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Mead Lovers Digest #0100
Mead Lover's Digest #100 Fri 19 March 1993
Forum for Discussion of Mead Brewing and Consuming
John Dilley, Digest Coordinator
Digest Coordinator Special Message:
This digest contains a compendium of recipes that have been posted
to the mead-lover's digest in the past. I have tried to include
only those recipes that have been brewed and consumed; recipes that
have not yet been tried are not included. A copy of the recipes
file should also appear in the archive on sierra shortly. Enjoy ...
PS.
If anyone wants to enhance the recipes list that's fine with me; I
do not have time to do any more with it.
Contents:
Recipe Suggestions? PLEASE! (Joe Kazura)
Quick Mead Recipe (Robert Emery)
Meads & mead-making from Cher Feinstein (with a recipe) (CPU-SPP generic accou
nt)
Simple Cyser (Chuck Cox)
Submission (mlhb)
Beginner's questions (Robert Emery)
melomels? (Robert Crawford)
mead-related stuff (Roy Rudebusch)
Re: professional mead ski (Roy Rudebusch)
Flavour enhancers (87749194)
Three recipes from Dan Fink (STROUD)
Honey-Maple Mead (Joseph Nathan Hall)
plum melomel recipe (long) (loc)
another use Wyeast belgian... mead (eurquhar)
Wassail! (John Dilley)
Balm Mead (Jane Beckman)
Send articles for submission to the digest to mead-lovers@nsa.hp.com
Send digest subscribe, unsubscribe, or any other administrative requests to
mead-lovers-request@nsa.hp.com
NOTE: There is now an MLD FTP archive on sierra.stanford.edu in pub/mead
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 18 Mar 1993 14:09:17 -0500 (EST)
From: JK_APPLEREP@UNHH.UNH.EDU (Joe Kazura)
Subject: Recipe Suggestions? PLEASE!
Hi all,
I brew mostly beers, but have brewed a few meads for my SO.
She DOES NOT drink beer, only wine coolers (gasp!) or sweet wines.
I had hoped that she would go for the mead ... no such luck.
Maybe I'm doing something wrong or maybe it's the honey I used... but
she does not like the flavor at all! (of course, I love it!)
ANY WAY!
Could some kind soul send my a recipe that might be more to her
liking? (sweet, fruity ... fruity enough to cover the honey flavor?)
Thanks,
Joe Kazura
------------------------------
To: mead-lovers-digest@nsa.hp.com
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 92 10:06:51 MDT
From: Robert Emery <bob@baervan.nmt.edu>
Subject: Quick Mead Recipe
I don't know if this is the recipe you wanted Steve, but it looks so good that
I decided to use it for my next batch. The _Cats Meow_ also has a couple of
other Feinstein recipes, but they are for Framboise (a fruit flavored beer).
I will probably modify the technique a bit and I'm not certain if the 1/4 cup
of vodka would actually knock-out the little yeasty beasties, potassium sorbate
looks like a better choice. Although, given the short fermentation schedule,
a bit of added alchohol might be necessary.
Basic Small Mead
Author: Cher Feinstein (crf@pine.circa.ufl.edu)
Digest: September 30, 1989, Issue #267
Ingredients:
2-3 cloves
2 sticks cinnamon
2 thin slices ginger
2-4 teaspoons orange peel
2 pounds honey
yeast
1/4 cup vodka or grain alcohol
Procedure:
In a 1-gallon pot, simmer cloves (lightly cracked), cinnamon (broken),
and ginger. Add orange peel. The amount of orange peel will vary
depending on type of honey used. Use less orange peel with orange
blossom honey, for example. Simmer.
Add water to bring volume to 3 quarts. Return to simmer. Add honey,
stirring constantly. Do not boil! Skim off any white scum. If scum
is yellow, reduce heat. When no more scum forms, remove from heat,
cover pot, and leave overnight. The next day, strain to remove as
much spice particles as possible. Pitch yeast. Replace pot cover.
Twelve hours later, rack mead to 1-gallon jug, leaving dregs of yeast.
Top off jug, bringing to base of neck. Take a piece of clean paper
towel, fold into quarters, and put over mouth of jug. Seal with rub-
ber band. Ferment for 36 hours, replacing paper towel whenever it
becomes fouled. Refrigerate 8-12 hours. Rack to new jug and put back
in refrigerator for 12 hours. Add 1/4 cup vodka to kill yeast. Rack
to fresh jug. Refrigerate 3-4 days. Bottle.
Comments:
This is a quickie mead, drinkable in 2 weeks, however, it does improve
with age. Aging at least a couple months is recommended. This mead is
excellent chilled.
Method: N/A
Original Gravity: N/A
Final Gravity: N/A
Primary Ferment: 2 days
Secondary Ferment: 2 weeks
Bob
--
Robert Emery (bob@baervan.nmt.edu)
-----------
Petroleum Recovery Research Center
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Socorro, NM 87801
-----------
------------------------------
To: mead-lovers-digest@nsa.hp.com
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 92 07:45:55 CDT
From: cpu-spp@ct.med.ge.com (CPU-SPP generic account)
Subject: Meads & mead-making from Cher Feinstein (with a recipe)
In order to get things rolling, I am submitting a reprint of an article
by the late Cher Feinstein. I always found it interesting, and while I
can not say it is the best way to make mead, it certainly is a way to get
started. Enjoy.
-Date: 29 Sep 89 17:36:00 EDT
-From: "FEINSTEIN" <crf@pine.circa.ufl.edu>
-Subject: Meads & mead-making
Hello, all!
I noted 's recent request for mead-making info, but haven't had time to
respond until now.
Below you will find my basic recipe for making mead. First, however, some
basic tips and information.
Meads come in several basic types: meads, metheglins (spiced meads), and
melomels (meads made with fruit and/or fruit juices added). Many of these,
especially the melomels, are "species specific" (as it were). For example, a
cyser is by definition a mead made with apples or apple juice.
Use unblended honey when making mead, and raw honey if at all possible. Thus,
unless there is someone with an apiary in your neighborhood, the best place to
get honey is at a health food store or roadside stand. If the honey has bits
of wax, or other particulate matter in it, that can be strained out before
cooking. Do NOT, under *any* circumstances, use "blended to death" honeys,
like "SueBee". Remember: the taste and character of the honey you use will
be the principal determinants of the taste and character of your mead.
Please note that meads don't need any malt added, for *any* reason. Apart
from altering the flavor and character, there are quite enough fermentables
present already, thank you! :-)
Use a white wine yeast in brewing mead; "Montrechet" is recommended. *Don't*
use ale or lager yeast; the end result will most likely be exploding bottles!
Most mead recipes call for the addition of some citrus juice or tea (tannin).
This is important, as it balances the sweetness, preventing it from becoming
cloying. This is the same reason caffeine is added to many sodas.
The molecular structures of the sugars involved in meads are different from
those found in brews. Thus, meads can take anywhere from a few weeks or
months to several years to age properly. And, they won't taste very good if
one isn't patient; the time is necessary.
When adding honey to hot or boiling water, STIR CONSTANTLY!! Otherwise, the
honey will go straight to the bottom of the pot, where it will caramelize,
scorch, and otherwise ruin the whole thing. KEEP STIRRING, until the honey is
*completely* dissolved.
You will notice, in mead recipes, instructions to skim off any scum that forms
as the mead heats up. This is very important, as that scum is the equivalent
of the krausen in beer. Apart from the nasties in it that can contribute to
hangovers, there are nasties in the scum that can adversely affect the flavor
and appearance of the finished mead.
The length of time mead is allowed to ferment is the other principal factor in
determining not only the final alcoholic content, but how dry _vs._ how sweet
your mead will be. Remember: mead is not necessarily a sweet drink! Also,
meads can be sparkling, or still. It's all a matter of individual preference.
A word of warning about mead hangovers: they are the stuff of legend-- and
rightly so! The combination of high alcohol content (relatively speaking) and
high sugar content are perfect for the induction of the Ultimate Hangover.
One author I've read on meads, in an attempt to convey to the reader the
potential severity of a mead hangover, referred to the Biblical story of
Judith and the Holofernes. The author pointed out that Judith saw to it that
the Holofernes got thoroughly drunk on mead, waited until they had slept
awhile, and then had the Hebrew army attack-- beating on their shields! As
the author put it: "What else could the Holofernes do but throw down their
arms and accept slaughter with gratitude?"
Personally, I consider this description of mead hangovers to be both apt and
astute. :-)
Anyone with questions about mead-making can contact me at the addresses below.
The recipe for basic mead follows.
Yours in Carbonation,
Cher Feinstein
Univ. of Fla.
Gainesville, FL
INTERNET: CRF@PINE.CIRCA.UFL.EDU
BITNET: CRF@UFPINE
BASIC SMALL MEAD
NOTE: All equipment mentioned below is assumed to be either well-cleaned or
sterilized, as needed.
In a 1 gallon enamel pot, simmer the following until the infusion is done to
taste: 2-3 whole cloves, lightly cracked; 2 sticks of cinnamon, broken up; 2
thin slices peeled fresh ginger root. Add 2-4 tsp. orange peel (how much
depends on the honey-- with orange blossom honey use less, for example) and
simmer a little longer.
Add enough water to bring the volume up to 3 quarts. Bring back up to a
simmer. Add 2 lbs honey, stirring constantly. Some of the warm water can be
ladled back into the honey container to rinse it.
DO NOT BOIL! Continue to simmer at a moderate rate, skimming off any white
scum that forms on the top. If the scum is yellow, the heat is too high.
Once no more scum forms, turn off the heat, place the lid on the pot, and
leave overnight.
The next day, strain out as many of the spice particles as practicable. Pitch
the yeast. Replace the pot lid; the condensation on it will form a seal.
Twelve hours later, rack the mead into a gallon jug, leaving the dregs of the
yeast. After racking, top off the jug if needed, filling it to the base of
the neck. Take a piece of clean paper towel, fold it into quarters, and put
it over the mouth of the jug. Secure with a rubber band. Allow to ferment 36
hours. If the paper towel becomes fouled during this period, replace it with
another.
After 36 hours, taste the mead. If it is still too sweet for your taste,
ferment longer. Repeat this as necessary, until a desirable level of
sweetness/dryness is achieved.
Place mead in refrigerator for 8-12 hours, then rack into a fresh gallon jug.
Seal new jug tightly, and place in refrigerator to carbonate for 12 hours.
Once the mead is nicely carbonated, add 1/4 cup of vodka or grain alcohol to
the jug to kill off the yeast. Rack into a fresh jug again, seal tightly, and
place in refrigerator for 3-4 days.
The mead may then be bottled; Grolsch bottles work extremely well for this
purpose.
This is a "quickie" mead, drinkable in 2 weeks. However, it does improve
considerably with age, and letting it age for at least a couple of months
before drinking is recommended. This mead is excellent chilled.
------------------------------
To: mead-lovers-digest@nsa.hp.com
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 92 1:02:57 EDT
From: chuck@synchro.com (Chuck Cox)
Subject: Simple Cyser
Hey, it's great to see a mead list starting up.
Just to get things started, here's a very simple recipe that produces an
excellent medium-sweet cyser. Fall is the perfect time of year to start
a cyser. If you saw a lot of senior beer/mead judges staggering around
the last national homebrew conference late at night, a keg of this was
to blame. The honey and cider were all from New England. This was
quite drinkable after 3 months, and is truly dangerous after a year. It
is just sweet enough to deceive the unwary as to its true alcoholic
strength. I just bought enough honey and cider to make a 1/2 bbl batch.
name: Dangerous Cyser
style: medium-sweet cyser
gallons: 7
Honey: 10 lb clover
10 lb wildflower
Cider: 5 gal
Misc: 6 tabs Camden/Metabisulphate
Yeast: ale yeast
My standard procedure:
Mix everything except the yeast.
Let sit in loosely covered fermenter for 24 hours.
Add yeast.
Rack to secondary when fermentation slows.
Rack to keg when still.
Force carbonate if desired.
Condition for as long as you can stand it.
Drink liberally.
Fall over.
--
Chuck Cox <chuck@synchro.com>
In de hemel is geen mead, daarom drinken wij het hier.
------------------------------
To: mead-lovers-digest@nsa.hp.com
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 92 08:30 MDT
From: drski!mlhb@druhi.att.com
Subject: Submission
Years ago, I requested a mead-recipe off the Net. This proved to be such a
good recipe, I'd like to share it with you.
For 1 gallon metheglyn:
1 quart premium light honey (I used a mixed version of clover and alfalfa
honey -- I got this directly from an apiary)
3 quarts water
2 whole nutmeg (sliced)
2 cinnamon sticks
1 sliced ginger root (small)
10 + cloves
1 lemon sliced (peel and all)
Mix all ingredients together in an enamel pot and boil for 10 minutes,
stirring constantly with a non-metal spool. Let cool to about 104F and add
one package of champagne yeast (this should do up to five gallons)
Stir well and put into sterilized secondary fermentation jugs and fit with
air lock.
At first racking, I added a campden tablet. You can fill with leftover mead
or cold boiled water (I used the latter, but it made for a table wine strength
mead). I also chose to use sparkaloid. I racked this mead about two or three
times during the year before bottling it. Yes, I waited a year. Each time
I would sample the mead and it truly got better with age. Increase the above
ingredients by five (with the exception of the yeast) for five gallons. The
person who gave me the recipe recommended that I try different combinations
of spices. She drank this mead within a month or two after making it (first
racking), but I really think waiting a whole year is worth it. I lost the
person's name who gave me this recipe, otherwise I would credit them.
Happy Mead-Making!
Sky Warrior
------------------------------
To: mead-lovers-digest@nsa.hp.com
Date: Fri, 25 Sep 92 15:32:32 MDT
From: Robert Emery <bob@baervan.nmt.edu>
Subject: Beginner's questions
Hello fellow mead lovers,
I am a tyro mead brewer, only a single batch brewed to date, and I have a
few questions for more experienced practitioners; along with a few
observations. To begin with, a bit of background:
My first batch was based on the Quick Mead recipe from the _Cat's Meow_.
5 gallons water
11 pounds honey
3/4 cup jasmine tea (twinnings)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves (TOO much for my taste)
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
acid blend
Pris Mousse yeast
I boiled about 3 gals of water in my largest available pot, added the
tea, spices and honey and allowed it to simmer for 20-30mins. I then cooled
to pitching temperature(about 75degF) using a wort chiller and poured the ____
a. wort
b. must
c. concoction
d. other
into my primary fermentation vessel, a 7 gallon covered pail w/airlock. At
this point I took a specific gravity reading, SG 1.088, added the acid
blend (per instructions on the package), aerated the mixture and pitched the
yeast starter. The primary fermentation was very weak, at least compared to
my beer batches, and the proto mead looked ready to put into the glass
secondary after a few days. After racking to the secondary the yeast really
took off and I switched from an airlock to a blow-off tube, the second
time it pushed foam through the airlock my pantry floor looked like the
floor of a movie theater after a matinee.
The secondary fermentation took about a month to drop below a bubble per
minute and I bottled at around six weeks (SG 1.003). I decided to bottle half
of the batch as sparkling mead, so I added a bit over 1/4 cup of corn sugar
before bottling. I used 12oz beer bottles for most of the batch.
The finished mead is a clear honey color with a nice honey aroma. The taste
is very very dry, tart, and fairly complex. It starts with a strong clove
flavor, tapers to a hint of cinnamon, and finishes with jasmine. At no time
is there any honey flavor or sweetness. It also packs quite an alcohol
punch. I have new respect for anybody who judges mead at competitions, that
stuff is PO-tent.
Now for my questions.
1. What should mead taste like?
I've never had any before and while I realize that my batch is a metheglin,
I always assumed that the product would be somewhat sweet.
2. How can I get a sweeter product next time?
3. Are there commercially bottled versions of mead?
4. What is the best type of bottle to use?
Beer bottles seem inappropriate and wine bottles are too large. I'd like to be
able to walk after imbibing.
5. What is a good serving temperature?
6. How can I improve my brewing technique?
I apologize for the wordy nature of this post.
Bob Emery
--
Robert Emery (bob@baervan.nmt.edu)
-----------
Petroleum Recovery Research Center
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Socorro, NM 87801
-----------
------------------------------
To: mead-lovers-digest@nsa.hp.com
Date: Fri, 25 Sep 92 18:39:51 CDT
From: Robert Crawford <betel@camelot.bradley.edu>
Subject: melomels?
Over the summer I made a nice strawberry melomel with the
following recipe:
(for one gallon)
2.5 lbs Clover Honey
1 lb frozen strawberries
acid blend (dosage as per the package's instructions)
grape tannin
1 Campden tablet
pectic enzyme
Montrachet yeast
I boiled and skimmed the honey with nine pints of water, put
the strawberries in a must bag, then poured the hot honey water over
the strawberries, Campden, tannin, and acid blend. A day later I added
the pectic enzyme, and a day later the yeast.
After a week in the primary, I removed the horribly changed
strawberries and siphoned into a secondary. Three weeks later the
fermentation had stopped, and it had cleared. (Honestly -- I've never
had the year-long ferments that others have mentioned.) I stabilized
it with potassium sorbate, sweetened it with table sugar, and bottled
it.
It's only been two months, but it's already very nice. In
fact, it's half gone :-)
I'm planning another batch, this one with three pounds of
honey and two pounds of strawberries. Needless to say, this one will
have more strawberry flavor and more alcohol...
I have a few questions: Has anyone used horehound or mint for
flavoring? Has anyone had luck making a very lightly alcoholic honey
drink?
--
Robert Crawford betel@camelot.bradley.edu
------------------------------
To: mead-lovers-digest@nsa.hp.com
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 92 09:31:00 -0500
From: roy.rudebusch@travel.com (Roy Rudebusch)
Subject: mead-related stuff
From: roy.rudebusch@travel.com
Dear Fellow Traditional Beverage (mead) Fans;
I liked what Ted Manahan said about using an ale yeast to ferment with.
Steve Lamont wanted to quick mead recipe:
(BTW 1 gal of honey should weigh 12#)
First brew an ale with a clean culture of W-yeast.
Rec. W-1007, W-1056, (highly rec. W-1028).
Boil .5 oz saaz hops in 2 qts water then:
Dilute 6# of honey to 4 gallons water and add:
hop water, top up to 5 gal. add:
.5 tsp SO2
1 tsp pectic enzyme
no yeast nutrient neccesary!
Let this solution rest for three days.
After three days bottle the ale-beer, SAVE THE SEDIMENT!
Pour the above solution onto the sediment, add .5 oz saaz hops, (no
need to sterilize the hops), pour the must back and forth several times,
being sure all the yeast is dislodged from the original fermenter.
The ale yeast that fermented the beer is full of nutrients (fat
and happy), this mead should ferment out in less than 2 days.
Bottle the mead as you would a beer.
In order to have a successful mead-ferment the original ale-beer should
first have been a healthy, quick ferment.
Bob Emery wrote that his mead was too dry. Join the club! This problem
is the common complaint of mead-makers.
To produce a sweeter mead use the above ale yeast technique. Use
about 15# honey and hope the yeast conks out at about 1.015.
Also Bob asked, "any good meadmaking books", NO! Save your money. I
called up one of the authors once to ask him a question about adding
herbs and spices to mead, and he said he has never made mead before and
has never heard of anybody using those ingedients in mead!
All the books contain so many old-fashioned wine-making techniques that
it makes the recipes and techniques nearly worthless.
Forgive me if I sound callous. These books were fine 10 years ago, but
mead and wine-making has progressed and it is up to us to promote good
technique.
For basic mead-making info. see TNCJoHB by Charle Papazion.
Wassail!
* OLX 2.2 * A Family that Brews MEAD Together Stays Together
------------------------------
To: mead-lovers-digest@nsa.hp.com
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 92 11:00:00 -0500
From: roy.rudebusch@travel.com (Roy Rudebusch)
Subject: Re: professional mead ski
From: roy.rudebusch@travel.com (Roy Rudebusch)
JD:>Subject: Re: professional mead skills
JD:>Roy,
JD:>Would you be willing to repost your article to the mead forum?
You bet! I wanted to, but didn't want to re-write it, it is fortunate
you sent it back to me!
Dear Fellow Mead Fans;
I've brewed about 30 - 5 gal batches of mead over the past three years
and this is my next project:
Tradtional Mead 5 gal OG 1140
7# Mesquite honey dissolved up to 2.5 gal water. Add:
.5 tsp Sodium Bisulfite
1 tsp regular strength pectic enzyme
2 tsp yeast nutrient
1 tsp acid blend
Stir well. Let sit in warm place, (60-75F) for 2-5 days. On the 2nd day
start building the yeast starter, boil 1 cup of dry malt extract in 1
pint water. Re-hydrate a pack of wine yeast, (rec. Prise De Mouse), by
adding it to 1 cup of 100F water, stir for 15 minutes. Add to cooled
extract water. Shake well __for 1 hour__.
When yeast starter begins to give off CO2 add 2 more cups of DME,
(preboiled in 1 qt water), aerate again.
When yeast starter looks active, add to must. Aerate by pouring the
pitched must back and forth between two pails about 20 times. Do not
remove sediment as it is necessary for fermentation.
When the mead has fermented below 1.010 prepare the second addtion of
honey:
13# Mesquite honey dissolved up to 2.5 gal water. Add:
.125 tsp Sodium Bisulfite
2 tsp pectic enzyme
2.5 tsp yeast nutrient
2 tsp acid blend
stir well, rest as before.
After 2-5 days, add to fermenter along with the presently fermenting
mead. Mix well.
The Real OG of the wort = 1140. Shoot for a FG of 1.020 - 1.030.
If it takes a long time for the original ferment to drop to 1.010 you
may not want to add the second honey addition.
Vinters produce strong wines by starting a regular-strength wine with a
gravity no greater than 1.100. This is to ensure the yeast can ferment
it. Undiluted honey does not ferment because the osmolarity of the
solution is too high, If diluted to 1140 it will eventually stop around
1050, (trust me, I know this from experience).
Most wine yeast has a tendency to floculate prematurely, to avoid
racking off of the yeast, stir the mead and rack 6-18 hours later, as
the trub will settle first.
If the mead should ferment too dry, dilute .5# honey with an equal part
of water and treat with SO2 and pectic enzyme and add to mead, for a
honey addition.
If you do everything as described this mead should ferment out in less
than a month. Bottle when the mead does not throw any sediment for a
three month period.
Try to avoid fusel alcohols by fermenting below 60F.
Wassail!
* OLX 2.2 * A Family that Brews MEAD Together Stays Together
------------------------------
To: mead-lovers-digest@nsa.hp.com
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 92 19:26 CST
From: 87749194@ucs.uwplatt.edu
Subject: Flavour enhancers
Wassail!
I have been looking for some items to enhance the flavour of
my meads. Let's start with _my_ basic constituents:
15 # Honey ( whatever it is I get at
the local grocery in bulk )
1 Tbl. yeast nutrient
1 Tbl. ascorbic acid
2 gal. water
Boil 10 to 15 minutes, skimming the scum. Pour into 5 gal. carboy
that has 2 gal cold water, splashing to aerate. Top off to 4" below top.
Pitch Pasteur when cool.
Primary fermentation ~ 1 month. Rack to secondary, second
fermentation is 3 to 4 months. I like it sparkling, so I add
3/4 C corn sugar at bottling (beer bottles usually). Age ~ 8 mo.
I tell people that it is Champaigne (sp?) and 80 % give favourable
reactions saying that it has more flavour than others champaignes.
They still think it's good when I tell what it really is.
I'll cut down on the honey to lower the flavour next time.
What I want to know is what _YOU_ have added to enhance _YOUR_
mead. Anything that _REALLY WORKED_. I tried fresh ginger once,
about 4 oz grated, but all this did was make the mead sort
of sour. (No, it _wasn't_ infected, I _KNOW_ that flavour!
So hurry! Post some hints! I need to get to work for December '93!
I'm just a mead drink'n fool.
Thomas Vodacek 87749194@ucs.uwplatt.edu
- or -
87749194@ucs.uwplatt.bitnet
------------------------------
To: mead-lovers-digest@nsa.hp.com
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 1992 10:14 EST
From: STROUD <STROUD%GAIA@leia.polaroid.com>
Subject: Three recipes from Dan Fink
Dan Fink (formerly of the AHA), a real meadophile, posted these recipes on
Compuserve about a year ago. He is a very strong advocate of pasteurizing, not
boiling, your mead.
*********************
The Meading of Life According to Dan Fink
OR,
"Why not take all of mead?"
<groan>
Here are three mead recipes that have served me well.
Dry Mead (5 gallons)
10 pounds fresh, raw alfalfa or clover honey
2 pounds fresh, raw wildflower (or other dark) honey
2 teaspoons Great Fermentations of Santa Rosa mead yeast nutrient
(made up to Roger Morse's formula in the book Making Mead)
2 packets Champagne Yeast (dry or liquid )
Add honey, nutrient and 2 gallons water to the brewpot. Bring
slowly to 170 degrees F and hold for 30 minutes to pasteurize. Skim
off any white scum from the surface as it forms. Pour into a carboy
containing cold water, top off with water to 5 gallons. Pitch yeast
when cooled to 80 degrees F. Ferment at 65-80 degrees F until some
clearing is evident (usually 3 months). High tempratures (up to 80
or so) won't hurt mead (unlike beer). At this point, rack to another
carboy. Bottle or keg when mead is CRYSTAL clear.
Sweet Mead (5 gallons)
15 pounds fresh, raw alfalfa or clover honey
3 pounds fresh, raw wildflower (or other dark) honey
3 teaspoons Great Fermentations of Santa Rosa mead yeast nutrient
(made up to Roger Morse's formula in the book Making Mead)
2 teaspoons acid blend (you might want more -- depends on the
honey you use)
2 packets Montrachet, Steinberger or K-1 wine yeast
(you might try Flor-sherry yeast if you like a nutty taste)
Add honey, nutrient, acid and 2 gallons water to the brewpot.
Bring slowly to 170 degrees F and hold for 30 minutes to pasteurize.
Skim off any white scum from the surface as it forms. Pour into a
carboy containing cold water, top off with water to 5 gallons. Pitch
yeast when cooled to 80 degrees F. This will take awhile due to
sugar content. Ferment at 65-80 degrees F until some clearing is
evident (usually 6 months, sometimes as long as a year). High
tempratures (up to 80 or so) won't hurt mead (unlike beer). At this
point, rack to another carboy. Bottle or keg when mead is CRYSTAL
clear. This could take awhile!
Medium Apricot Mead (5 gal)
13 pounds fresh, raw alfalfa or clover honey
2 pounds fresh, raw wildflower (or other dark) honey
7 pounds fresh frozen or fresh apricots, crushed
2 pounds fresh frozen or fresh apricots, crushed (in secondary)
2 teaspoons Great Fermentations of Santa Rosa mead yeast nutrient
(made up to Roger Morse's formula in the book Making Mead)
2 packets Champagne Yeast (dry or liquid )
Add honey, nutrient and 1.5 gallons water to the brewpot.
Crush fruit, add to brewpot. Bring the whole mess slowly to 170
degrees F and hold for 30 minutes to pasteurize. Skim off any white
scum from the surface as it forms. Pour into a fermenter containing
cold water, top off with water to 5 gallons. Since you won't be able
to shove the fruit thru a carboy neck, you'll need to use a plastic or
stainless steel fermenter. it MUST be closed! Pitch yeast when
cooled to 80 degrees F. This will take awhile due to sugar content.
Ferment at 65-70 degrees F for 1-2 weeks. Don't leave your mead on
the fruit for much longer than this to avoid spoilage! Carefully rack
mead off of fruit parts into a carboy. Ferment until clearing is
evident (usually 4-5 months). At this point, rack to another carboy.
After mead is fairly clear, pasteurize the other 2 pounds of crushed
fruit in a little water and add to must. . Bottle or keg when mead is
CRYSTAL clear. If this takes a long time, rack off of fruit parts after
no longer than a month.
**********************
------------------------------
To: mead-lovers-digest@nsa.hp.com
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 92 18:26:22 EDT
From: joseph@joebloe.maple-shade.nj.us (Joseph Nathan Hall)
Subject: Honey-Maple Mead
OK, well, I wasn't going to forward this recipe at first, but I've
changed my mind. This stuff is really good ... but ...
..the caveat is that both batches I've made have been serious headache
producers. I get a touch of headache after about 6 oz. I get more
of a headache after that. I was going to try some different yeasts,
maybe fermenting a little cooler, but rather than report back to you
next year I thought I'd just let you folks you take your chances.
I've never had headache problems with mead or homebrew before, so
there must be something special about this mix.
Let ME know if you produce a headache-free version!
Honey-Maple Mead
(recipe for 2 gallons or maybe a little more)
2 quarts maple syrup (that hurt$, as Charlie Papazian says)
2 to 2-1/2 lbs light honey (I used clover)
acid to taste--I think I used a little less than 1 tsp of acid blend
for this batch.
Bring honey and maple syrup to boil in enough water to liquefy. Add
acid and a bit of nutrient if desired. (I don't think you *need* yeast
nutrient--the maple syrup seems to have the necessary stuff in it.)
Skim for a minute or two, enjoying the flavor of the yummy foamy stuff.
:-) Cool. Then add water to make a 1.120 SG must. Pitch with working
Pasteur Champagne yeast. Prepare for a moderately vigorous fermentation.
Rack off after primary fermentation, and once again if it isn't clear
in a few more weeks. I topped off the gallon jugs with boiled water
after the first racking--that seemed to help settle the yeast. ???
Both batches I made this summer (the first with about half this much
syrup) fermented out to almost exactly 1.000. They fermented and cleared
at 70-72F in 6-8 weeks.
The result (that's what you've been waiting for): a beautiful, crystal-
clear brilliant straw-colored liquid, slightly sweet, with a monster
alcohol palate and strong bourbon notes. Smoooooth.
I rather like it over ice. Is this heresy?
But those headaches. :-(
I'll keep trying, though!
I wonder what fermented plain maple syrup tastes like ... ?
uunet!joebloe!joseph (609) 273-8200 day joseph%joebloe@uunet.uu.net
2102 Ryan's Run East Rt 38 & 41 Maple Shade NJ 80852
-----My employer isn't paying for this, and my opinions are my own-----
------------------------------
To: mead-lovers-digest@nsa.hp.com
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 92 13:53:37 EDT
From: loc@bostech.com
Subject: plum melomel recipe (long)
I've gotten a few requests to post this recipe. I've added some of my
process also to give you an idea of my mead making. As you read this
you'll see that I make a product which is alot like wine.
Some general comments about the recipe. If you want the end product
to be sweeter you can add more honey. But do not get the original
gravity above 1.100 or you will have problems with stuck fermentation
or sluggish fermentation. You can add an much as 50lbs of plums if
you want this to be _really_ plummy. Relative to original gravity,
the higher the gravity the longer the product will need to bottle age.
I use acid blend to balance out the end product. This is strickly a
personal preference. If you really want to get into it and check the
SO2 levels there are test kits available for that, this will ensure
that you have the right amount of sulfites for the end product you are
making.
Having made these statements here is my recipe for Plum Melomel.
Enjoy!
Plum Melomel
To make: 5 gallons
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
7.5lbs Citrus Honey (Orange Blossom is the best or whatever )
(honey you like to use )
25-30lbs Plums (halved and pitted is best, but at least halved)
(if you can freeze them for a couple of weeks )
(before you use them you'll get a better juice )
(yield because freezing breaks down the cell )
(walls )
3-4 tsp. Yeast Nutrient
1 pkg Pectic Enzyme
1 pkg Champagne Yeast
Acid Blend (you'll need an Acid Testing Kit to )
(determine how much to add. amounts )
(depend greatly on the plums )
The Day Before:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Start the yeast by boiling 1.5cup of orange juice with 1.5 cup of
water. Take it off the heat and add 1 tsp of yeast nutrient. Cool
the mixture. When cool put into a sulfited bottle add the yeast and
agitate occasionally over the next 24 hours.
The Day of:
~~~~~~~~~~~
Make sure the plums are at room temp do not heat them to do
this, just let them come up to room temp naturally. Dissolve the
honey in 2 gallons of water, do not let it boil, just get the water
hot enough to dissolve the honey. Combine the plums, honey water,
yeast nutrient, pectic enzyme and 2 more gallons of water in a large
open primary fermenter. Mix well and take a gravity reading add water
until the gravity reading is between 1.080 and 1.090.(I believe 1
pint of water will drop 1 gallon of must 0.010, I can't remember
exactly) Once the gravity is correct add the yeast stir it up cover
lightly. Stir the fruit down twice a day, once in the AM and once in
the PM.
Some Days Later:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Check the gravity after about 5 days. When the gravity reaches 1.020,
rack and press the must into a sulfited glass secondary fermenter and
add 1/2 camdon(?sp) tablet per gallon of must to prevent oxidation. If the
fermenter is not full to within 1/2" of the lip use sulfited marbles
to make up the difference. Fit a fermentation lock on the bottle and
let it rip.
When the gravity reaches 1.000 rack again into a clean sulfited carboy
again adding 1/2 camdon(?sp) tablet per gallon for the same reason. Again
if the mead does not come within 1/2" of the lip use sulfited marbles
to make up the difference. Test the acid level at this point using
your handy dandy acid testing kit and adjust the acid to a level of
.55. The kit will tell you given what your acid level is at how much
to add.
When the fermentation stops, let it sit for a few days to let the lees
settle out. Rack into a clean sulfited carboy adding 1 camdon(?sp) tablet
per gallon of product and fine with a Bentonite mixture. Let this sit
for 10 days. Rack the final product (leaving the lees behind as
usual) into a clean sulfited carboy and let bulk age for three months.
If you have a spare frig you can put the carboy in, the last month of
the bulk age put the mead in the frig to chill proof it.
Bottling:
~~~~~~~~~
If you are lucky enough to have a wine filter. Filter the mead with
fine filters and bottle. Let bottle age for at least 6 months (1 year
is better). Enjoy.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Roger Locniskar Boston Technology Inc.
<loc@bostech.com> Wakefield, MA 01880
-----------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------
To: mead-lovers-digest@nsa.hp.com
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 23:10:56 -0800
From: eurquhar@sfu.ca
Subject: another use Wyeast belgian... mead
Well, my first batch of fruit mead (melomel?) was brewed up last
Sunday. Several contributing factors inspired me to try a mead. First,
honeybee researchers at SFU sell exceptional raw honey every year at a
reasonable price. Second, the very good bartlett pears were available at
as decent price and ginger goes very well with them. Lastly, all this talk
of the banana/fruit/caramel flavours created by Wyeast belgian and its
ability to ferment to high alcohol therefore providing aging potential.
The thought of these flavours coming together was more than I could stand.
The basic composition followed the proportions published in the excellent
article in the latest zymurgy issue.
Pear/ginger mead/melomel/metheglin (take your choice)
5 lbs pears, seeds and flower end removed and frozen so they would breakup
easier
5 lbs raw new honey (wildflower/raspberry/blackberrry blend)
3 oz. finely ground fresh young ginger (more lemony than mature ginger)
1 primed package Wyeast belgian #1214
1/2 tsp. pure ascorbic acid (to keep the pears from going brown and because
it tastes like lemons)
1/2 tsp. Difco yeast nitrogen base (yeast nutrient)
16 cups water
Everything but the yeast nitrogen base was put into a big pot and brought
up slowly to 200 F and kept there for 20 minutes to pasteurize and extract
the ginger flavour and allowed to cool down naturally (about 2 - 3 hours).
Next time, I'll extract the ginger with boiling water a few times to get
more ginger flavour out and add as part of the water used (the ginger
flavour is only sparingly soluble in water). The final specific gravity
was 1.100. Any comments/questions/suggestions would be gratefully
appreciated.
YIELD: about 2 gallons in the primary
...p.s. It was bubbling like crazy 24 hours later and the banana was
evident when I opened the yeast envelope. This weekend ginger beer!
Eric Urquhart (eurquhar@sfu.ca)
Centre for Pest Management, Dept. of Biological Sciences
Simon Fraser University, Burnaby , B.C. Canada
------------------------------
To: mead-lovers-digest@nsa.hp.com
Date: Fri Oct 9 11:35:43 1992
From: John Dilley <jad@nsa.hp.com>
Subject: Wassail!
Here's a recipe from a friend of mine for wassail. I realize
this is not exactly mead, and it is not even a brewed beverage. But she
says it's a family tradition around Christmas time and so I thought I'd
go ahead and include it.
Combine and heat in a large pot:
4 bottles Madera wine
1 bottle brandy (2 cups or a small bottle; Christian Brothers is fine)
1/2 cup apple cider (or, more traditionally, 6 baked apples)
12 allspice, whole
12 cloves, whole
6 cinnamon sticks, broken
(optional 8 egg whites, beaten until stiff)
The traditional recipe calls for egg whites, but my friend finds
they tend to cook in the warm beverage. They're probably in there
to thicken the wassail, but she leaves them out. She also uses
cider because the apples fall apart and she objects to the texture.
Heat this all together for a while (30 minutes to two hours) and serve
warm by the fire. Watch out, as it packs a wallop!
Wassail!
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 7 Dec 92 11:17:47 PST
From: jane@stratus.swdc.stratus.com (Jane Beckman)
Subject: Balm Mead
I'm trying a mead variant on balm wine. Why use sugar when you can make a
mead variation, right?
This is a 1 gallon test batch, partly because I didn't want to cut down the
entire patch of lemon balm, hoping our warm weather will keep it going
through the winter.
3 lbs honey
1 gallon water
1 orange
1/2 gallon packed fresh balm leaves
Boil the honey and water together. (I simmered it until black, ropey gunk
stopped rising---what IS this stuff? Anyone ever encounter the like? This
time, it took about 20 minutes to get all the scum off, less than normal, but
it was mostly this truly gross black gunk that was rising.) Put modest
amounts of the orange peel into the primary fermentation container with
the balm leaves. (I took a strip of peel around the circumference.) Add
the juice of the orange. Pour the must over the balm leaves and orange
peel. It should be VERY hot, since you are essentially making balm tea,
at this point. Cover, and leave to cool. When down to blood-warm, add
yeast to the top and cover. Rack to secondary fermenter after three days
and filter out the balm leaves at this time. Cork with a lock.
A note: most the old recipes I use talk about floating the yeast out on the
initial wort, by putting it on top of a sippet of toast. I've never had the
inclination to do this. (Plus the fact that I suspect it works best when
you're dealing with a 20-gallon tun, rather than smaller batches.)
However, the balm leaves work admirably for "floating"the yeast.
--Jilara
------------------------------
End of Mead Lover's Digest
************************
