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Jelly Bean Mead?

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Servius82

Servius82

NewBee
Registered Member
Dec 8, 2021
12
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Olympia, WA
So I just had a random and crazy thought...

Mead\Wine\Cider is basically fermented sugar water right? I mean, yes that's a gross understatement I know. But Wine is fruit, sugar, water. Mead is honey and water, Cider is Juice, sugar, and water right? The sugar becomes alcohol. Again, I know I'm over simplifying it here but hear me out.

So I was wondering if it would be possible to make a jelly bean Mead\Wine. Jelly beans are basically just little pills of sugar right? So if I was to take a few pounds of jelly beans and add it to my primary, how would that affect it? Like if I made a Traditional Mead with say 3lbs honey and a gallon of water, could I also add 3lbs cherry jelly beans and make a dessert cherry mead? Or would I add it to the secondary for a back sweeten? What if I just used 3lbs of cherry jelly beans and a gallon of water? Would that make a cherry wine? Would it even ferment?

Also if there is no honey is it still mead? Would it be a wine? What abomination would I create?

Just a random thought I wanted to throw out there to the smart ones. I may play with this later if no one has an answer.
 
Same idea but with Starburst candy

Something like that might be a hard to ferment item depending on what is used in the candy. I generally do not use DAP, but this might be a good use to give the yeast a good push; just don't use it while the colony is first forming as it will kill them off if they haven't developed the cell walls yet.
 
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MightyMosin said:
Same idea but with Starburst candy

Something like that might be a hard to ferment item depending on what is used in the candy. I generally do not use DAP, but this might be a good use to give the yeast a good push; just don't use it while the colony is first forming as it will kill them off if they haven't developed the cell walls yet.
Click to expand...
Hey Mighty.
Listen. Please take this in the right spirit. I would always hope someone would correct me if I am wrong or semi-confused on an issue. I would like to tell help you out a bit, please. The cell walls are completely functional within secs of being placed into a wet solution. This is why we slow down and get anal about the rehydration process. You can super-charge your yeast during the rehydration period and make them bulletproof. Or, you can mess them up just the same in that half-second time that makes all the help/ or hurt happen to the yeast. Once they pass that split-second moment in time, the wall is able to control everything that passes in, or out of the membrane. So it's only critical to not rehydrate with DAP during your rehydration period. So your warning is good. Except for the timing. There is a very small window of time that the cell is unable to control its membrane. So in short. Anything that is in the rehydration slurry can, and will, get inside the cell as the membrane develops. This is why we do several things to make our yeast sumpermaned-out during the rehydration protocols. This is why modern methods have added such a buff to the yeast they can take ABV much farther than what is listed in the books
 
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This is only my personal take on making mead out of candy. It's great that people play with so many different things. I do the same. But. I think a lot of mead makers, especially in contests don't really take candy meads very seriously. Play on. And be proud of your good stuff. Make what you like. Just don't share shitty tasting mead with others. Unless they are deep down the rabbit hole. We do a disservice sharing crap to people that don't make / and/or make mead. So often I ask people if they like mead. And way too often I hear" the only mead I have has was shit". That helps no one in the craft. In the next few days, I might possibly be pouring more than 30 gallons of the stuff. It's not bad. But it's not great. And I can't share this because it's below the standard I have to give away my stuff. I'm sure what I might pitch would be good, or even pretty good for some people. But I'm just tired of forking with it and need some empty glass. So it's just time to feed the grass. Or maybe weeds. LOL
 
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