at very low pressure. Out of a 4.5 gallon dopple-bock I end up
with about 3 gallons of Eisbock that is stronger, more smooth and
more stable (has longer shelf life).
Please share any knowledge and/or experience you have with regard to
using an ice process to concentrate a mead into an Eismead. Thanks!
------------------------------
End of Mead Lover's Digest #1410
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