Mead Lovers Digest #1484

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Mead Lovers Digest

 · 8 months ago

Subject: Mead Lover's Digest #1484, 14 August 2010 
From: mead-request@talisman.com 

 
Mead Lover's Digest #1484                                  14 August 2010 

                      Mead Discussion Forum 

Contents: 
  RE: Mead Lover's Digest #1483, 29 July 2010 ("Galet, Vince") 
  Housemoving Mead? (Richard Perry) 
  Is this an "acceptable" way to add adjuncts to a mead? (John Simmons) 

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Subject: RE: Mead Lover's Digest #1483, 29 July 2010 
From: "Galet, Vince" <vince_galet@merck.com> 
Date: Fri, 30 Jul 2010 09:42:45 -0400 

Hi Dick, 

I don't know anything about angelica seeds but for what it's worth, what 
I know is that people use the stem - that looks a little bit like celery 
- - to make candied fruit (like you use un fruit cakes). I made it once 
with Angelica coming from my dad's garden, it remained kind of chewy, 
it's kind of fibrous (not an issue here) but the taste was quite 
pleasant albeit not strong (also gives a green tint which could be 
interesting in your mead). You may want to try that too (if you didn't 
already) 
Best, 
vince 

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Subject: Housemoving Mead? 
From: Richard Perry <perryrt@gmail.com> 
Date: Fri, 30 Jul 2010 09:13:39 -0500 

 
Ok, folks - the wife and I just closed on our first home. We move in 
Tuesday. ... and there was much rejoicing. 

I've been debating what to do to mark the occasion. 

I've been dabbling in meads (and beer) for years, but always went for 
"quick" meads (a year or less, 6 mon, mostly.) as we've moved a bunch, and I 
didn't really want to haul a bunch of stuff around. However, this time, I'm 
likely to be here for a decade or more (maybe for the "long forever".) I was 
thinking about trying to make a large-batch (like 10 or more gal) of a 
drinking mead that we could sample over the years and that would mellow/age 
well. Corny, perhaps, but in many ways, it's what attracted me to meadmaking 
in the first place - the long game. 

My two main areas of concern are equipment (I've never worked a batch bigger 
than 5 gal) and food safety (I know that mead is inherently safe, but the 
timescale gives me pause). 

So. Suggestions? Recipes? I've got several books, of course, but they're all 
in boxes right now! Generally, though, I've been thinking a still mead with 
a good solid single-source honey (locally, if I can find it -I'm new to 
Kansas.) Let this become the "base" which I can work from down 
the road (adding flavors etc in small or even bottle-sized batches later.) 

Thanks in advance. 

Todd - Wichita, KS 

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Subject: Is this an "acceptable" way to add adjuncts to a mead? 
From: John Simmons <32bituser@gmail.com> 
Date: Mon, 2 Aug 2010 21:39:10 -0400 

I have a basic question regarding primary fermentation of a mead. 

I started this mead on Sunday (08/01/10); 18 pounds raspberry blossom honey, 
juice of one lemon, 1 cup of English Breakfast tea, a table spoon of Fermax, 
and a 1/4 tsp of DAP, 2 packets of Lalvin D-47.  6 gallon batch - OG 1.123. 

As of this afternoon, it is fermenting REAL nicely, and I put it down in the 
basement (67 Deg F in the basement, about 80 Deg F in the room it sat 
overnight in) 

After primary fermentation is pretty much over, I plan to add 6 pounds of 
raspberries to it. For various reasons, it would be really convenient for me 
to just put the raspberries in the bucket that the must is now fermenting 
in, without racking off the yeast that has flocculated out.  I would then, 
hypothetically, after maybe another month, rack into glass secondary for 
aging.. 

I have at least anecdotal evidence that meads can be left on the initial 
lees for months and longer, with no obvious detriment.  My goal is maybe two 
months before first racking.  A month (a guess on my part) for primary to 
mostly finish, then another month on the fruit. 

So, here is the question - 
Does this sound like a bad idea ? I am using the raspberry mead to 
illlustrate my idea.. I actually have five different meads that I hope to 
work this way.. all started yesterday, and, hopefully, all will be ready to 
rack to secondary in about two months, for aging. 

I know there are a gazillion ways to answer this question.. I am just 
looking for "it will not (necessarily) ruin your mead" or "dont do it, it 
will ruin your mead". 

Any side discussions or other recommendations are welcomed with open arms.. 
 My bottleneck is that I am out of buckets.. they are all full of must.. 
and, it will just be easier for me to do primary and fruit in the first 
bucket, without having to rack each one twice to get them off the lees, into 
glass, clean the bucket, then back from glass onto the fruit in the 
buckets... 

(this is my first post to the MLD, please dont hurt me.. :-)   ) 

Thanks! 
John Simmons 

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End of Mead Lover's Digest #1484 
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