Mead Lover's Digest #1538 Wed 10 August 2011
Mead Lover's Digest #1538 Wed 10 August 2011
Mead Discussion Forum
Contents:
Ginger Flavor Extraction (nlkanous@netscape.net)
Ginger in Mead (Stephen Morley)
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Digest Janitor: Dick Dunn
Subject: Ginger Flavor Extraction
From: nlkanous@netscape.net
Date: Wed, 3 Aug 2011 17:14:01 -0400 (EDT)
Dick Dunn posits that maybe there is some difference in extraction /
efficiency variability in how ginger is used and how it impacts the final
flavor of a given mead.
I made Barkshack Ginger Mead once. I didn't use much ginger (per the
recipe) and it was my first batch ever. It's long since gone and, despite
people telling me how good it was, I think it probably wasn't very good.
Since that time I've had a few beers flavored with ginger.
As Dick suggested he likes ginger, I too like ginger. I eat candied ginger
as a treat. Canada Dry Ginger ale is absolute crap. I like Vernors for
ginger ale and some of the other "boutique" ginger ales because they actually
have flavor. I've had 2 varations of a ginger ale out of South Carolina
(or was it North?) that were "to die for". I do like lots of ginger.
I'm wondering if, when used in small quantities, the easily extracted
flavor / aroma compounds are different than what one may get with a much
larger addition? Surely with a larger addition, you'd get those same
compounds but maybe some additional compounds that "synergize" (OMG)
with them to make some thing better?
I only suggest that because most of the beverages that I've had that
were made with smaller quantities of ginger strike me as exceptionally
reminiscent of Pine Sol. I don't care to drink Pine Sol and I certainly
don't want to drink Pine Sol beer or Pine Sol mead. I'm always willing
to try someones "ginger whatever" but always expect to want to gag and
tell them "it tastes like Pine Sol".
I want the intense ginger flavor and the burn. So, because of that,
I'm gonna try that recipe with 3.5 kilotons of ginger (well, maybe not
that much but it's an award winner so I'm gonna make it as published and
judge for myself). Maybe some of you will be judging a competition and
I'll enter the resulting mead.
nathan
Subject: Ginger in Mead
From: Stephen Morley <stephen@morley.net>
Date: Thu, 04 Aug 2011 20:42:37 -0400
Like many here I have been following the ginger discussion and noting the
vast differences in the quantity called for. My own recipe (for something I
call FireWater) calls for 1lb of fresh ginger before cleaning. But I wonder
if the difference is a result of how the ginger is processed. In my case its
sliced and added to a sack with other spices which are then allowed to brew
in the kettle water at 180F for about 20 minutes. The sack is then removed
and I continue with the normal process (bring to boil, remove heat, add
honey, cool, inoculate).
Stephen
End of Mead Lover's Digest #1538
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