Mead Lover's Digest #1135 25 October 2004
Forum for Discussion of Mead Making and Consuming
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Re: wee problem (Avraham haRofeh)
Irish John's Nutrient Quandry ("Atticus Myser")
Cyser ("Robert Farrell")
"Atkins Friendly Booze" (Vuarra)
Prunes in Mead (hillsofg)
Another newbie question - this time about Chocolate Mead ("Agatha")
salvaging a very heavily spiced mead? (myniyer)
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Subject: Re: wee problem
From: Avraham haRofeh <avrahamharofeh@herald.sca.org>
Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2004 15:20:41 -0400
>> re-hydrate the yeast for 30 minutes in 104degF water.
>> Add your yeast nutrient and let it sit for another 30 mins.
>>
> Are there good non-chemical yeast nutrients ? I've used whatever fruit I
> had to hand before, and it seemed to work well.
I was given to understand that most powdered/crystalline "yeast nutrient" is
actually dried yeast hulls, and not artificial at all.
****************
Reb Avraham haRofeh
(mka Randy Goldberg MD)
Quarterly azure and argent, four mascles counterchanged
Random Tag: Enter any 12-digit prime number to continue.
Subject: Irish John's Nutrient Quandry
From: "Atticus Myser" <amyser@sbcglobal.net>
Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2004 18:22:55 -0400
John asks, "Are there good non-chemical yeast nutrients ? I've used whatever
fruit I
had to hand before, and it seemed to work well."
I have found that yeast ghosts also called crushed yeast hulls or just plan
yeast hulls are very effective and have no effect on flavor.
P.S. Been a lurker for many years now and just had enough mead in my gullet
today to reply.
Atticus
Praise not the day until evening,
A sword until it is tried,
Nor mead until it is drank.
Subject: Cyser
From: "Robert Farrell" <bfarrell100@hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2004 15:36:06 -0700
>Subject: RE: Apple melomel/cyser
>From: "Greg Osenbach" <Greg@carecontrols.com>
>Date: Tue, 28 Sep 2004 08:35:54 -0700
>
>I wanted to mix together a new batch this weekend. Think I would be
>better off with 4 gallons of juice and 2 gal water? What if I went for
>the gusto with a full 6 gal of juice and keep consistent with the 15# of
>honey?
>By the way, in the original post, it was 6 gal of water/juice total.
>The 6 gal of water mentioned was a typo, was meant to be 2 gal juice and
>4 gal water.
>
>- -Spike
I just started two batches of cyser over the weekend. I used five gallons of
juice for each but limited my honey to 6# for each batch. My original
gravity was 1.088. If you are going to use 15# of honey, you might consider
starting with 6# and feeding additional honey during the fermentation
process. This should keep your yeast from stressing.
By the way, I used the Lalvin D-47 yeast for both bathes.
Bob Farrell
Portland, OR
Subject: "Atkins Friendly Booze"
From: Vuarra <vuarra@yahoo.ca>
Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2004 17:41:49 -0700 (PDT)
Quoted from Dr Goldberg:
>I know people who've done this, and it worked fine. Personally, I find
>sucralose has an unpleasant aftertaste, and avoid it. YMMV.
Agreed.... I also get headaches from artificial
sweeteners.
>Also, I don't care what Dr. Atkins says, ethanol is a carbohydrate, and
>saying it's not is just misleading. It does NOT affect your insulin level
>because it's small enough to get into cells without needing insulin to "open
>the gates", but it's metabolized in the Krebs cycle like any other
>carbohydrate.
Yes, ethanol is a carbohydrate, and I've actually
heard varying opinions about whether it goes thru the
standard Krebs cycle or gets metabolized by the liver
with special, single-function enzymes.
However, the fact that "[i]t does NOT affect your
insulin level" is what is important, as that is what
affects the body's weight level, blood pressure, and
hunger sensations. The culprit is insulin, not the
carbs themselves; carbs only increase insulin levels.
And doctor, I really enjoy the random tags.
Vuarra
=====
Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur.
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound.)
Subject: Prunes in Mead
From: hillsofg <hillsofg@netvision.net.il>
Date: Wed, 13 Oct 2004 17:35:40 +0300
First, thank you everyone for your useful advice in the "Fermentation
Bucket Blues" thread. I gave up on the lye bucket idea; hadn't thought
of how that corrosive substance might still be in tiny fissures and
threadlike cracks in the walls of the bucket. I have since acquired some
big food-grade jerrycans and have poked a hole in their screw tops (with
a clean, sanitized screwdriver) in order to admit the stem of an
airlock. I plan not to use each jerrycan more than twice, and not for
bulk aging either. Apologies for taking so long to reply - this past
month after my Dad's decease has not been a good time for winemaking
thoughts.
But now for my question: has anyone put prunes in mead? I bought 1 kg.
of good-quality prunes today and am wondering if I can use all or part
of it in a mead. I would add a little cinnamon and a touch of clove,
maybe only 1 clove, to a gallon of mead. I'd probably get a black
mead...or a laxative mead...but I like prunes, darn it.
Miriam Kresh
www.hillsofgalilee.com
Subject: Another newbie question - this time about Chocolate Mead
From: "Agatha" <kalliope10@swbell.net>
Date: Wed, 13 Oct 2004 15:24:21 -0500
I broke down and finally made some Chocolate Mead. The first
batch I used Nestle's cocoa. I had to shift it (you are suppose
to do this when you bake anyway, so no big deal) and threw out
the harder lumps. I've since racked into a secondary (8/24) and
now there seems to be a "wax plug" type thing, like when you use
paraffin when you can your own fruit and stuff. What is this??
Is this crap that was in the cocoa??? The directions say not to
rack after the secondary and let it sit for 1 year. It's definitely
not mold, it looks like wax. If you've ever made chocolate's for
Christmas, you'll know what I mean - it's like when you add the
paraffin.
My second batch I ordered the double dutch chocolate from http://penzeys.com
I was very disappointed with the Nestle's and wanted a better grade of
chocolate. This batch I did differently - I had a batch of wildflower that
was aging from last year. I was disappointed with the taste - found it was
actually a blend of molasses and other stuff after I had already used it.
So I decided to make a Chocolate with it, added the shifted cocoa again.
It has a very very slight waxy looking substance on top. Also, when I
mean on top, it's at the top of the neck of the carboy.
Has anyone else who's made a chocolate had this happen? Should I be concerned?
Also, thank you for all of your responses about the Cherry Melomel I made. I
thought I had been unsubscribed to this list, but I found my digests in another
folder that I hardly ever read. Yeah!
Blessings,
Agatha
Subject: salvaging a very heavily spiced mead?
From: myniyer <myn@iyerfamily.net>
Date: Fri, 22 Oct 2004 15:47:45 -0700
I attempted a cardamom-ginger mead three years ago and used
waaaaaaaaay too much cardamom. The final result tasted like cough
syrup. Yuck. I left it in secondary, hoping the strength of the
cardamom would age out.
I tasted it this week and it has mellowed some, but it is still
pretty cough-syrupy. Did I mention it's been three years? I really
want that carboy back in rotation.
I also would love to salvage the mead. Dumping it seems the only
viable solution at this point but I am hestitant to do this. Well, I
could brew another batch and mix the two, but I am hesitant to do
this also, lest I spoil the second batch as well.
Any suggestions?
TIA,
Melinda
End of Mead Lover's Digest #1135
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