Mead Lover’s Digest #119 Tue 27 April 1993

Forum for Discussion of Mead Brewing and Consuming
John Dilley, Digest Coordinator

Contents:

Aging (Mark Taratoot)
Beer Yeasts (Scott James.)

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Date: 26 Apr 1993 10:41:40 -0600 (MDT)
From: Mark Taratoot <SLNDW@CC.USU.EDU>
Subject: Aging

Greetings.

Just wondering if anyone else caught the article in National
Geographic this month about honey. If not, check it out!

Also, I have a question. I bottled my first mead (pyment)
in late February. It consisted of:

1 gallon local honey (gift from a friend)
10 pounds of concord grapes (from my back yard)
2-3 tsp acid blend
3-5 tsp yeast nutrient
campden tablets
Redstar Champagne yeast

I started this stuff on November 1. We had already had a
couple of frosts, so the grapes were really sweet. When I
pitched the yeast I had three gallons. I used one of the
gallons for topping off after each racking (and the
occaisonal sample) and by the time I bottled it I had less
than 2.5 gallons. The stuff was deliceous right out
of the fermenter. After about a month I took an 8 ounce
bottle to a party for all to sample. It really is yummy.

My question is, How in the hell am I supposed to let this
stuff age when it is so good even now? What can I expect
to happen to the flavors during the next year or two?
I assume it will become drier, which would probably be
an improvement. Will the flavors fade? Anyone?

Thanks!
-toot


Date: Mon, 26 Apr 93 10:17:03 MDT 
From: scojam@scojam.Auto-trol.COM (Scott James.)
Subject: Beer Yeasts

Mead Lovers,

Has there been a list compiled to reflect the variations found using
different beer yeasts in the production of mead?

I’ve used Pasteur Champagne yeast for one batch, only to discover how
“listerine” is made. Actually after 1 1/2 years aging, it came out
clear and drinkable (I was in college at the time…)

My latest batch has Wyeast Belgian which is supposed to have a greater
tolerance for alcohol (dubbel, trippel styles need this) but I haven’t
bottled yet. It has been fermenting (and finished) about 6 months.

Maybe we should just report the results using some standard format?
I propose the following:

NAME: Pateur Champagne Yeast

FERMENT: very active, done in 4 months.

AGING PROFILE Drinkable after 16 months, still slight listerine taste.
Should probably have waited longer (roommates couldn’t wait)

FUTURE: Needs lots of aging, not a good idea for attempts at young meads.


Scott James scojam@Auto-Trol.COM
Ham (N0LHX) -:- Guitarist Auto-Trol Technology
HomeBrewer : Private Pilot (ASEL) Denver, Colorado USA




End of Mead Lover’s Digest