Got Slime? Cinnamon nutmeg methglin trouble.

[collinear123]

I am a relatively new mazer (only been doing this a year) and have a chemistry (or is it food science) question. I wanted a spicy cinnamon nutmeg methglin with a bit of sweet left to it. I used about 5.5oz of Ground cinnamon, about 2.7oz of ground nutmeg, 5qt of local basswood honey, 1.5tsp acid blend, 1tsp Irish moss, 2tsp yeast energizer, 3tsp yeast nutrient, and 2tsp powdered pectic enzyme. I started this back on 2/22/04 I heated the must to get the honey and water to mix but did not boil. I added the spices and other ingredients at the end and mixed well. I had a bit of a hard time aerating the must because it was very viscous. I pitched the yeast (Lalvin EC1118) once the must was cooled appropriately. On 3/2/04 having very little activity with the must I took a few blenders worth of the must and whipped it. I then re-pitched. My notes indicate that on 3/4/04 the must was fermenting well (bubbling like mad actually). It has long finished fermenting now and has been racked at least 3 times. I have also added a liquid pectic enzyme twice since and it still has the consistency of drool. I guess there is some sliming agent present in the cinnamon but what is it. If it is a protein perhaps there is an enzyme that will break it down? I guess one lesson is that these spices should be used sparingly and not in powder form. Another lesson in the research that I have done has taught me that common cinnamon is not really cinnamon but Cassia (Cinnamomum cassia (L.) Presl) whereas true cinnamon is Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum). And the former is cheap and has a much higher content of this mystical sliming agent.

Any help on this one would be greatly appreciated. Perhaps though I need to feed the compost heap with this one.

 

[Oskaar]

OK, l have some questions for you.

From your post I gather this was your basic list of ingredients:

5.5oz of Ground cinnamon,
2.7oz of ground nutmeg
5qt of local basswood honey
1.5tsp acid blend
1tsp Irish moss
2tsp yeast energizer
3tsp yeast nutrient
2tsp powdered pectic enzyme

OK now the questions:
How much water did you use, and how much of the Lalvin EC-1118 Yeast did you use?
How come so much nutrient and the acid up front?
Was this from a recipe you found?

I don't think the cinnamon is the sliming agent but I need to know how much water you started with, and why you keep adding pectic enzyme (was it to clear the cinnamon and nutmeg?) since there's no fresh fruit in the mix?

Just a suggestion for your next posts, but try to put your recipe in the above format so it is a bit easier to read, and give us a new paragraph every three sentences or so.

Cheers,

Oskaar

 

[collinear123]

Sorry about the hard to read format.

This was a five-gallon batch. I heated about 5qts of the water with the rest of the ingredients and then mixed the rest of the water to make 5 gallons in a plastic bucket style fermenter.

As for the recipe I was following some guidelines but pretty much making it up. I have bottled 7 other recipe batches to date and all of it quite good though still young.

I used one 5g package of the yeast at the first pitch. At the second pitch I used another 5g package. As for the Nutrient, I was following a basic recipe that I had and modifying it. I figured that since the lees got left behind in racking, the amount of nutrient used would not hurt to be over a bit.

Articles that I have read stated that the acid helped to lower the pH and helped the yeast to thrive. Perhaps I am wrong about that. As I said I am still learning about this.

None of my other batches were this viscous and the basic recipe has been the same.

My understanding from jelly making is that it is the proteins (aka pectins) that make the jelly like consistency. Since I don’t have any other enzymes to deal with proteins I took a chance that the pectic enzyme might help. You should have seen the heated must, like 50weight motor oil and clingy like slime.

 

[Oskaar]

That's just too weird.

Usually pectinase is used to break down the fruit haze in melomels, but I've never seen the need to use it in a meth with just cinammon and nutmeg. I've done meths before and not had a sliming effect at all, or have it be really viscous so I'm really curious about what this turns out to be.

I understand what the nutrient, energizer and acid are all for, just wondering why you needed so much of the nutrient, and the acid up front?

I generally do not use ground cinnamon or nutmeg, but use the sticks and just crunch the nutmeg a bit. I wasn't aware that the C. cassia had any thickening agents in it. That's just . . . strange. I'll look around a bit. In the mean time maybe someone who has had this issue can be more help than I.

Oskaar

 

[Jmattioli]

That jelly like description sounds more like Vinegar mother to me. Taste it to remove my doubt. Maybe a fruit fly got in it.

You definitely overdid it with your cinnamon and nutmeg. I have used that kind but only a pinch per gallon. Its not the kind you used that makes it a problem but rather the quantity. Never heard of anyone using that much. I would seriously doubt that it would be drinkable.

Also the pectic enzyme was unnecessary as Oskaar mentioned.

Its a good practice when making 5 gallons to pitch 2 5g packets of yeast to start. But that is not your problem. Check the taste!

Joe