Subject: Mead Lover's Digest #1159, 12 February 2005
From: mead-request@talisman.com


Mead Lover's Digest #1159 Sat 12 February 2005

 

Forum for Discussion of Mead Making and Consuming
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor

 

Contents:

high cost of honey (Steve Ruch)
Orange mead, part two ("Lane Gray, Czar Castic")
orange juice and more ph-acid questions ("eric")
Subject: Re: Orange Juice Mead Lover's Digest #1157, 3 February 2005 ("Rob…)
RE: orange mead ("Wout Klingens")
Maple Wine v. Maple Mead (Russ.Hobaugh@erm.com)
Re: Mead Lover's Digest #1158, 7 February 2005 (Aaron)
Bread yeast ("Chuck Mongiovi")

 

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Subject: high cost of honey
From: sdruch2@webtv.net (Steve Ruch)
Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2005 11:11:23 -0800

At the Vancouver, WA Costco they have a 6 pound thing of clover honey
for under $10. I would think the other Costcos would be similar.

Steve.
"I'm a man, but I can change, if I have to. I guess," The mans prayer.
Red Green


Subject: Orange mead, part two
From: "Lane Gray, Czar Castic" <CGray2@kc.rr.com>
Date: Mon, 07 Feb 2005 15:55:38 -0600

On Mon, 07 Feb 2005 10:22:45 -0700 (MST), <mead-request@talisman.com>
wrote:

> From: Ken Vale <kenvale@rogers.com>
> Date: Fri, 04 Feb 2005 07:40:38 -0500

>

>> From: "Robert Keith Moore" <Rob@ineedachef.com>
>> Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2005 15:04:52 -0800

>>

>> Hey,
>> Trust me on this one! Orange juice with honey fermented will NOT work
>> very
>> well. There is to much acid in the orange juice. I did it. It came out
>> UN-DRINKABLE!
>> Please do not waste your time.

>> >>

> This is what Acidex (or other acid reducing additives) is for.
> Ken

I'm not even entirely sure the acid caused his problems, I'd look for
other culprits. Perhaps it was just rocket-fuel from not getting old
enough. I'd talked to some friends of mine who jogged my memory, and I've
done an orange juice mead, using fresh-squeezed juice. Of all the meads
I've made, that one was the second-favorite. I didn't keep notes (I
probably should have, but most things I make, I improvise), but I think
what I did was buy two five-pound bags of oranges (I think I used Navels,
I don't recall fighting with seeds), washed the outsides, sanitized the
juicer, and juiced them straight into the carboy. I grated about two
pounds of the oranges and put the zest in a muslin tea bag, and that went
into the must for about a week. I think I used about twenty pounds of
honey, and the result took about six months to age out to being nice, but
it's one that I wish I still had, but too many friends liked it, so we
shared it to death. If I get around to making another batch, I'll try to
keep notes and advise of progress and results
Like someone mentioned in response to John Misrahi, "recipe? what's that?"
I just winged it. I'd do the same with the berries. Just reduce the
honey a bit because the berries will have their own sugar.

Lane Gray
And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. Gen

2:25


Subject: orange juice and more ph-acid questions
From: "eric" <zeee1@nebonet.com>
Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2005 21:18:48 -0700

Orange juice has a high acid content so it was suggested to use acidex. What
is the suggested pH range of the must to shoot for, and is it best to always
try for this range, wether a straight mead, melomel, or metheglin?


Subject: Subject: Re: Orange Juice Mead Lover's Digest #1157, 3 February 2005
From: "Robert Keith Moore" <Rob@ineedachef.com>
Date: Tue, 8 Feb 2005 16:14:40 -0800

>This is what Acidex (or other acid reducing additives) is for.

>Ken
Ken

Tell me more about this Acidex. Is this something you use a lot. Does it
have a taste. Is it expensive. I have always avoided additives. I use water,
juice, honey, and yeast. I have tried pectic enzyme and can not see any real
reason to use it. The occasional burst of extra oxygen at the start is never
a bad idea. I like the concept of purity and simplicity.
I tried 5 gallons of Orange juice with a gallon of honey and Wyeast
Bordeaux. It was so clear and the alcohol went to 17%. It smelled fruity and
good. About 2 sips and you were almost doubling over with acid pain in your
stomach. We split the batch and put it in a 12 gallon keg with more water
and honey and still it was to much acid. No person that I spoke with
mentioned an acid reducing product. Where were you when I needed you?

Thanks,

ROB


Subject: RE: orange mead
From: "Wout Klingens" <wcm.klingens@hetnet.nl>
Date: Wed, 9 Feb 2005 20:50:57 +0100

It never ceases to amaze me, that people don't do proper research before
making the kind of statements made here.
Just do a google search on my name: "klingens orange mead"
The first sentence you see is: "pretty darm spectacular".
I think talisman.com still has it's own search engine though.

[Janitor's note: No, but gotmead.com has the digest archives and a search
capability. See the header info in this digest.]

I am responding, because just now I am finishing the last bottle left.
On a side note: water is an excellent counterpart for acidity….

> Subject: Re: Orange Juice Mead Lover's Digest #1157, 3 February 2005
> From: Ken Vale <kenvale@rogers.com>
> Date: Fri, 04 Feb 2005 07:40:38 -0500

>

> >From: "Robert Keith Moore" <Rob@ineedachef.com>
> >Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2005 15:04:52 -0800

> >
> >Hey,

> >Trust me on this one! Orange juice with honey fermented will
> NOT work
> >very well. There is to much acid in the orange juice. I did
> it. It came
> >out UN-DRINKABLE! Please do not waste your time.

> > > >

> This is what Acidex (or other acid reducing additives) is for. Ken


Subject: Maple Wine v. Maple Mead
From: Russ.Hobaugh@erm.com
Date: Wed, 9 Feb 2005 16:35:58 -0500

Don't "waste" the honey on this! Maple wine is one of my favorites, and I
now have a batch that is over 5 years old–it just keeps getting better! I
have only tasted one maple mead with both honey and maple syrup, and it
was not that good. However, there are several people in my home-brew club
that do maple wine, and they all have turned out good to awesome! The
longer you let it age, the better it will be. Mine was over 2 years old at
bottling!

Russ Hobaugh

610-524-3409 office
610-745-0782 mobile


Subject: Re: Mead Lover's Digest #1158, 7 February 2005
From: Aaron <gumbyk@ureach.com>
Date: Wed, 9 Feb 2005 23:59:54 -0500


> Subject: Maple Wine v. Maple Mead
> From: MeadGuild@aol.com
> Date: Sun, 6 Feb 2005 14:30:18 EST

>

> I started brewing Maple Wine with the intention of adding honey to it.
> Much to my surprise the Maple Wine is fermenting out extremely quickly.

Dick,
I have made a very simple maple mead, as follows ( a small
batch, but Maple syrup is expensive down here in New Zealand):
1 qt maple syrup
1 lb clover (or other very light flavoured honey would work)
water to 1 gallon (heated to aid dissolving honey)

chuck the whole lot into a small carboy. I used Gervin C wine
yeast which is a champagne yeast. It fermented quickly, and fell
clear just as fast when it had finished. I didn't even get a
chance to put it into a secondary. One day it was fermenting
like crazy, and the next it stopped.

I didn't take an O.G reading, but it finished around 1.010.

tastes great, and ages well.

Aaron Marshall


Subject: Bread yeast
From: "Chuck Mongiovi" <mongiovi@rcn.com>
Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2005 08:48:45 -0500


> > unless you live so far out in the boonies that it's hard to get to a
brew shop
> I brewed a small batch (12 bottles) … *YUK*.

Really? .. I've always heard bad things about bread yeast, but before I
"knew better", I had been taught that bread yeast was OK ..

I brewed my first batch of straight mead using commercial grocery store
honey and fleishman's bread yeast .. no nutrients, acid blend, etc ..

I bottled it and started drinking it at 9 months ..

It is *still* my favorite straight mead to this day ..

  • -Chuck


 


End of Mead Lover's Digest #1159