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Mead Lovers Digest #1545
Subject: Mead Lover's Digest #1545, 26 September 2011
From: mead-request@talisman.com
Mead Lover's Digest #1545 26 September 2011
Mead Discussion Forum
Contents:
Here we go again.... (Mike Faul)
Re: cheap honey (MLCrary@aol.com)
Re: Mead Lover's Digest #1544, 20 September 2011 ("Dennis Key")
RE: Mead Lover's Digest #1544, 20 September 2011 ("Jeff Burritt")
Macadamia Mead (nlkanous@netscape.net)
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Subject: Here we go again....
From: Mike Faul <mfaul@faul.net>
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2011 09:06:36 -0700
You can probably search the digest to see the previous debates on boil
vs not boil, but just to be clear, there are no regulations or rules in
any State that I am aware of that requires a 'mead' to be boiled. They
may have FOOD regulations that require raw honey to be pasteurized
before shipping out of the state of Hawaii but not for the magic to turn
it into mead.
http://www.mauicounty.gov/documents/Liquor%20Control/HRS%20281%20January%202011.
PDF
I reviewed the regs for the other counties and they are virtually the
same. No mention of honey...
> A mead maker in Hawaii told me, pursuant to a discussion of exporting their
> product, that they were not allowed to call their product Mead since the
> honey had not been boiled to death. Since they made mead from a fragrant
> buttery macadama flower honey that carried the taste of the nuts and pollen
> they were happy to call it Honey Wine and to be happy.
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Subject: Re: cheap honey
From: MLCrary@aol.com
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2011 13:58:17 -0400 (EDT)
Greetings, Meadmakers,
The debates on honey will no doubt continue as long as we are making
mead, so I am chiming in now. When my brew buddy and I started brewing, we
were fortunate to have advice (and mead to taste) from several meadmakers.
Some felt that it was best to use a stronger flavored honey such as
Wildflower with a metheglyn or melomel, so that the honey flavor would come
through. Others felt that a milder flavor such as clover was better, to give the
fruit or herbs more scope. We tried both, all the meads were good. We are two
of the few meadmakers who use flowers in our mead. The flowers are light
and subtle, so we have taken to using clover or orange blosson in those
batches, but this is a personal preference. The mead will be good, either way.
Though I am not flush with cash, I believe that buying good honey is a
good investment, though cheap honey is better than none. Just as the taste
of what we cook will be affected by the quality of our ingredients, so the
taste of mead will reflect the taste and quality of the honey. The whole
China honey question makes it worth spending the extra time to know what you
are getting.
I live in Longmont, Colorado, so I am fortunate to have some honey
sources close by. We used to buy from Madhava, they would sell us a 5 gallon
(60 lb.) bucket at wholesale, since I had a business and a tax license back
then, I now buy from the bulk department at Whole Foods. The current price
is $3.69/lb.. Not cheap, but I know what I am getting. (Also I work there,
so I get a discount) Most large grocery chains and many small ones have a
bulk section. They are usually willing to work with you. I buy the 60 #
buckets, I just call ahead and ask them to save me one. All packaged up, easier
for them and for me. Some places will apply the 10% case discount to this
purchase, ask ahead of time. Try to call during the regular business day if
possible, the people who can OK it may not be there at 9 PM.
Wherever you get your honey, enjoy your results.
Marcia
Unicorn Unchained Meadery
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Mead Lover's Digest #1544, 20 September 2011
From: "Dennis Key" <dione13@msn.com>
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2011 16:28:25 -0600
A general comment on all the posts about honey sources:
I can get local raw honey from the Las Mantanitas Co-op or Whole Foods in
Albuquerque that is moderate in price. I wonder if other organic or co-op
outlets around the country have the same option? I have also had good
experience with Dutch Gold.
Dione Greywolfe
------------------------------
Subject: RE: Mead Lover's Digest #1544, 20 September 2011
From: "Jeff Burritt" <thnkfree@frontier.com>
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2011 21:27:01 -0600
Just a quick note about the "organic" honey. I am a professional beekeper
and I am 100% certain that there is no such thing as "organic" honey. If you
find honey with an organic label on it, don't trust it. There is no possible
way to make sure that honey stays orgainc. Paying more for something that
claims to be organic, is a waste of money. Please always try to buy the most
local honey you can find. It may not be the cheapest, but beekeepers are
having a hard time nation-wide, and could use the support.
Jeff
------------------------------
Subject: Macadamia Mead
From: nlkanous@netscape.net
Date: Mon, 26 Sep 2011 17:55:33 -0400 (EDT)
Paul Shouse posted:
A mead maker in Hawaii told me, pursuant to a discussion of exporting their
product, that they were not allowed to call their product Mead since the
honey had not been boiled to death. Since they made mead from a fragrant
buttery macadama flower honey that carried the taste of the nuts and pollen
they were happy to call it Honey Wine and to be happy.
That debate has been fought over many times and can still only be decided by
personal taste. However, if the government regulations still prevent
raw-honey mead from being called what it is, they ought to be changed. Most
people wouldn't know cyser from their elbow but might think that mead with a
few cider apples thrown in sounds delicious. If it's only honey or only
honey plus whole fruits/spices fermented with yeast then call it Mead, but
please don't make me boil until I WANT to.
- - -Paul
- ------------------------------
I've had the opportunity to try the "Macadamia Honey Wine" on three occasions
over the past decade. The first time I tried it in 2002, it was just as
you've described "buttery macadamia flower honey that carried the taste
of nuts". The second time in 2007 the mead was "less so". More like
wine than mead. I bought a bottle this past March (2011) and the product
has definitely gone downhill. It now tastes like a very basic white wine
that has had a small amount of honey added to sweeten it, just a touch.
Hardly even a ghost of what it used to be with little to no macadamia nut
character at all.
I'm not sure what the role of the Hawaiian government has been but this
product is NOT what I'd refer to as a mead at all. It's a basic white wine.
YMMV.
nathan
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End of Mead Lover's Digest #1545
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