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Mead Lovers Digest #1577
Subject: Mead Lover's Digest #1577, 18 March 2012
From: mead-request@talisman.com
Mead Lover's Digest #1577 18 March 2012
Mead Discussion Forum
Contents:
Re: Is mead Kosher for Passover? (Mike Faul)
Re: Is mead Kosher for Passover? (MeadGuild@aol.com)
Re: Mead Lover's Digest #1576, 15 March 2012 (Caroline Taymor)
Kosher Wine (or er, ah Mead) (Robert Lewis)
Re: Is mead Kosher for Passover? (Marc Shapiro)
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Subject: Re: Is mead Kosher for Passover?
From: Mike Faul <mfaul@faul.net>
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2012 10:51:46 -0700
It is only Kosher if it is blessed by the Rabbi.
There are plenty of Kosher meads on the market.
On 3/15/2012 9:42 AM, mead-request@talisman.com wrote:
>
> Aside from getting blessed by the Rabbi, what makes KFP wine KFP?
>
> Or, in the spirit of the event - "What makes this wine different from all
> other wines?" ;-}
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Subject: Re: Is mead Kosher for Passover?
From: MeadGuild@aol.com
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2012 14:16:50 -0400 (EDT)
arthur_torrey@comcast.net wrote (in part):
> One of the things that I've asked in the past,
> and haven't really gotten a good answer on is
> whether or not meads are "Kosher for Passover"
> KFP). In the past the answer I got was unsure,
> but don't bring it just to be on the safe side..
I offered to send a bottle of Mead to a friend who
keeps Kosher. He said because I am not Jewish, my
Meads would not be Kosher. I was surprised, but
it was confirmed by several sources. See
http://www.star-k.org/kashrus/kk-thirst-wine.htm
Dick
- ---
Richard D. Adams
Ellicott City, MD 21042
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Subject: Re: Mead Lover's Digest #1576, 15 March 2012
From: Caroline Taymor <caroskis@aol.com>
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2012 12:51:14 -0700
Kosher wine doesn't need to be blessed by a rabbi (in fact blessing by
a rabbi really has nothing to do with almost any part of kosher food),
the production has to be observed by a Rabbi to make sure it was produced
according to Jewish law.
I think the reason so many kosher wines are so terrible is that they are
pasteurized early in the process. This allows them to be handled and sold by
non-Jewish folks, as for kosher wine, that is the primary requirement, that
they are handled only by observant Jews. (it is based off historically making
sure you weren't drinking wine made for idol worship). This restriction
that kosher wine be handled by only observant Jews only applies to grape
products so a straight mead will not have problems with this(but a pyment
will). Some Jews who do keep kosher do not drink only Kosher wine, so the
rest of the year round it's checking.
The only other kosher concern the rest of the year is that you don't add
anything non-kosher, which would mostly be fining agents such as gelatin
or possibly isinglass.
However, for Passover, you have further issues. You could definitely make
kosher for Passover mead, however you need to get kosher for pesach yeast,
which means it has not been grown on a prohibited for Passover grain. I
hear it can be difficult to find in homebrewer quantities. Your mead can't
have wheat, barley, rye, spelt or oats, and if the Jews are ashkenazi, also
cannot have corn, rice, millet or any other grains or any legumes. This
would mostly be an issue if you used corn sugar to carbonate. So overall
answer: unless you make the mead with klp yeast, it's probably not klp,
but check with them about yeast that may have been grown on chametz (one
of the five grains forbidden on Passover), on how strict they are.
Caroline
------------------------------
Subject: Kosher Wine (or er, ah Mead)
From: Robert Lewis <mazerrob@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2012 18:26:14 -0400
whenever i have a question, i start by asking google,
http://www.gemsinisrael.com/e_article000033155.htm
this site topped the list, and while it is too long to post, it was a fun
and interesting read on the obstacles involved in making a wine kosher,
(nearly all wines from Isreal are non kosher, due to the expense and
dificulties of procedure),
However, Mead is a totally different animal from wine. there is currently
some debate about honey being koser, but following the letter of the law,
anything that comes from an insect, ain't kosher, ergo no bee vomit
allowed. Red Star does sell a kosher yeast, and since most of the honey
that comes from china nowadays, has never seen the inside of a bee, you
might be able to follow the letter of the law, if not the spirit. I have
heard the kosher yeast is quite weak, so expect a very sweet mead, or use
2 lbs honey per gallon.
From: arthur_torrey@comcast.net
Date: Sat, 10 Mar 2012 01:42:15 +0000 (UTC)
While the GF and I aren't Jewish, we have several friends that are, and we
have recently been invited to an "eclectic Seder" that one of them has been
hosting for many years, and which we've attended several times in the past.
It is a potluck event, that is "quasi-kosher" in that guests are asked
to bring dishes that at least nominally follow the kosher rules
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Is mead Kosher for Passover?
From: Marc Shapiro <marcnshap@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2012 18:55:41 -0700
On 03/15/12 09:42, mead-request@talisman.com wrote:
> While the GF and I aren't Jewish, we have several friends that are, and we
> have recently been invited to an "eclectic Seder" that one of them has been
> hosting for many years, and which we've attended several times in the past.
>
> It is a potluck event, that is "quasi-kosher" in that guests are asked
> to bring dishes that at least nominally follow the kosher rules, even
> if most don't actually do a kosher kitchen...
>
> Aside from getting blessed by the Rabbi, what makes KFP wine KFP?
>
> Or, in the spirit of the event - "What makes this wine different from all
> other wines?" ;-}
In the spirit of Halachic (Jewish Law) debate...
Yes, mead can be KFP. No, yours is not. Here's why --
Technically, for a wine to be Kosher (not necessarily KFP) it must be
made by an observant Jew who keeps the Sabbath (who is Shomer Shabbat).
Not only must the vinter keep the Sabbath, but he must not do anything
that could even give the appearance of not being Shomer Shabbat. I got
this information directly from the head winemaker in one of the wineries
in Hebron a number of years ago. Since Kashrut for Passover is
significantly more stringent that for the rest of the year it falls to
reason that if you can not make a mead that is considered kosher for the
rest of the year, then you can not make one that is considered KFP.
I consider my own wines and meads to be KFP since I do not use bread
yeast in their production. Nor do I use any of the five grains that are
specified as not being KFP (wheat, barly spelt, oats and rye). I would
not, however, bring my wines into an Orthodox household, or even a
strongly observant non-Orthodox household at any time of year without
clearing it with the host first. That being said, if your friend is OK
with it then go for it. This is obviously NOT a strictly kosher seder.
Just make sure that any other guest are also aware of the source of
the mead prior to offering it.
Marc Shapiro
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End of Mead Lover's Digest #1577
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