Re: distillation.

While there's absolutely no doubt that distilling alcohol is illegal, at
least without a permit for fuel purposes, the reality is that the ATF has way
better things to do then check up on homebrewers. This assumes you're
looking to make extremely modest quantities – a quart up to a couple gallons.

I personally have been making slivovitz, an eastern European fruit brandy,
for years. Its tough stuff – around 135proof and would not be confused with
a fine scotch by anyone. However, its a hobby and its fun.

If anyone's interested, reply privately and I will be happy to share the
technology.

Robert Schwartz

I'm toying right now with the idea of taking a trip to
Chicago for the meadapalooza. We'll see what happens.

Ross

> > Has anyone aged mead on lees for an extended period of
> > time? How about with batonage? (stirring of the lees)
> > I'm thinking about starting a new batch of orange
> > blossom, fermenting it in a 5 gallon oak barrel and aging it in
> > the oak barrel on lees. Comments?

> >

> > -Alson

> >

>Alson,

>

>I've aged mead on its lees for periods up to nine to twelve months. My
>meads have exibited no ill effects from this aging, and indeed I believe
>that the sur lee aging protects the mead during extended aging, and
>contributes to it's flavor.

>

>I have not roused the lees, presumably in an attempt to encourage the yeast
>to continue the fermentation a few points further?

>

>I have no experience with barrels of any kind, but if barrel aging can be
>said to approximate carboy aging with the addition of oak chips, I believe
>that sur lee aging will have a positive impact on your mead.

> >
>- —

>Cheers,

>Ken

Hi All
I accidently roused my lees when I needed to relocate my meads. After a 10
minute car trip and the loading and unloading, all the carboys were fairly
stirred up.
The Result: Several Meads which I had thought were ready for bottling,
because after 3 rackings they were now very, very quiet, restarted their
fermentation and have been slowly but steadily bubbling along for 2 months
now. I have been continuing to add honey/water each racking in an attempt
to, by generations, make a slightly sweet mead with the highest level of
alcohol from my yeast – so my specific gravities were only really good on
my first racking. I can only think that, in addition to raising the lees,
I decreased the dissolved CO2 and that this allowed the yeast to restart.
Any thoughts?

Thanks
Aethan

For what it's worth, my father-in-law is buried in honey this year. In
addition to a very low winter kill causing him to put out MANY more hives
for the broods he bought, the bees have been….shall we say…."busy as
bees" and he's got more honey than he can stand to look at already and he's
still got the majority of honey yet to harvest. Sounds like a good year in
Michigan.
nathan in madison, wi

Good Afternoon,
I have an opportunity that is somehow begging me to seize. I know someone
who has two full-size oak barrels from a very nice boutique bourbon
distillery. I've been toying with the idea of whipping up 55 gallons of
mead to age in such a barrel. Anybody ever tried such a thing? Any
thoughts or ideas are welcome….even suggestions to do things like make a
braggot, although I'm more inclined to work with a demi-sec or sweet
mead. Again, any thoughts are appreciated.
nathan in madison, wi

Well I can certainly attest to the increases in honey prices.
I have purchased over 4000 lbs since June alone.
The prices have gone from, remember this is bulk, $0.89 per/lb to almost
$1.20 per/lb.

Purely because of Chinese hoeny being dumped on the market.

That is a significant increase in price of almost 30%.

Mike

• —

www.rabbitsfootmeadery.com
Producer of Mead, Strong Mead
and fine spirits

• —

I'll be at Planet Buzz. I hope there is a good turnout. The hobby and
the beverage deserve the attention. It'll be interesting to see if the
commercials are keeping up with the hobbyists in quality, or if they may
actually be surpassing us. During the years I judged at the Mazer Cup,
the strongest of the hobbyists' meads were never bested by the
commercials. I'll have some mead on hand for comparison. The tasting
room for hobbyists and commercial meadmakers sounds like a great
opportunity to rub some elbows with the big guys. Check out www.meadfest.com.

I have left mead on the lees for up to a year without a problem. The
buttery, yeasty component in the aroma and flavor works well with medium
bodied honey (tulip poplar, some wildflower, berry honeys) in a dry to
medium traditional.

Bruce: I'd add the orange peel to the fermenter (primary or secondary)
after the fermentation slowed down, and leave it there for a good long
time. Maybe Wout Klingens can add a note about his pretty darn
spectacular Gran Marnier-style Orange Mead from a few years ago. It was
well worth emulating. If someone had told me how to make something like
that as a beginner, I shudder to think what I could do today.

Yours,
Ken Schramm
Troy, MI,
Where the orchard and raspberry patch look a lot worse for the wear
after late frosts and a summer of drought.

>Who's going to Ray Daniel's Mead Fest in Chicago this November?
>I just got word from the hospital I work at that the powers that be
>granted me time off to attend, so I'll be there. Any one else?

I am planning on going since Chicago is not too bad a drive. I think
that it would be a good idea to have some sort of MLD get together
if possible. Any one else ?

Also, I must second Chucks coments on the rising cost of honey.
2 weeks ago I ordered a 55 lb bucket of honey at
a cost of $77. 3 days later when I went to pick it up they said the
price had gone up to $97. Fortunately they apiary had faxed me a
quote (which I had) and they had to sell at the lower price.

Micah Millspaw – brewer at large

I make 1 gallon batches of mead and would like to ferment them in
something other than glass jars for the initial fermentation. Any ideas
as to what I could put an airlock on? A mini plastic beer fermentor
would be great, but I haven't seen such a thing.

Jodie in Georgia

Marc wrote on 8/6/02:

"I ferment in a carboy, under airlock, for
several weeks to a month, until fermentation has nearly stopped. Then I
rack to a secondary for another month or so, until there is sufficient
sediment to rack off of. I then rack one, or two more times, a few
months apart, until the mead is crystal clear. Then I bottle. This
way, fermentation never sticks from the shock of racking."

I am somewhat new to brewing mead (working on my third batch, first two
didn't turn out so well)

I have been fermenting my first attempt at a strawberry melomel. I started
it in June (I think, my notes aren't in front of me). The fermentation was
almost complete in a week and a half, leaving me with approximately 11%
alcohol content. I then racked to plastic water jugs to freeze in order to
both send the yeast critters into hibernation and help clear the must (a
suggestion from an experience friend). I then added a yeast neutralizer,
about a pint of strawberry honey so that it would be a little sweeter and
I've left it to clear. The fermentation has not started again, but the must
does not appear to have cleared either.

Do you have any insight or recomendations you might offer me?

Also, I'm always looking for a good Small Mead recipe. Preferrably
something sweet I can drink (and enjoy) within 6 months. Any suggestions
anyone?

Thanks,
Michael