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Mead Lovers Digest #1590
Subject: Mead Lover's Digest #1590, 13 June 2012
From: mead-request@talisman.com
Mead Lover's Digest #1590 13 June 2012
Mead Discussion Forum
Contents:
Re: History of Mead (Chazzone)
Re: Grandmother's Recipe (Paul Shouse)
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Subject: Re: History of Mead
From: Chazzone <chazzone@sbcglobal.net>
Date: Wed, 6 Jun 2012 18:52:43 -0400
Sam,
One of the best books available for historic information on mead and
beer is "Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers". (http://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Herbal
-Healing-Beers-Fermentation/dp/0937381667
)
- -zz
On Jun 6, 2012, at 11:34 AM, mead-request@talisman.com wrote:
> Subject: Query for mead digest
> From: Sam Slaughter <slaughter.sj@gmail.com>
> Date: Wed, 30 May 2012 10:50:00 -0400
>
> Hello, my name is Sam and I am a graduate student working on a
> comprehensive history of mead. In doing so I am trying to find every source
> possible that details the history of the drink--from all areas of the
> world. I am writing to ask if anyone has any good sources to please forward
> them to me. I think for this you can email me directly, so as to not stuff
> up the digest-- slaughter.sj@gmail.com.
>
> Thanks! Once my thesis is completed I'd be willing to let anyone
> interested
> read it!
>
> Sam S
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Subject: Re: Grandmother's Recipe
From: Paul Shouse <paulhshouse@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 8 Jun 2012 11:17:40 +0900
>"Rosalyn O" wrote something like:
>
>My grandmother used to make a very old mead recipe using >grains such as
wheat, barley, maize, rye and hops.
It would help a great deal if you could tell us something about the process
she used. Did you ever watch her making this stuff? If so, did it take an
hour or two, or all day? Did she stew the grains first, or boil them with
the honey, or what? A key question is: Did she use malt? Did she use wine
yeast, bread yeast or sourdough starter?
She may have done something as simple as steeping small amounts of grain
along with the honey, or used a larger amount of barley malt to break the
starch in the other grains, or something in between, or anything. The
result could be anything from syrup to something not unlike Budweiser. If
you really wanted to change the proportions around you could make an
excellent bread. There's no way to tell without more information.
To make a mead from the bee hives grandma used to have on her farm from
that recipe, I would start by making a fairly strong tea from the grain mix
and using it as part of the water in any standard mead recipe. Adding just
a few grains of barley or rye during primary fermentation might be feasible
as well.
After that, a good homebrewing book will show you how to make beer from
malt. Use the half the honey and all the other grains as adjuncts in your
mash, do a standard boil with the hops, then add the rest of the honey. You
may well be astonished at the results! Be VERY careful about not bottling
it before fermentation ceases. It's also possible to do something very
similar with diastatic malt syrup with a lot less work. Good luck!
- -Paul
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End of Mead Lover's Digest #1590
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