I'm sure this has been discussed before but I figure it can't hurt
to revive interesting topics. Does anyone have any recipes for
mead made with nuts? Where I live, chestnut trees are about as
prolific as dandelions, so I figured maybe I could put the chestnuts
to good use. I'll bet they would be delicious in that milk-honey
stuff discussed a few months ago, but I'd prefer to do just a
regular old mead first (I can always freeze the nuts).

/Kate Collins

Leaving the cherries in the primary wouldn't cause any problems – the
proportion of cherries to finished product sounds pretty low and the
poison doesn't really leach out (many recipes for canned cherries
leave the pits in). However, if you cooked the cherries with the must
at a high heat for, say, 1/2 hour or longer, some of the poison MAY
have been extracted – but I doubt it would be enough to hurt you.

/Kate Collins
(Botanist)

WRT cherry pits left in the fermentor for a month, yes, cherry pits do
contain toxic substances. The cherries, pits included, are commonly
left in beers for similar amounts of time with no detrimental effects.
I wouldn't worry.

Question about fermentation temp. I was curious if anyone has
recommendations for "proper fermentation" temp with wine yeasts. I am
looking to avoid the production of fusel or other "higher" alcohols. I
can't stand the taste of them and I notice them even after extended
periods of aging. I would prefer to avoid their production all
together. I don't mind a longer fermentation if I can avoid the "higer"
alcohols. Premier Cuvee, or Lalvin 1116 yeasts. Any thoughts on temps
to recommend?

WRT buffers, has anyone developed an effective buffer to use in meads to
avoid the difficulties with low pH and "stuck" yeast?

Also, someone posted about the Wyeast Sweet Mead yeast. I made a batch
of cyser last fall which has a very distinct aroma and taste. It tastes
(imagine this) like Copenhagen snuff. Yeah, chewing tobacco. Anybody
else ever have this? If I could avoid that, I would use the yeast
again. If not, no way. Everybody else drinks it and thinks it's O.K..
I can drink it but would prefer to avoid that taste.

Sorry for the bandwidth. TIA

nathan in Frankenmuth, MI

I just made a blackberry-cherry mel. I didn't think until after the fact
that cherry stones contain poision. I left the fruit (stones and all) in the
primary for about a week. Does anyone know if I made poision mead?
Thanks
for the help.

As an occasional mead maker who is an avid homebrewer I can tell you
that in brewing the stones are recommednded to be left in for added
flavor. Also, as far as danger, Michael Jackson (not that one) writes in
his book "Beer Companion" p. 44 "As fermentation consumes theflesh of
the fruit, it eventually reaches the stone, and picks up the almondy
notes that make a good kriek especially complex." Since the great
Belgian brewers seem to not fear "getting stoned", I can't imagine that
you should either.

Please note that I am not a Doctor, however I did play one in the third
grade.

G. Camp

If there aint no beer in heaven, then damn me to hell.

I've noticed a number of posts lately on the above subject.
For several years I've used a starter on all meads,whether
using liquid yeast or dry wine yeasts. I think that I have
faster, more complete ferments this way. The starter is from
Appendix 1 of the Bee's Lees, which also has a lot of other
good info and recipes. Get it at:

http://realbeer.com/brewery/library/beeslees.html

Try it, you'll like it!

Val Lipscomb-Makin' Mead in San Antonio

Thanks for listening, I've been "lurking" for a while now and have
learned a lot!

• —

• – lori

"Little old lady got mutilated late last night,
Werewolves of London again… "

Matt Maples
mattm@ipacrx.com

I either juice my fruit and add it to the initial must, or (if the fruit
does not 'juice' easily) I put it in with the primary fermentation.
However, if you prefer to add the fruit during a secondary fermentation
I see no real reason against this. I don't think it really matters when
you add the sulfites. They will not be harmed by freezing, and bacteria
is not going to grow during freezing, either. I would say that this is
a matter of personal preference and do whatever is easier, or seems
better to you.

> (2) If I am going to sanitize the fruit via sulphites rather than
> pasteurization, are there any advisements against sanitizing the must in the
> same way (i.e., sodium metabisulphite rather than boiling)?

If you are using sulfites on the fruit, you might as well use it in the
initial must, as well. Just be sure that the TOTAL amount of sulfites
in the final melomel is not out of line.

According to _Inside Mead_ (Sorry, I don't recall which one and mine are
alread packed to to an impending move) 3-5 minutes at 150F is sufficient
to pasteurize honey for mead. The lower the temperature and the shorter
the heating time, the better (for honey AND fruit), so I wouldn't go
over 5 minutes.

HTH

Wassail!

Marc

• —

Visit "The Meadery": http://www.mindspring.com/~mn.shapiro1/index.html

"If you drink melomel every day, you will live to be 150 years old,
unless your wife shoots you."

• –Dr. Ferenc Androczi, Winemaker of the Little Hungary Winery

Subject: Destoning Cherries
From: DFusion@aol.com
Date: Mon, 11 Aug 1997 16:02:46 -0400 (EDT)

Robert