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Mead Lovers Digest #0940
From: mead-request@talisman.com
Errors-To: mead-errors@talisman.com
Reply-To: mead@talisman.com
To: mead-list@talisman.com
Subject: Mead Lover's Digest #940, 4 July 2002
Mead Lover's Digest #940 4 July 2002
Forum for Discussion of Mead Making and Consuming
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Re: Mead Lover's Digest #939, 28 June 2002 ("Russell B. Farr")
Re: Mead Lover's Digest #939, 28 June 2002 ("Daniel Stratton")
National mead making day ("Robert Farrell")
holiday blend (Jack)
RE: Mead Lover's Digest #939, 28 June 2002 ("Bill & Ramona Kuhn")
russian mead (Cesar Flores)
Yeast Problems ("James Winchell")
Re: Mead Lover's Digest #939, 28 June 2002 (Carl Johnston)
Strange floaters ("Berggren, Stefan")
RE: Mead Lover's Digest #939, 28 June 2002 (David Chubb)
Re: Mead Lover's Digest #939, 28 June 2002 (JayAnkeney@aol.com)
Questions ("Ken Schramm")
A Site that might be good to add to the initial "Welcome" e-mail (David C...)
NOTE: Digest appears when there is enough material to send one.
Send ONLY articles for the digest to mead@talisman.com.
Use mead-request@talisman.com for [un]subscribe/admin requests.
Digest archives and FAQ are available at www.talisman.com/mead. There is
a searchable MLD archive at hubris.engin.umich.edu/Beer/Threads/Mead
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Mead Lover's Digest #939, 28 June 2002
From: "Russell B. Farr" <rustle@iinet.net.au>
Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2002 01:03:30 +0800
On 28 Jun 2002, at 10:08, mead-request@talisman.com wrote:
> Subject: Low alcohol content
> From: Peg Wimmer <pudljmpr@swva.net>
> Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2002 19:17:15 -0400
>
> hello all,
>
> I have attempted two batches of melomel (one mixed berry - one
> lemon/ginger) using a local wildflower honey as base. In both batches
> the initial 24 hours was lackluster in the bucket. Once racked to the
> carboy, however, the bubbling continued for about 6 weeks and I
> thought all was well. Both batches cleared and the aroma was very
> good.
How are you pitching your yeast (dry, liquid starter)? 24 hours
seems a reasonable amount of time to wait for activity in the
airlock, the yeast has to wake up and start reproducing etc. DOn't
rack too early else you're then fermenting with a smaller yeast
population. Rack after a couple of weeks or so.
> My quandry is that neither batch gives you anything but a sugar rush.
> The alcohol content is less than water by the hygrometer. There is
> carbonation in both batches and the flavor is light on the palette.
> The honey was almost pure sugar and I used a champaigne yeast, so the
> alcohol production should have been good. Any insight as to where I
> went astray? My recipes are listed below:
Hygrometer? A device to measure water in air?
If you mean hydrometer, which effectively masures water density,
then as far as I can see you're probably producing mead that is
rather alcoholic. Are you taking a measure of the must before you
add the yeast? If you hydrometer is sitting lower that 1 this
indicates the presence of alcohol as it is less dense than water.
There are a bunch of different formulae for calculating the alcohol
content based on hydrometer readings. I use:
Initial reading - final reading
and then divide the whole thing by 7.36
E.g If my initial reading is 1.078 and the final reading in 0.996 then
I get 82 (78 - -4) divided by 7.36 which equals 11.1%
This was the first formula I've found and since seen others that use
7.25 and 7.20 and 7.29.
So give that a go and see where you end up.
And you'll probably find that honey is actually 75-85% fermentable
sugar, the rest being water and other bits.
> Mixed berry - 1 1/2 pint frozen strawberries/1 pint frozen
> blueberries; 18 lbs wildflower honey; 1 gallon well water in initial
> must/3.5 in carboy; 1 pkg. Champaigne yeast; 1 tsp. tartaric acid.
>
> Lemon/ginger - 1 cup Real Lemon Lemon Juice; 1 tblsp. thin sliced
> fresh ginger root; 14 lbs wildflower honey in must; 4 lbs added at
> first rack; 1 gallon well water in initial must/3.5 in carboy; 1 pkg.
> Champaigne yeast.
You should be getting quite alcoholic mead. I'd suggest adding
double the yeast and making sure it's rehydrated first.
If, at the end of the day you're unsure of the alcohol content, drink
about 750 mL of it and see how you feel. And if you wake up
feeling like you've been kicked in the head, then you've got a fair
answer...
Russell
(first batch of mead still fermenting, but becoming a beer and cider
veteran)
+-+-+-+-+- Somewhere in Narrogin Brewing +-+-+-+-+-+
+- http://members.iinet.net.au/~rustle/WPA +- Writer
+- http://members.iinet.net.au/~rustle +-+-+-+- Punk
+-+-+-+-+-+-+- just a dolphin in the net +-+-+-+-+-+
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Mead Lover's Digest #939, 28 June 2002
From: "Daniel Stratton" <agincort@ameritech.net>
Date: Fri, 28 Jun 2002 18:19:25 -0400
> Greetings All. Does anyone have a recipe for making a cranberry mead (I
> know, it would actually be a melomel) using canned whole cranberries? If
> so, could you post it? I was thinking it would make a nice drink for the
> holidays.
>
> Jack
...
Not a melomel, but my Lady Arwenna made a cran/raspberry cordial, as she
thought the cranberries too tart by themselves:
14oz frozen red raspberries (i bag)
12oz bagged fresh cranberries (sliced or pierced by hand, as you don't get
good results if the skin isn't broken)
375ml white/clear brandy
2.5 cups white sugar
This was steeped 2 weeks, then strained. The cranberries were still too
strong, so she added 14 more oz frozen raspberries, and steeped one more
week, then strained and filtered through coffee filters.
The she added one more 1/2 cup sugar.
Her comment: well balanced, can't tell where the one flavor stops and the
other begins.
My comment: sorry this isn't a recipe for melomel. It does make a nice
holiday drink...
Ian
------------------------------
Subject: National mead making day
From: "Robert Farrell" <bfarrell100@hotmail.com>
Date: Fri, 28 Jun 2002 15:53:54 -0700
Dick
Would you please post the recipe you're providing to AHA for National
Meadmaking Day (August 3rd).
For anyone who plans to be in the Portland area on 8/3--Our brewing club is
planning to celebrate the day with a meadmaking workshop, an experiment
where we'll brew 5 or 6 5-gallon batches with different yeasts, mead
sampling, and a barbeque.
This will take place at F.H. Steinbart's Homebrewing Supply at 234 SE 12th
Ave Portland, OR from 9:00-1:00.
Bob Farrell
Oregon Brew Crew
------------------------------
Subject: holiday blend
From: Jack <jcainva@juno.com>
Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2002 12:12:22 GMT
Greetings All. Here's a potential holiday treat. Deos anyone have
experience with this type of recipe?
1 gal water
2.75 lbs honey
1 lb butterscotch caramel
0.5 lb apple butter
0.5 gal apple juice
1 tsp acid blend
2 tsp yeast nuterient
1 tab Campden
1 packet yeast
OG = 1.135
Jack
------------------------------
Subject: RE: Mead Lover's Digest #939, 28 June 2002
From: "Bill & Ramona Kuhn" <kuhn@lobo.net>
Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2002 11:41:19 -0600
Peg
Did you take initial and final hydrometer readings? That is probably the
best way to get a general idea of the approximate alcohol content. You
didn't say what the final hydrometer reading was, but if you started
with 18lbs of honey and used champagne yeast, my guess is that you have
a pretty high alcohol content, even if it is somewhat sweet. It would be
overwhelmingly sweet if fermentation was not substantially complete. In
my experience, the alcohol content of mead can be deceptive, it is so
good and light and, in the case of melomel, fruity, that you really
can't tell that it is 16% alcohol or higher. That is until you try to
stand up after a few glasses...
Bill Kuhn
> My quandry is that neither batch gives you anything but a sugar rush. The
> alcohol content is less than water by the hygrometer. There is
> carbonation
> in both batches and the flavor is light on the palette. The honey was
> almost pure sugar and I used a champaigne yeast, so the alcohol production
> should have been good. Any insight as to where I went astray? My recipes
> are listed below:
>
> Mixed berry - 1 1/2 pint frozen strawberries/1 pint frozen blueberries;
> 18
> lbs wildflower honey; 1 gallon well water in initial must/3.5 in carboy; 1
> pkg. Champaigne yeast; 1 tsp. tartaric acid.
>
> Lemon/ginger - 1 cup Real Lemon Lemon Juice; 1 tblsp. thin sliced fresh
> ginger root; 14 lbs wildflower honey in must; 4 lbs added at first rack; 1
> gallon well water in initial must/3.5 in carboy; 1 pkg. Champaigne yeast.
------------------------------
Subject: russian mead
From: Cesar Flores <cesarflor@yahoo.com>
Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2002 17:44:42 -0700 (PDT)
Hi
I am writing for the first time and am not an
experienced mead-maker nor experienced with this list
(are there archives?), but I am an experienced
beekeeper...
My question for anyone is:
HOW DO I MAKE russian mead, pronounced MEDAVOOHAH?
Any formulas or ideas?
Thanks
------------------------------
Subject: Yeast Problems
From: "James Winchell" <j.p.winchell@att.net>
Date: Sun, 30 Jun 2002 11:57:07 -0600
Hi,
I have been reading MLD for a month now and have found it very
informative. You seem to be very helpful with each others quandaries and
I had originally figured I would probably learn what I needed to know by
just eavesdropping, but I have a couple of questions I hope you can help
me with.
I just brewed my first mead at midnight last night (I'm a hopeless
insomniac and the kids are out of the way at that time). I wanted to
make 6 gallons of a sweet traditional mead with 15 lbs of orange blossom
honey.
My first problem is once the mead cooled enough (88 degrees F) to
take a hydrometer reading to get my OSG, it read 1.092 with the
temperature correction factor added in. It is my understanding that this
is even below the standard for a dry mead. Is this true or am I safe
with the pounds of honey -vs- the volume of water ratio on this one?
My second problem is I purchased seven month old Wyeast 3184 Sweet
Mead Yeast. The package said it had a shelf life of six months but that
some yeast can survive for a year. I started incubation of the yeast on
27 June and by the 29th the packaged had swelled to about two inches.
Being that it was my only day off for the week I got impatient and
called the not-so-local home-brewer shop and asked if it was ok to pitch
it early since it swelled so much and they said "yes". So at 2:00pm on
the 29th I mixed the yeast with a pint of apple juice and 0.5 grams of
yeast energizer in a glass mayo jar that I scrubbed and let soak in a
sterilization mixture of sodium bisulfite and water. Well by 10:00am on
the 30th my must finally cooled to 88 degrees F (I need to invest in a
wort chiller). Well the starter yeast was showing very little activity
and it was 20 hours after its introduction. My impression from other
statements that I read and from the package which stated to pitch the
yeast at high krausen, whatever that means, I was expecting a noticeable
amount of activity. Unless high krausen means during a full moon on All
Hallow's Eve, I apparently got a batch of teen-age yeast. Is this so?
I mixed it in the must along with 15 grams of yeast energizer in the
hopes that it was still good or that the sugars in the honey will revive
it. A false hope?
Thanks,
James Winchell
j.p.winchell@worldnet.att.net
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Mead Lover's Digest #939, 28 June 2002
From: Carl Johnston <caine76@yahoo.com>
Date: Sun, 30 Jun 2002 16:46:26 -0700 (PDT)
Hey Everyone,
I was wondering if anyone has a good recipe for
blackberry mead. I have made a couple of meads but
never anything with a lot of fruit, so any pointers
would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Carl Johnston
=====
OOC
Carl Johnston
Keepin' it Surreal
#9812-087
------------------------------
Subject: Strange floaters
From: "Berggren, Stefan" <stefan_berggren@trekbike.com>
Date: Mon, 1 Jul 2002 08:43:20 -0500
Hello All,
I just sweetened my mead this weekend and I now have
some interesting floaters in the neck of the gallon jug.
My procedure was as follows:
1 cup of water boiled for a bit and then 1/4 cup (+/- a bit)
was added and boiled for a bit. I then racked my mead from
one gallon jug into a new sterilized jug and then added the
the boiled honey solution slightly hot into the mead. Then I tasted
it to make sure it was sweet enough for me. I then added
Potassium Metabilsulfite and Potassium Sorbate to inhibit renewed
fermentation. Then corked it with the gas lock and stuck it in the basement
at 73-75 degrees. This morning I noticed little white strings at the top of
the jugs neck. The rest of the mead is clear as a bell. I thought that this
might have been a lactose bacteria that had formed. However at 14-15% alcohol
I doubt that. Any ideas as to what this could be? Proteins, Sorbate ?.....
Cheers,
Stefan
Light travels faster than sound.
This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.....
- -Anonymous-
------------------------------
Subject: RE: Mead Lover's Digest #939, 28 June 2002
From: David Chubb <dchubb@virpack.com>
Date: Mon, 1 Jul 2002 09:53:14 -0400
>Subject: cranberry mead
>From: Jack <jcainva@juno.com>
>Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2002 18:13:40 GMT
>
>Greetings All. Does anyone have a recipe for making a cranberry mead (I
>know, it would actually be a melomel) using canned whole cranberries? If
>so, could you post it? I was thinking it would make a nice drink for the
>holidays.
>
>Jack
I wouldn't use too much Cranberry since it is a very strong flavoring. For a
5 gallon carboy I wouldn't add more than 1/2 gallon of berry Puree.
I would also avoid using commercially canned cranberries. A lot of the
companies that can cranberries add perservatives to help maintain
freshness. It would act similar to adding Potassium Sorbate to your
Must....killing your fermentation. Go buy a bag of fresh cranberries (some
of the better supermarkets still carry them even at this time of year), take
them home and dump them in a post and cook them with a couple tablespoons of
sugar (just enough to create a simple syrup to help the berries pop) till
you have a nice cranberry sauce, add to your must (I usually strain my fruit
puree's into a jelly cloth "tube" and hang that in the carboy....I can
remove the fruit easily and it help prevent a bunch of grok in the bottom
due to fruit parts).
Good luck. My Rasberry/Vanilla mead is coming along great (3 weeks old at
this point)...and tastes good...if a bit yeastie still.
- --David
>Subject: Update on the rose mead
>From: Vicky Rowe <rcci@mindspring.com>
>Date: Thu, 27 Jun 2002 16:01:52 -0400
>
>As promised, here's an update on the rose mead:
>
>I tasted it two days ago, and it still has this faboo rose coloring,
>great rose smell, and a wonderful rosey flavor. The oily residue
>seems to have dissipated, and I figure I'll rack it next week. I'm
>tickled to *death* that this is going so well! I can't wait to share
>it with a lady I know at the Carolina Renaissance Festival who
>shared hers with me last year....
>
>Vicky Rowe
>Webmistress - www.gotmead.com - scads of mead and mead-making info
Vicky,
Let me know what weekend sounds good to do a bottle swap (in the
parking lot area). Or if there are enough of us that show up we could go get
dinner somewhere and yak for a while.
- --David
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Mead Lover's Digest #939, 28 June 2002
From: JayAnkeney@aol.com
Date: Tue, 2 Jul 2002 17:56:59 EDT
In a message dated 6/28/02 9:09:35 AM, mead-request@talisman.com writes:
<< I have been doing some reading about yeast culturing. Does anyone in the
list have any experience with keeping yeast cultures? Especially long term
storage of frozen yeast? >>
Dave, I see that you have already received some replies to this query but I'd
like to add the recommendation of checking out the wide variety of yeast
slants available from Brewers Resource (800-827-3983). While they don't stock
a specific mead yeast, I have used several Ale yeasts very successfully to
brew sweet meads. And even their small slants can inoculate up to 20 starters
if you are moderately careful.
As far as long term freezing, I'd question the need for it. Yeast slants are
cheap enough to replace annually, so why bother? Also, in deference to
Chuck's advice, I get along just fine without a propane torch by using the
flame of a gas stove to sterilize my wire loop before scraping a dab of yeast
out of the slant. It's pretty much like the bunson burner of my High School
chem lab.
As much as I sincerely appreciate the products from White Labs or Wyeast, the
savings from starting from slants can really add up. I just wish everyone
stocked them.
Jay Ankeney
------------------------------
Subject: Questions
From: "Ken Schramm" <SchramK@resa.net>
Date: Mon, 24 Jun 2002 12:50:46 -0400
Brett Moore asks a few questions I'll take a shot at.
pH: 3.5 - 4.6 for optimal fermentation. pH doesn't affect dryness
perception as much as total acidity. Mre acid =3D dryer/tarter. You can
have a high total acidity mead that also has high pH.
Temp is dependent on yeast strain, but 55 F for lighter meads and
metheglins and 60 -75 F is recommended for darker melomels. Cellar temps
(55-62 F) for aging.
Oak: Adds vanillin and tannins. It is worth te efort, especially with
heavier bodied honey. Take care, though. Especially with newer barrels, a
little can go a long way. Even with chips/chunks, check often. The
effects will mellow, but slowly.
Sweetening: mytak on this is that it is est to use a recipe and yeast that
will allow full attenuation to the yeast's ETOH tolerance, the use
potasium sorbate (1/2 tsp/gal) to stop activity and sweeten to taste.
That way you get all of the character that the fermentation will create.
Mary Johnson: The best braggot I have made was done with D-47. It took a
third place at AHA Nationals. On the other hand, Dave West of Brighton has
had excellent results with Wyeast 1056.
Bets of luck, all.
Ken Schramm
Troy, MI
------------------------------
Subject: A Site that might be good to add to the initial "Welcome" e-mail
From: David Chubb <dchubb@virpack.com>
Date: Wed, 3 Jul 2002 15:29:15 -0400
A while back while searching for some information to help a friend
troubleshoot a mac (I needed to know how to reset the NVRam). I ran across
this site and after a quick readthrough I think might be a superb addition
to the initial "Welcome to the MeadList, Here are a few websites for
information to get you started". That might actually reduce the number of
truely "newbie" questions.
http://davespicks.com/writing/mme/index.html
- -- David "WyrdOne" Chubb
------------------------------
End of Mead Lover's Digest #940
*******************************
