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Zymurgy mead recipe

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Summersolstice

Summersolstice

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Aug 14, 2005
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Did anyone see the mead recipe in the current Zymurgy mag? The recipe can be found in an article describing the first 30 years of AHA and its Zymurgy magazine. This particular recipe was among several beer recipes and it appeared in 1992. The AHA legacy results in questions and recipe concoctions we still hear from those times 15 or 20 years ago when mead looked much different than it does today. The article describes Alberta Frost, a sparkling mead. I won't repeat the 5 gallon recipe verbatim from the article but it did call for 4 ounces (!) of tartaric acid, Irish Moss, and liquid oak extract ( ??? ). As expected, it also calls for "boiling and skimming" and it neglects to tell us how the results became "sparkling". Thank God for gotmead.com, huh?
 
Anyone want to prepare a list of corrections to make the recipe work better? I haven't gotten my Zymurgy yet, so I haven't seen the recipe.
 
Sounds to me like you just volunteered.

It would be a good project for you to see what you can change about the recipe to adjust the recipe for a more modern approach, and improve on the fermentation kinetics.

There's plenty of resource in the Patron Section as you know, so I say give it a whirl dude. We'll help if you have questions.

Hope you give this a try.

Cheers,

Oskaar
 
Haven't seen the recipe in question myself, but I've seen enough bad info on-line that, like Wayne said, it's a wonder they ferment at all.

BYO had some good melomel info this past summer (July-August 2008). I followed some of Curt Stock's protocol in a batch started 8/26/08 (~8 weeks ago?). The sample shared with my wife two nights ago prompted her to ask if it was going to get bottled this week. Amazingly drinkable for being so young.


Summersolstice said:
Thank God for gotmead.com, huh?
Click to expand...

That, too, of course! :icon_thumright:
 
I feel up for the challenge. I'll give it a whirl when my copy of Zymurgy arrives, assuming I'm not swamped with classwork.
 
I'm not sure I would try this recipe simply because if calls for boiling the honey for a short time, with no water added, to carmalize some of the sugars, and I wouldn't want to try and clean that mess out of one of my pots... ;-)
 
skunkboy said:
I'm not sure I would try this recipe simply because if calls for boiling the honey for a short time, with no water added, to carmalize some of the sugars, and I wouldn't want to try and clean that mess out of one of my pots... ;-)
Click to expand...

Actually, that's why Punkideas is going to work on "modernizing" the recipe which would include losing the acid additions, and doing it in a no-heat method.

Cheers,

Oskaar
 
I got my issue of Zymurgy, and there are two mead recipes. One is the Alberta Frost recipe, which looks like a standard clover sparkling mead recipe using techniques from the early 90s. The other is a Castle Bochet recreation, a mead that uses a portion of intentionally caramelized honey which uses more modern techniques (like no boil for the honey besides caramelization), but uses only a generic up-front nutrient addition. The one I will correct will be the Alberta Frost recipe, since there are changes that should be made besides changing the nutrient addition. So here goes:

Modern Frost
12# Raw unfiltered clover honey (any light honey can be used as a substitute)
6 grams of EC-1118 yeast rehydrated in 7.5 grams of Go-Ferm dissolved in 104 degree water
Water to 5 gallons
No Irish moss
Acid Blend (very optional)
Staggered nutrient addition of DAP and Fermaid-K that has been discussed to death elsewhere on this forum (I'm too lazy to pull up the exact amounts right now)
Estimated OG of 1.085
Estimated FG of 1.000
Estimated 11.2% ABV
Dissolve honey completely in room temperature (~68 degrees) and add aerate using preferred method. Pitch the yeast and wait until end of lag phase to add the first nutrient addition and aerate again. Aerate daily until SG has dropped to 1.057 and add final nutrient addition and aeration. After this, rouse yeast using either a lees stirrer or gentle stirring as needed until fermentation has completed. After the fermentation has ended and most of the yeast has dropped out of solution, rack into secondary and age for desired amount of time (longer is better). After aging, adjust flavor of mead using acid blend if needed (once again, very optional), and prime batch with 5 oz of honey before bottling in beer or sparkling wine bottles. Bottle contion for at least two weeks before drinking. If extended aging was used, the mead may have to be reyeasted with an additional dose of EC-1118 to properly carbonate.
 
a rule of thumb is 1g/gallon on nutrients. 1 g of fermaid K is roughly 1/4 tsp. Same for DAP. ;)
 
Punkideas,

Since you are busy with school, thought I would help. Here is your modern update of the recipe formatted per Oskaar'z method including the nutrient schedule:

Modern Frost

Batch Size - 5 Gallons
Estimated OG of 1.085
Estimated FG of 1.000
Estimated 11.2% ABV

Ingredients:
12 lbs Clover Honey (any light honey can be used as a substitute)
6 g EC-1118 yeast
7.5 g Go-Ferm
H20 to 5 Gallons
4 g Fermaid-K
2 g DAP

Must Processing:
Fill a 6 gallon fermentation bucket to about 4 gallons with water
Add honey slowly while mixing with a lees-stirrer
Check your volume and adjust as necessary to 5 gallons

Yeast Rehydration:
Prepare a solution of 100 ml H20 @110 F + 7.5 g Go-Ferm
Add 6 g of EC-1118 yeast when temperature drops to 104 F, stir and let stand no more than 15 minutes longer before inoculating your must
Stir again

Must innoculation:
Pour 1/2 gallon of must from your 6 gallon bucket into your 6 gallon carboy
Innoculate the must with re-hydrated yeast slurry
Finish filling to 5 gallons
Aerate well
Cover with sanitized cloth and secure
Check for foaming on the surface of the must which indicates the end of the lag phase

Fermentation Management:
At end of lag phase aerate well and add a mixture of 4 grams Fermaid-K and 2 grams DAP rehydrated in 100 ml distilled H2O; aerate well.
Aerate twice daily until 1/3 sugar break
At 1/3 sugar break add 3 grams Fermaid K rehydrated in 50 ml H2O and aerate well
At 2/3 sugar break add 3 grams Fermaid K rehydrated in 50 ml H2O and aerate well
Airlock and put in racking rotation row

Aging:
Monitor the must temperature and take steps to ensure that aging temperature stays steady as close to 68 degrees as possible
Check gravity and perform sensory analysis monthly
Bulk age for 2-3 years
If acid addition is deemed necessary, add in 1/4 tsp increments until desired acidity is reached (dry Meads usually do not need to have acid to balance sweetness since there is not any)

Bottling:
Prime Mead with 5 oz. Honey (blanket Mead with CO2 and mix in carefully so as not to aerate)
Re-innoculate with 1 g EC-1118 yeast dissolved in 50 ml water
Bottle condition for at least 2 weeks
 
I think it looks pretty great. Angus, thanks for the format.

Punkideas, very nicely put together, it should work pretty nicely!

Great job!

Cheers,

Oskaar
 
I don't think it's exactly appropriate to post the original recipe, since it is a copyrighted work. Let's just say the original had 4 oz of tartaric acid, irish moss, and very vague instructions ;)
 
Think of a young overly acidic wine and you'll have an ideal of acid bite.

Adding the acid up front pushes the pH to lower/higher, on the acid scale so when mead is in the general 3.5 - 4.0 range generally, the acid would push it lower, say 3.2 or below 3.0. Yeast get stressed and refuse to work, general strike called, picket lines, press coverage, negotiations, arbitrations and nothing really gets done. Damn those yeast labor unions.

Cheers,

Oskaar
 
I'll let you find those yeast strains, although good luck in getting them all to ferment at the same time.
 
punkideas said:
I'll let you find those yeast strains, although good luck in getting them all to ferment at the same time.
Click to expand...

Almost as bad as the teamsters! LOL

Anyway, your recipe looks great and should yield a very fine tasting mead.

Cheers,

Oskaar
 
Thanks punkideas and Angus for the recipe...What are the chances you could do the same for the Bochet?

Is there a chance to get a modern version of that?

Vino
 
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