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Mead Lovers Digest #1439
Subject: Mead Lover's Digest #1439, 22 August 2009
From: mead-request@talisman.com
Mead Lover's Digest #1439 22 August 2009
Mead Discussion Forum
Contents:
5th Annual Valhalla the Meading of Life Mead Competiton ("Christopher Clair")
Re: Rose Mead/Rhodomel question (Rebecca Sobol)
Aging in oak (MeadGuild@aol.com)
PDF Archives (Peter Matra)
Re: Rose Mead/Rhodomel question (Alex Flinsch)
Re: Rose Mead/Rhodomel question (Dick Dunn)
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Digest Janitor: Dick Dunn
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Subject: 5th Annual Valhalla the Meading of Life Mead Competiton
From: "Christopher Clair" <buzzclub@verizon.net>
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 2009 22:36:48 -0400
I am pleased to announce the 5th Annual VALHALLA 'The Meading of Life' an
AHA/BJCP sanctioned mead only competition. This year's competition will be
held Saturday, October 17, 2009 at our gracious host, Iron Hill Brewery &
Restaurant in West Chester, PA. We are looking for judges, stewards and of
course entrants with Mead.
Entries must be received by October 10, 2009. The fee is $7 per entry
(Checks made out to Christopher Clair). Entries must be in a 12 ounce
bottle, 2 six ounce bottles or approximately a 750 ml bottle. We suggest
(but do not require) sending 2 bottles per entry for sparkling meads so a
fresh bottle can be opened for BOS. Please visit the competition website
www.valhalla-mead.com for forms, drop off locations and all other
information.
Mail entries to:
Home Sweet Homebrew
Attn. Valhalla
2008 Sansom Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Packages MUST to be BOLDLY and CLEARLY marked! Do NOT send entries to Iron
Hill or risk disqualification!
If you are interested in judging or stewarding at Valhalla please email
Chris Clair at cmclair@verizon.net as soon as possible to reserve your seat.
Newer judges interested in learning about mead may apply and lessons in
judging them will be held prior to the competiton.
Please arrive at Iron Hill West Chester by 9:00 am on Saturday October 17th.
Feel free to contact me with any questions.
Christopher Clair,
Valhalla Organizer
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Rose Mead/Rhodomel question
From: Rebecca Sobol <ris@g4coop.com>
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 2009 20:38:38 -0600
On Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:51:46 -0600 (MDT)
mead-request@talisman.com wrote:
> Subject: Rose Mead/Rhodomel question
> From: "leo Knisely" <leoknisely@centurytel.net>
> Date: Tue, 18 Aug 2009 09:54:11 -0500
>
> I am trying to start my first batch of Rhodomel and have come up with
> a couple of question I cannot seem to find an answer to
>
> 1 - How does measure a pint of rose petals? I understand a pound but
> hows does that equate to a pint, quart, or gallon?
My brew partner and I made a tasty rhodomel. The notes are here:
http://www.unicornunchained.com/mead/rose.html
> 2 - Are dry or fresh petals better/stronger tasting
We used rose petals that were picked fresh and frozen for later. We
used a measuring cup to determine that we had 3 1/2 quarts of petals.
> 3 - Does the color of the petal make a difference in the taste?
It might, they do smell differently. We used a variety of roses.
> Thank you in advance for any answers/help
>
> Leo Knisely
Rebecca
- --
Rebecca Sobol Boulder, Colorado USA
http://UnicornUnchained.com/mead/
------------------------------
Subject: Aging in oak
From: MeadGuild@aol.com
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 2009 22:41:12 EDT
I have started adding French Oak late in the secondary and like
the result. My question is about American Oak. Somewhere (which
means I don't recall where) I read or heard negative comments
about the flavor effect of aging with American Oak. Does anyone
have experience using both?
Dick
- --
Richard D. Adams, CPA (Retired)
Ellicott City, Maryland
------------------------------
Subject: PDF Archives
From: Peter Matra <peter@petermatra.com>
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:42:35 -0400
Thanks for your help, I plan on purchasing that book when I get paid
next week. I made a mead a long time ago when I was 16. It wasn't bad,
but now I want to do it in a more orthodox method without the guess
work and with better equipment.
By the way, I am trying to go through the archives. I have compiled PDF
files of each year, so if anyone is interested email me.
thanks
Peter
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Rose Mead/Rhodomel question
From: Alex Flinsch <avflinsch@verizon.net>
Date: Sat, 22 Aug 2009 15:24:52 -0400
On Aug 19, 2009, at 5:51 PM, mead-request@talisman.com wrote
>
> 1 - How does measure a pint of rose petals? I understand a pound but
> hows
> does that equate to a pint, quart, or gallon?
Same way one would measure a pint of berries or beer, fill a pint
container (2 cups) full of petals ( I would pack them tight).
> 2 - Are dry or fresh petals better/stronger tasting
I would use fresh petals, picked early in the morning, before any of
the oils evaporate.
> 3 - Does the color of the petal make a difference in the taste?
It would make more of a difference in the color of the finished product.
BUT -- if the petals of one color are more fragrant that the petals of
a different color, use the more fragrant ones
- --
Alex
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Rose Mead/Rhodomel question
From: Dick Dunn <rcd@talisman.com>
Date: Sat, 22 Aug 2009 15:04:01 -0600
In response to one of Leo's questions, namely:
> 3 - Does the color of the petal make a difference in the taste?
Not particularly but the variety of rose makes a difference. There are
roses whose scents are variously described as sweet, fruity, musk, damask,
old-rose, tea, citrus, violet, etc. Some are elegant and seem suited to
mead. Others are strong in a sort of grandma's-bath-powder way, and while
they -might- work in a mead (I don't know), it doesn't seem like a good
choice.
Suggestion: Spend an hour walking around the candidate roses, sniffing
the blooms and then going back to compare, to see if the scents of
different roses seem like they'd harmonize.
It's probably obvious that you don't want roses which have been sprayed
recently. It's also worth checking how they've been grown, as there are
"systemic" pesticides used with roses. These may be applied at the roots
rather than being sprayed on, but they enter the entire plant. Since
roses aren't considered a culinary plant, information may be scarce.
- --
Dick Dunn rcd@talisman.com Hygiene, Colorado USA
------------------------------
End of Mead Lover's Digest #1439
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