852 lines
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852 lines
44 KiB
Plaintext
From: ralf@cs.uq.oz.au (Ralf Muhlberger)
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Newsgroups: rec.crafts.brewing
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Subject: Re: Wanted: Mead recipes [long]
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Message-ID: <12227@uqcspe.cs.uq.oz.au>
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Date: 1 Mar 93 21:20:39 GMT
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Lines: 844
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STOKKE@NDSUVM1.BITNET writes:
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>Some friends recently invited us to their annual wild game feed, and during
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>the meal, the conversation eventually wound its way around to our recent
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>exploits into the area of home brewing. In response to our boasting, we have
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>been asked to provide beverages suitable to the vension and wild fowl menu
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>for next years feast. After careful consideratin, it was determined that
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>a flagon of mead would be the natural choice. We are therefore searching
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>for a recipe or the location to purchase the appropiate materials to make
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>this beverage. If anyone has a recipe, or any other info they think we might
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>need, we would love to see it posted or e-mailed to stokke@vm1.nodak.edu.
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>Thanks for the help.
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>Sincerely,
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>Moose and Rocko ( aka Brian Runge and Tom Stokke )
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I recently sent the same request to the recipes newsgroup, and received
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several replies, which I'll post at the end here. My thanks again to
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everyone who mailed me with recipes. I'll start brewing soon :-)
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Ralf
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-------------------------------- cut here --------------------------------
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Date: Wed, 21 Sep 88 02:23:45 mdt
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Subject: Mead Recipes -- AT LAST!
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Original-From: <mhalley%MUN.BITNET@CORNELLC.CCS.CORNELL.EDU>
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Ye Olde Batte's PROVEN Recipes
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Basic Metheglyn
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(Took First Prize at Homebrewers Competition) Put three pounds (1 quart) light
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honey to about a gallon of water and heat to just below boiling. Skim off as
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much as you can of the white froth & discard. Add a palmful of whole cloves,
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a handful of stick cinnamon, and a couple of palmfuls of whole allspice. Add
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the zest (thin outer peel) of one medium-large orange. Remove and discard the
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white pith from the orange and crush the remainder into the pot. Add one cup
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double-strength black tea (two teabags to one cup boiling water). Keep the
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whole mess at steaming (NOT BOILING) temperature for two to five hours. Cool
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to lukewarm ("baby-bottle" or "blood" temperature) and strain or rack (siphon)
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into one or two large bottles, filling only to the "shoulder" of each bottle.
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Add one or two tablespoonfuls of dry yeast to each bottle and attach airlock.
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(Mead is the ONLY fermented product it is not only safe, but often preferable
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to use bread yeast to manufacture). You may want to leave the bottles
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"unlocked" for 12-24 hours to give the yeasty-beasties a headstart. Leave in
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warm, but not hot, place for 7-21 days, or until airlock "breaks." Rack into
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clean bottles. You may top up with clean water, if you wish. This lightens
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the flavour and assists in the mellowing process. DON'T use processed city
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water! Age in cool spot for AT LEAST six weeks -- it can safely go for a
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year. Rack once more when it looks clear, and be sure always to leave all the
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GUCK in the bottom of the bottle whenever you rack. ENJOY IN MODERATION --
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NOTHING is as bad as a mead hangover!
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Wylde-Rose-Petal Metheglyn
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Use basic recipe as above, but reduce cloves to 5 or 6 large -- count 'em --
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and add one whole nutmeg, split in half, and one or two one-pint ziploc
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bagfuls of fresh (or frozen) rose petals. Wild roses are the best for this,
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as they are more fragrant; the red or pink have more flavour than the white.
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When you pick, go for the newly opened or just opening flowers; take ONLY the
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petals; pack 'em as tightly in the bags as you can. They store well in the
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freezer until use (but not overlong). This recipe makes a smaller volume of
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product than the basic, but the bouquet and flavour are unique and delightful
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and the colour is GORGEOUS!
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Melomel/Cyser
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Use basic recipe, but eliminate allspice, scant other spices, add a nodule of
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fresh ginger root, peeled and cut in pieces; omit the tea; use a tad more
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yeast; and REPLACE THE WATER WITH FRUIT OR BERRY JUICE. It's unusual, but
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"Gran' shtuff!" When apple juice is used, it can be called cyser. Make sure
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juice is fresh and has NO preservatives or "spoilage retardants," 'cause it
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won't ferment if it does. Cyser or pear melomel are FANTASTIC when drunk warm
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in the winter. Glenn & Faith's Rose Petal Wine Pick 4-8 quarts rose petals
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(firmly packed) 10 days to two weeks after last spraying and let cold water
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run over them for ten minutes to wash off any residual gunk. Bring two
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gallons of water (the GOOD stuff) to a boil, put petals in a crock, and pour
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the boiling water over them. When it has cooled, squeeze the petals
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thoroughly by hand to get all the scented liquid out. Strain the result into
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an enamel pot, squeezing out every drop of juice, add 6-8 pounds of sugar,
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bring to SLOW boil, and brew for 20 minutes or so. Pour back into CLEAN
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crock, let cool to lukewarm, dissolve 1/2 ounce yeast in 1/2 cup warm water,
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and add. Cover. (Air-lock should be applied at this point, if you have one.)
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Let ferment 14-21 days. Rack off. Let stand until clear. Re-rack and
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bottle. Age for AT LEAST a year. SERVE COLD!
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Rowanberry Wine (I FOUND IT!)
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Gather berries when ripe and dry. Pick clean from stalks and place in large
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container (a plastic beer bucket is excellent). Cover with boiling water and
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let stand 4-5 days, muddling occasionally. (It takes about 2 1/2 lbs.
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berries per gallon of water.) Strain off liquor, measure, and allow one pound
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sugar per gallon. Put sugar in large vessel, pour in liquor, stir until
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dissolved, add one ounce crushed fresh ginger root, and leave to ferment 10-12
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days (or longer if still actively working). NB: You may add yeast and/or
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nutrient if you're more interested in success than in tradition. Close
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tightly and allow to age 6 months before bottling. Store in cool, dry place.
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NB: Rowan, called "dogberry" in some places, and "rountree" in others, is
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actually the European mountain ash. Native North American mountain ash will
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work, but not as well. The product is fairly astringent, but good, and the
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colour is lovely. Now, who's going to get back to me with the elderblow
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recipe?? You have all my secrets that I can send in the mail.
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Toast (Spanish):
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Bendito sea el arbol
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De donde sacaron la madera
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De que hicieron el cabo del martillo
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Con que clavaron la pila
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En que te bautizaron.
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>Blessed be the tree
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>From which they took the wood
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>From which they made the handle of the hammer
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>That nailed the nails into the font
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>Where you were baptized.
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This is to be said in one breath and one's glass must be emptied before one is
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allowed to inhale again.
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Love yez,
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Ye Olde Batte
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From: The Cooking of Scandinavia/ Time Life Books (c)1968
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SIMA
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Lemon-flavored Mead (Finnish)
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To make 5 quarts
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2 large lemons
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1/2 cup granualated sugar
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1/2 cup brown sugar
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5 quarts boiling water
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1/8 teaspoon yeast
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5 tsp. sugar
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15 raisins
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With a small, sharp knife or rotary peeler, carefully peel off the yellow
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skins of the lemons and set them aside. Then cut away the white membranes of
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the lemons and discard them. Slice the lemons very thinly. In a 6 to
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8-quart enameled or stainless-steel bowl, combine the lemon slices, lemon
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skins and the two sugars. Pour the boiling water over the fruit and sugar,
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stir, and let the mixture cool to tepid. Then stir in the yeast. Allow the
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Sima to ferment, uncovered at room temperature for about 12 hours. To
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bottle, use 5 one-quart bottles with very tight covers or corks. Place 2
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teaspoon of sugar and 3 raisins in the bottom of each bottle. Strain the
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Sima through a sieve and, using a funnel, pour the liquid into the bottles.
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Close the bottles tightly and let them stand at room temperature for 1 or 2
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days until the raisins have risen to the surface. Chill the sealed bottles
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until ready to serve.
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I hope this is what you were looking for.
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Don Havens
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d.havens@dartmouth.edu
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Ralf,
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Things about Mead.
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The less honey, the lighter the drink, and the quicker it can be made.
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1 pound of honey per gallon of water is the minimum, 5 pounds per gallon is
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the maximum for a sweet dessert wine. If you add dark berries to the
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mead mixture it will tend to mature earlier. Some say that it takes at least
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1 year for a mead to age properly and others say 4-5 years. I have found
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that 6 months to 1 years is a good period. There are several books out there
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that talk about making mead. I do not recall the exact title but any
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local homebrew shop should have them.
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If you want more just post on the homebrew group.
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Relax have a homebrew.
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Kent Reinhard
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Space Telescope Science Institute.
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Recipe: Mead - "Same As It Every Was"
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3 gallons water
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5 pound honey
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2 teaspoons yeast nutient
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1 ounce hops (Cascades)
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1 package yeast (champagne, wine or ale)
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In pot boil honey, water, nutients and hops for 30 minutes. Let cool to
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about 100F and then add yeast starter. I usually find it easier to mix
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the yeast with warm water and then pour into the container. Let mixure sit
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for 7 days and then transfer the liquid to another container. Allow this
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to sit for 1-2 months covered and at room tempeture. Rack to your choice
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of containers.
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If you are not famiar with the brewing process you should try to pick up
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some books on it before you start with.
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Hi Ralf,
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--------------------------------------------------------------------
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From: ralf@cs.uq.oz.au (Ralf Muhlberger)
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Subject: REQUEST: Mead
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Date: 23 Feb 93 07:00:27 GMT
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Well, that pretty much covers it in the header. Does anyone have a
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recipe to make that medieval delight, mead?
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Thanks already, go placidly,
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Ralf
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------
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I am sending you a compilation of recipes from the net on making mead. I
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think these all came from rec.food.drink. Good luck!
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Toki
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Toki Noguchi |Take a pinch of this and a shake of that
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HP Santa Rosa, MWTD |And a splash of something good.
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Archaeologists date anything! |'Cause a cook just knows by the twitch of
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tokin@hpmwmat.HP.COM |her nose, the way a good cook should.FraggleRock
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Mead Recipes
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----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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>From bemo@spacsun.rice.edu Thu Aug 8 16:40:01 1991
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The following is based upon my own experiences in brewing, and information
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that I have gleaned from various publications on wine and beer-making. First, I
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will deal with 'long' meads, and then quicker 'short' meads for the impatient
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at heart.
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Mead is really not that difficult to make. I am hardly a wizened master
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(having only 6 gallons of production under my belt, so to speak), but I will
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venture to state that anyone patient and clean enough by nature can make quite
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a nice brew at home.
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First, let me say that it is much easier to do if you have a homebrew supply
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store in town. It is possible to get everything you need mail order, but
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nothing tops the convenience and inspirational value of actually browsing in a
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store. All that you would need to get from there is the yeast and airlocks;
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anything else could be found or substituted from other sources.
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So let's get to basics. Get lots of honey, preferably clover honey
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(try your local 'health food' store; mine has bulk honey for 1.19/lb., although
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it is not clover). Use from 2-4 pounds per U.S. gallon of water, depending on
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your desired sweetness and alcohol level. 3 pounds should get you a slightly
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sweet white wine-ish mead.
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Boil the honey in the water, skimming off the grayish-brown foam which
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will form on top, until the foam is no longer formed at a rapid rate (I usually
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wait until it takes about 2 minutes to form enough foam to skim effectively.)
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Now you need to add some fruit; for 2 gallons, I usually add a lime and an
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orange, with about 1 oz. of ginger to boot. You can use any citrus you like,
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in almost any amount you like. The purpose of this, besides taste, is to
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balance the wine; it also prevents oxidation later on. Cut it up, throw it in,
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but remember to minimize the amount of white pith that goes into the pot, as
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it adds an unpleasantly bitter taste to the wine. I usually grate some peel
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into the pot, then squeeze in the juice, with some pulp thrown in as well.
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Peel the ginger, cut it up, throw it in; grating will utilize more of the
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ginger, but makes it harder to strain out. Also, nothing beats the zingy taste
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of ginger boiled in honey water! What the hell, eat the fruit too, it's good
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for you.
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OK, so you have some hot pre-mead, now what? Let it cool, preferably
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covered, until you can handle it reasonably well. Now you need a narrow-necked
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container, preferably glass. I use 1-gallon apple juice jugs. There are also
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large plastic tubs, with a tight-fitting lid that has a small hole drilled in it
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for the airlock, which works equally as well. These are available at homebrew
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shops as well, and are especially helpful for those big batches.
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The key to preventing any unwanted contamination of your mead is cleanliness.
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Clean and sterilize your container, with either sodium metabisulphite (also at
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HBrew shops) or with a bleach solution (no more than two tablespoons per gallon
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of water). Chlorine bleach will kill the nasty organisms, but requires a lot of
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hot water rinses of the container afterwards. Sodium metabisulfites are the
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sulfites in commercial wines, but they only inhibit growth, and can also cause
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allergic reactions. So if you can't drink commercial wines without a reaction
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(except, of course, that pleasant drunk feeling), go with the bleach. One could
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also attempt to use heat to sterilize the equipment (say, the heat-dry cycle of
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a dishwasher), but personally I do not recommend this,as it canhave a disastrous
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effect on the glass (and anything in range if it breaks apart).
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Once it is sterilized and well-rinsed, fill your container with cooled mead.
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Try to strain it as you fill; bits of fruit pulp and peel should not be allowed
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to remain while fermenting, as it may start to decay and spoil all your effort.
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Cover and alloe to cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, prepare your airlock,
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sterilizing it as you did the container. Fill it halfway with either water or
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sulfite solution at the appropriate strength (check the package), and definitely
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NOT with bleach solution. Removing the airlock or pressure changes may suck
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some of the solution into the mead, and the bleach would make it undrinkable.
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Sulfite solution is preferred (since water could be infected by the dreaded
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vinegar fly), and it won't poison the product.
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When the mead is fully cooled, you can now add the yeast. It is considered
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best to take a little of the mead in a beer bottle, add the yeast packet, and
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let it start off to the side before adding it to the entire batch; this becomes
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really necessary if your batch is in several jugs, instead of just one. Also,
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it is very important to use a yeast nutrient, which should be right next to the
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yeast when you buy it. You will need about 1 teaspoon per gallon, since honey
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is extremely deficient in the chemicals necessary for yeast to reproduce.
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The choice of yeast could be important; most meadmakers steer clear of ale
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yeasts, since they have a low alcohol tolerance (9%?) and reportedly impart
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an unwanted flavor to the mead. I myself have used ale yeasts, with no
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undesirable effects. Preferably, one should use a mead yeast, but if not, a wine
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or Champagne yeast work just as well.
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Now you just add the yeast and nutrient, and fit the airlock over the mouth
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of your container (a variety of sizes of rubber stoppers are available, so don't
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be concerned with whether ornot your bottle is the 'right' size for the airlock.
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Be sure to test your stopper first, to see if it will hold the seal). Put it
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in a corner somewhere, and watch it go.
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I have had experiences where the fermentation was so violent that mead foam
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was forced through the airlock. It is not that large of a concern; just clean it
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up every once in a while,fill the airlock again(see why you don't want bleach!),
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and reseal the container.This is another reason to strain the mixture; you don't
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want to block the airlock, or your meadmaking could soon become an experiment in
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bomb making! Check on it ever once in a while, to make sure the carbon dioxide
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is escaping. It will soon calm down, and the soft, steady bloop sounds which
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brewers all cherish from their airlocks will soon sing you to sleep.
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The hardest part is now upon us -- waiting. Mead takes excrutiatingly long
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to ferment, since the sugars in it are so complex. This is when it is handy to
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have a hydrometer, which is just a cheap device to measure the specific gravity
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(and hence the sugar content) of your brew. If you have one, read the enclosed
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instructions;if not, don't worry about it. You will just have to be more patient
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and observant is all. Watch your mead; a layer of yeast will fall to the bottom
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of your container (so clear glass is preferable). When the layer is substantial,
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you will want to siphon the mead into another container, so that the dead yeast
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there will not break down and spoil the mead. This will take on the order of two
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to three months, and then again in another two to three months. After these two
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transfers (called 'racking'), the mead should be 'clear'; if it is cloudy, the
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yeast haven't finished yet, so let it sit some more. If the mead is clear but
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bubbles are still visible, the yeast haven't finished yet. If no deposit forms,
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it is clear, and no bubbles are visible, then the yeast are probably through,
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and you can bottle.
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Sterilize the bottles that you plan to use as you did the other equipment.
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Since mead sometimes fools you into believing it is done, Champagne bottles are
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preferable. If any bottle fermentation does take place, you do not want it in
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regular bottles, or without the cork wired down. If you wish, regular bottles
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can be used, but be sure to use a wine stabilizer,and only after fermentation is
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complete. Until you are experienced, better safe than sorry (and messy). Siphon
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your mead into the bottles and cork. Plastic corks are just fine to use, and
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are reusable. Cages are also reusable, to a point, if you have trouble getting
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new ones. If you've done it all right, no sediment should form, and you should
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have a fine still mead. If not, bottle fermentation has taken place, you have a
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little sediment around the punt of your Champagne bottle, and you have fine
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sparkling mead (or else you've cleaned up your winerack, if you used a regular
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bottle). Age as long as you can stand, up to two years, but open one fairly
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early, as reward and to check for bottle fermentation.
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To intentionally make sparkling mead, you need to have made a low-alcohol
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batch (I'd say <= 2.5 lb/gallon), and you really should buy a hydrometer to tell
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you when it is finished. In this case you must use a high-alcohol wine yeast;
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ale yeast will not work. When it is, remove a small portion of mead, boil it,
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and add some sugar to the boiling mead, cover and cool, and add back to the
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batch. I do not have the reference that I want nearby, but for beer the amount
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is 4 oz. per gallon, so that should be about right. Less is OK, more is not
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recommended. Then bottle in Champagne bottles (or beer bottles -- Grolsch
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bottles are very good for this, and replacement seals are available). Wait a few
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weeks (longer if honey was used), chill, and pour the mead carefully off of the
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sediment (you Chimay ale drinkers know what I mean). This is why you may want
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to use less sugar in the bottle than 4 oz; the bubbles released when opening can
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force the sediment off of the bottom of the bottle and into your glass, so fizzy
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mead becomes fizzy yeasty mead, which can be comestibly and gastrically
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unpleasant.
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Once you have a few batches under your belt, you can add fruit, hops, more
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ginger, whatever you think would taste good. Amounts are generally a pound or so
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of fruit, an ounce or so of hops, per gallon. Experimentation, though sometimes
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yielding unfortunate results, is the key to getting what you want. However, if
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fruit is to be used, do not boil it (it may jellify), and if you can, sterilize
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it with sulfites and add pectic enzyme to the brew. Crush it, add it, and make
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sure that it does not clog the airlock.If you use hops, I suggest a mild variety
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like Fuggles or Cascade. More bitter hops could be used, but I would relegate
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them only to the quick sparkling meads,where the beer quality is more pronounced
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and less invasive than in wines.
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Now that you have made a long mead, you'll need to make a quick mead to
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drink while you wait. Use about 2-2.5 lbs of honey per gallon; any more, and the
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yeast may take to long, depriving you of the relatively quick satisfaction you
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seek. Also, I suggest using an ale yeast, despite all convention. After all,
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you are essentially making honey beer here, not wine, which by its very nature
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needs to be delicate and well-aged. Do that mead thing just like before. Allow
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vigorous fermentation to run its course. In ten to twenty days, the mead should
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have settled down. Ale yeast is a top-fermenting yeast, so it works best in a
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warm environment. Because we want to arrest fermentation, we need to cool it.
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Find a place in your fridge where the bottle can stand up with the airlock init,
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and stick it there. The yeast will slow down and sink, and thus the mead will
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start to clear. When it is clear, bottle in either beer or Champagne bottles,
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|
and leave it out for a day or two if you want it carbonated, then refrigerate.
|
|
If you wish, wait a little longer, then transfer it instead into a plastic
|
|
thermos, and drink it quickly. If it's too yeasty, next time wait longer.
|
|
Wait a week for the sediment to form, then drink. Do not wait too long; bottle
|
|
fermentation will soon make the mead gush out of the bottle when opened, mixing
|
|
the yeast back in the mead. If this starts to occur, you must rebottle or face
|
|
the consequences. The longer you can wait until bottling, the more unlikely
|
|
that you end up with little mead time bombs in your fridge. This is the other
|
|
reason for using ale yeast; its low alcohol tolerance will end fermentation
|
|
earlier than wine yeast, lowering the danger limit to your bottles (and you).
|
|
As anecdotal evidence, I relate the story of my ginger beer, which when opened,
|
|
put a plastic Champagne cork imprint on my ceiling, followed by the entire
|
|
contents of the bottle, which then proceeded to ginger-bathe my entire kitchen.
|
|
(By the way, the kitchen smelled great). I then had to go in the back yard and
|
|
defuse the remaining four bottles, hitting the back fence three out of four
|
|
shots. Sparkling mead demands respect, and usually gets it from whomever it
|
|
wishes. Aged sparkling mead is sparkling mead with an attitude. Really old
|
|
sparkling mead doesn't kill people, people kill people. I know people who
|
|
would rather rip their own heads off than open a bottle of really old sparkling
|
|
mead.
|
|
After several batches of quick mead, it will become apparent what variations
|
|
to try, and which of these you wish to try with your long meads. Once again, I
|
|
stress the virtues of experimentation, especially with these quick meads, in
|
|
which you have invested a lot less waiting and bother, and hence won't be so
|
|
disappointed if something goes awry. The best laid plans o' mice and mead...
|
|
|
|
While this discussion is by no means a definitive guide on meads, I feel
|
|
that it should clear up some misconceptions on the subject, some of which have
|
|
been propogated through folios and articles within the SCA itself, including the
|
|
first Knowne World Handbooke, which I feel really shows it age in this topic.
|
|
The technology and literature on the subject of homebrewing has increased
|
|
severalfold since its penning, and it would be folly to discount it only on
|
|
the basis of period accuracy and perceived complexity. Become the life of the
|
|
barony, and earn the respect of your heavy fighters. Kiss up to the king,
|
|
and bring your wares to the war. Everybody loves a brewer!
|
|
|
|
Voue'
|
|
|
|
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
Brian D. Moore (Voue' Alechec)| Homebrewing -- the only sport open exclusively
|
|
Space Physics and Astronomy | to anal-retentive alcoholics.
|
|
Rice University, Houston TX | Relax -- have a home brew.
|
|
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
>From gary@cdthq Tue Jun 19 21:18:14 1990
|
|
|
|
boutell@freezer.it.udel.edu (Tom Boutell) writes:
|
|
> Can anyone provide me with a recipe for mead? I'm curious about the
|
|
> possibilities. Thanks!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sure. From "First Steps in Winemaking", by Charles J. J. Berry:
|
|
|
|
Ingredients:
|
|
4 lb honey 1 orange 1 lemon 1 nutrient tablet
|
|
pectic enzyme yeast 1 gallon water
|
|
|
|
(Makes one gallon)
|
|
|
|
Put the honey in the water and bring to a boil. (I understand that
|
|
many people disagree, and only bring it to about 165F.) Pour into
|
|
your primary fermentation vessel and allow to cool. Add the juice
|
|
from the lemon and orange, yeast, and nutrient. Fit an airlock
|
|
and allow to ferment to completion--this is liable to take much
|
|
longer than most country wines (as he calls them)--and rack when
|
|
no further bubbles are passing thru the airlock. (If you can
|
|
stand to...) mead should be matured for a year.
|
|
|
|
I've made three batches of mead, using this basic recipe. For your
|
|
primary fermentation, go straight into a carboy. One batch of mine
|
|
was so vigorous it bubbled out thru the airlock, something I've
|
|
only had happen one other time. I experimented with more honey
|
|
in my second batch, and results were not good; oversweet. If you
|
|
know a beekeeper, you need about 1 gallon of honey to make 5 gallons
|
|
of mead. It's possible to substitute a tablespoon or so of citric
|
|
acid for the lemon and orange juice, or use frozen concentrate.
|
|
|
|
The mead I made was popular, and I've another gallon of honey
|
|
ready for the next batch....
|
|
|
|
Gary Heston, at home....
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
|
|
>From gary@cdthq.UUCP Thu Jan 17 18:40:22 1991
|
|
|
|
euclid@lindy.stanford.edu (Stephanie Moore-Fuller) writes:
|
|
> [ Gary mentions that he buys honey to make mead ]
|
|
>
|
|
> Would you be willing to post your mead recipe?
|
|
|
|
Well, it's one of those things that's made in many variations over a
|
|
common base, by adding small amounts of spices or flavorings.
|
|
|
|
Briefly, to make a 5 gallon batch of plain mead, start with one
|
|
gallon of honey (about 10-12lb, I think--my suppliers just use 1 gal
|
|
syrup jugs). Pour about a quart into a pot with about a half-gallon
|
|
of water, and heat until it's warm enough to pasteurize it (I use
|
|
raw honey from local beekeepers), say about 170F (77C). Some recipies
|
|
say boil it, some say don't ever... I've used both, but not closely
|
|
enough to pass judgement. The two batches in the kitchen now were
|
|
not boiled. I covered the pot and turned off the heat, to let it
|
|
sit for a few minutes at temperature. Note that you should be stirring
|
|
almost constantly to dissolve the honey, and keep it from scorching
|
|
(this is the only real pain about mead making, very simple otherwise).
|
|
Allow it to cool to about room temp (I pour it into another pot in the
|
|
sink, with cold water running around it. Cover the pot to keep the
|
|
mix from being contaminated by airborne dust, yeasts, or bacteria.).
|
|
When cool, pour into your primary fermentation vessel (I use a 5 gal
|
|
glass carboy), and repeat with all the honey (the objective is to not
|
|
end up with not more than 4.5 gallons of the honey-water mixture, you
|
|
should add water to this level--but NOT to the 5 gal mark, yet!).
|
|
Add 5 winemaking nutrient tablets, or juice from one lemon, and yeast.
|
|
Some people use Champagne yeast; some use other wine yeast; strange
|
|
people like me use Fleishmanns' Rapid-Rise. Your choice; you'll get
|
|
higher attenuation with the Champagne yeast, at $1 or so a pack, the
|
|
Rapid-Rise is cheaper, and works OK for me. (To the brewers/vintners
|
|
out there: I've been flamed already; it didn't make me change. Don't
|
|
bother....:-) )
|
|
|
|
Put an airlock-and-stopper assembly (about $2.50 total, here) in the
|
|
carboy. Fermentation should be noticable within 6-8 hours, and roaring
|
|
in 24. It takes about 10 days for primary fermentation to finish (this
|
|
is the most vigorous stage), which you can determine by the 1.5-2"
|
|
layer of sediment on the bottom and a marked reduction in activity
|
|
(one glub per minute thru the airlock, instead of twelve per minute).
|
|
I siphon the clear liquid (looks like tea in color, darkness varies
|
|
depending upon the honey) into another carboy, add water to the
|
|
5 gallon level, install the airlock, and let it proceed thru
|
|
secondary fermentation. This will be at least 2 weeks, and can be
|
|
allowed to run for months, if you're not in a hurry. If you get
|
|
a lot more sediment, siphon it again (this is called "racking" or
|
|
"racking off" in the winemaking world). My secondaries seem to
|
|
throw less than 1/2" of sediment.
|
|
|
|
When it's done (or you can't wait any longer) add 5 Campden tablets
|
|
(75/$2.50) to kill off the last of the yeast (unless you're trying
|
|
to make sparkling mead, in which case you should know what you're
|
|
doing). Give them a day to work, then bottle. I've started using
|
|
16oz soft drink bottles, since they're cheap and convenient. I start
|
|
drinking mine at this point, you may want to age it for a while.
|
|
|
|
That's basic mead. My current two batches are spiced, with a little
|
|
cinnamon and nutmeg (in one, boiled in one batch of mix, in the other
|
|
just tossed into the primary), to see how they'll come out. Other
|
|
spices can be used to your taste; fruit can be added (cherry and
|
|
blueberries that I've heard of, I may try blackberries next time)
|
|
and it becomes a melomel instead of just mead. There are at least
|
|
as many variations as there are people making it. Smaller batches
|
|
are possible, of course; 5 gallons are convenient for me. My sources
|
|
want $10 for a gallon of honey; beyond that, nutrients and Campden
|
|
tablets add perhaps another $.50 or so, to yield about $2.10/gallon
|
|
material cost. It takes me about an hour to start a batch, and
|
|
10 minutes or so each time to rack it. You end up with an interesting
|
|
beverage, somewhat stronger than beer, at about $.20/12oz serving.
|
|
|
|
Normal brewing/vintning sanitary proceedures apply, of course,
|
|
but that's another message about this size that you can read in
|
|
any wine/beer making book.
|
|
|
|
If anyone has any specific questions, I'll be glad to help--I've
|
|
found this to be an interesting hobby, producing something I can
|
|
use :-) without requiring large investments in equipment (if you
|
|
find carboys at flea markets, you can get started for as little
|
|
as $20, depending on their cost), huge amounts of space (I do this
|
|
in my kitchen, which isn't very large), or lots of effort.
|
|
|
|
Enjoy!
|
|
|
|
Gary Heston, at home....
|
|
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
>From klier@iscsvax.uni.edu Sat Aug 22 20:49:07 1992
|
|
|
|
Don't know about authenticity, but here's one from my undergraduate
|
|
microbiology lab manual-- the mead was well received by class members,
|
|
in contrast to the wine and beer we made...
|
|
|
|
1/4 orange
|
|
1/4 lemon
|
|
1/2 lb honey
|
|
nutrient solution*
|
|
1 500 ml flask with air trap to fit flask**
|
|
Yeast starter culture: Maury yeast or all-purpose wine yeast
|
|
1 hydrometer
|
|
|
|
Add honey to 250 ml water and bring the solution to a boil, stirring
|
|
constantly to prevent carmelization. Allow the solution to cool, adding
|
|
juice from orange and lemon quarters, then yeast and nutrient solution.
|
|
Adjust specific gravity of solution to 1.093 (12-13% potential alcohol).
|
|
Place solution in flask and add air lock. Ferment until no more CO2
|
|
is evolved. Rack mead into another container when completed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
*nutrient solution: 4 gm (NH4)2SO4 + 0.5 gm MgSO4 + 2 g KH2PO4 dissolved
|
|
in minimal water. Use the entire quantity for 1000 ml mead; use proper
|
|
proportion for other amounts.
|
|
|
|
**the air trap is just a rubber stopper with a piece of plastic or
|
|
glass tubing bent down to fit into a container of water.
|
|
|
|
From: DP Durand, PA Patee, FD Williams & PA Hartman. 1973. MELE.
|
|
Iowa State University, Ames, IA.
|
|
Kay Klier Biology Dept UNI
|
|
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
>From jtn@nutter.cs.vt.edu Tue Sep 1 08:35:52 1992
|
|
|
|
A couple of people emailed me requests for the recipe I use for light
|
|
meads, so I thought it might be worth posting. Actually, it's not mine,
|
|
it's Kenelm Digby's; but his copyright expired a while back... ;^}.
|
|
|
|
And here it is:
|
|
|
|
Take nine pints of warm fountain water, and dissolve in it one pint of
|
|
pure White-honey, by laving it therein, till it be dissolved. Then boil
|
|
it gently, skimming if all the while, till all the scum be perfectly
|
|
scummed off; and after that boil it a little longer, peradventure a
|
|
quarter of an hour. In all it will require two or three hours boiling,
|
|
so that at last one third part may be consumed. About a quarter of an
|
|
hour before you cease boiling, and take it from the fire, put to it a
|
|
little spoonful of cleansed and sliced Ginger; and almost half as much
|
|
of the thin yellow rind of Orange, when you are even ready to take it from
|
|
the fire, so as the Orange boil only once warm in it. Then pour it into
|
|
a well-glassed strong deep great Gally-pot, and let it stand so, till it
|
|
be almost cold, that it be scarce Luke-warm. Then put to it a little
|
|
silver-spoonful of pure Ale-yeast, and work it together with a Ladle to
|
|
make it ferment: as soon as it beginneth to do so, cover it close with a
|
|
fit cover, and put a thick dubbled woolen cloth about it. Cast all things
|
|
so that this may be done when you are going to bed. Next morning when you
|
|
rise, you will find the barm gathered all together in the middle; scum it
|
|
clean off with a silver-spoon and a feather, and bottle up the Liquor,
|
|
stopping it very close. It will be ready to drink in two or three days,
|
|
but it will keep well a month or two. It will be from the first very quick
|
|
and pleasant.
|
|
|
|
*****
|
|
|
|
Notes:
|
|
|
|
(1) I have gone anywhere from 9/1 water/honey to 11/1, depending on the
|
|
desired strength.
|
|
|
|
(2) I generally let it go more like 3-4 days than 2-3; at the end of that
|
|
time, I refrigerate it.
|
|
|
|
(3) If you are _really_ thorough in the skimming, you really _don't_ get
|
|
any significant scuz in your mead, and it doesn't need any other racking.
|
|
|
|
(4) Notice that apart from a teaspoon of sliced fresh ginger (_not_ ground
|
|
dried) and a few slivers of the outermost peel of orange, there are no
|
|
spices or flavorings. This is a very good mead to use to discover what kinds
|
|
of honey and yeast you like best, since there are few confounding flavors.
|
|
|
|
(5) This stuff was never exposed to oak casks, so there is no need for
|
|
anything to make tannin.
|
|
|
|
(6) This stuff was simply let set a few days in a big glassed container, then
|
|
bottled (using 17th century bottling methods). You don't need fancy equipment
|
|
of any sort.
|
|
|
|
(7) DON'T USE BREAD YEAST! -- But I think I've mentioned that.... ;^}
|
|
|
|
Enjoy!
|
|
|
|
-- Terry Nutter Blacksburg, VA jtn@vtopus.cs.vt.edu (703)552-1598
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
>From schuldy@progress.COM Mon Aug 24 06:14:25 1992
|
|
|
|
rec.brewing will have many more than these, but let me try to stick
|
|
to the historic angle.
|
|
|
|
Digby's recipe book, gives a number of historical mead, metheglin (spiced
|
|
mead and honey) and melomel (fruit juice and honey) recipes. If you read
|
|
all of them, you can even find a certain amount of technique. The major
|
|
difference between making mead then, and now, is our knowledge of cleanliness,
|
|
yeast culture, and a burning desire for consistency that we can satisfy.
|
|
|
|
Given my own peculiar combination of desires (I am a member of the Society
|
|
for Creative Anachronism), I am willing to use modern notions of cleanliness,
|
|
but not modern ingredients nor techniques. Since mead is nothing but
|
|
honey and water, and was usually aged in oak barrels, here is a cobbled
|
|
together recipe that will work reasonably well.
|
|
|
|
approx 3 pounds of honey (aka 1 quart) (from Digby)
|
|
1 gallon of water
|
|
1 Tablespoon of Oak Bark (my idea of how to fake oak aging.)
|
|
(My local health food store sells it in bulk, as White Oak Bark.)
|
|
Yeast (I always use champagne yeast)
|
|
|
|
tools:
|
|
Large pot, wooden or plastic spoon, cheese cloth, funnel, bottles,
|
|
siphoning tube, some method of capping bottles (corks, champagne corks,
|
|
or bottle caps and a capper), string. Labels for the bottles, fermenting
|
|
container (I use one gallon cranberry juice bottles.) Cork and fermention
|
|
lock.
|
|
|
|
The rest is technique. Wrap the oak bark in cheesecloth, and tie it shut.
|
|
Put one gallon of water in a pot. Stainless steel or enamel or glass.
|
|
Aluminum is not historical, and taints the flavor. Cast Iron is historical,
|
|
and ruins the flavor (:-). Use an inert spoon to stir with, too. I
|
|
use wood. Throw in the oak bark.
|
|
|
|
Digby suggests that you use the following method. Measure the level of
|
|
the water with your spoon. Add the honey, and boil until the level returns
|
|
to one gallon. I like this technique, and always use it. However, I add
|
|
the honey after the water is hot or boiling, since it mixes better.
|
|
|
|
For the new brewer, don't just dump in the honey, since it will sink to
|
|
the bottom of the pot, and burn. Mix it in well. I use very high quality
|
|
honey, that costs a fortune. The brewer in my area with a better reputation
|
|
uses generic store brand. (Hi Michael) Use what makes you happy. (:-)
|
|
|
|
As you wait for the water to return to the lower level, skim off all foam
|
|
and gunk, and throw it away. The more of this bitter gunk you chuck, the
|
|
better the mead will taste. Some folks swear to never let your honey-water
|
|
mixture boil, others always do. Pick your method.
|
|
|
|
When done, throw away the oak bark, and let the liquid (must) cool. Put
|
|
it in a sterile one gallon container. I sterilize with Bee Brite (an
|
|
oxygenating bleach). You can also use a super-weak bleach solution. In
|
|
either case, rinse very well. When the liquid is cool enough that you can
|
|
leave your hand in contact with the outside of the container it is in,
|
|
pour it (through a sterilized funnel) into the container. Add yeast.
|
|
|
|
I use champagne yeast. It seems to be more robust in the face of missing
|
|
nutrients than other yeasts, produces more quickly, and has a nice flavor
|
|
and a high alcohol content. I have used other yeasts, and never had
|
|
problems (although actual mead yeast can take a week or more to start up).
|
|
|
|
Put a sterile fermentation lock on the container, and wait. Bottle when
|
|
the bubbling slows to one every 5 seconds or so. Using a hydrometer to
|
|
measure the alcohol content is very useful, but I never have (neither did
|
|
Digby).
|
|
|
|
I rack (siphon the good mead at the top off, leaving nasty dregs behind)
|
|
at least once during the fermentation, and usually again when I bottle.
|
|
It's just easier to have a bottle with no gluck in the bottom to pour
|
|
out of when I bottle.
|
|
|
|
One gallon makes about 10 beer bottles worth, or a little more than four
|
|
champagne bottles worth. You can spice mead (metheglin) with all sorts
|
|
of things. I've used (in various combinations) oranges, lemons, rosemary,
|
|
lovage, nutmeg, mace, cloves, ginger, peppermint, cinnamon, and other
|
|
assorted things. I've tasted rose mead, and it's very nice. We can talk
|
|
about other things when I have a bit more time...
|
|
|
|
Advise, or comments from other brewers, cooks or would-be brewers and cooks
|
|
are strongly encouraged. Hints on fruit meads are nice too. I've got
|
|
a handout on fruit meads on line, and would post it at the slightest
|
|
provocation. I've recently made a terrible peach mead, and would love
|
|
to find out if it was the peaches or me, for example. (One batch doesn't
|
|
prove much).
|
|
|
|
Mark Schuldenfrei (In the SCA, Tibor)
|
|
--
|
|
Mark Schuldenfrei (schuldy@progress.com)
|
|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
>From schuldy@progress.COM Tue Aug 25 06:03:24 1992
|
|
|
|
Julie Kangas asked me to post my fruit mead recipe. Here it is.
|
|
I feel a little guilty, since it is mostly a technique born of
|
|
necessity, rather than research. I don't do anything that couldn't
|
|
have been done historically, but that in no way proves that it *was*
|
|
done that way. This has worked for me with both raspberries (which
|
|
was awsome), and strawberries (good, but I would have liked it better
|
|
if I bottled it sooner).
|
|
|
|
-------------
|
|
This recipe does not bother to teach basic mead-making technique.
|
|
|
|
This recipe produces a fine, clean fruit flavored mead, with a good
|
|
sweetness, and minimal interference. It can be drunk within one week
|
|
of bottling, and does not keep more than 3 months.
|
|
|
|
2 quarts of water
|
|
3 lbs Honey
|
|
1 Tbs White Oak Bark
|
|
1 package Champagne Yeast.
|
|
3 cups of clean fruit (ie 3 half pints of raspberries)
|
|
|
|
Cheesecloth for spice bag and straining
|
|
String for tieing spice bag.
|
|
|
|
Boil 2 quarts of water, with the oak bark in a spice bag.
|
|
|
|
While the water and spices reach the boiling point, clean the fruit,
|
|
slice it, and crush it with a fork. Save all the juice. Make sure the
|
|
fruit can fit through the neck of the funnel you will be using.
|
|
|
|
Add the honey when the water is boiling, and skim and reduce to original
|
|
2 quart level. Once the must is finished, turn off the heat, remove the
|
|
spice bag, add the fruit, and cover. Let the temperature reduce to 150
|
|
degrees (takes about 45 minutes in my enamel and steel pot). Add the
|
|
whole thing to your primary fermenter.
|
|
|
|
Do not top off with water! The carbonation will force the fruit to the
|
|
top of the fermenter. If there is no room for the fruit to float out
|
|
of the must, it will plug the fermentation lock, and spill onto the
|
|
counter.
|
|
|
|
Leave the fruit in for about a week, or until the fermentation slows
|
|
substantially. Boil some fresh water, and let it cool until it can
|
|
be added to the yeast without killing it. Transfer the must to a
|
|
secondary fermenter, straining through a doubled cheesecloth to
|
|
catch the fruit. I like to squeeze the leftover juice from the
|
|
fruit, too. Top off with the cooled clean water to a normal level.
|
|
|
|
I rack it twice more. The first time I rack, I added more water. Let
|
|
it run until still, and then rack again. Bottle into about 12 beer
|
|
bottles or 8 Grolsch bottles. Serve cold after 1 week.
|
|
|
|
If you want a fizzy mead, as I did, you need to be aware that there are
|
|
two basic reasons why mead stops bubbling. Mead stops fermenting when the
|
|
sugar is gone, or the alcohol level has topped out. If you want a
|
|
bubbly fruit mead, taste the mead before bottling. If it is still
|
|
sweet but very alcoholic, add a little water before bottling, to
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restart fermentation in the bottle. If the mead is dry, add a little
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sugar (No more than 2 teaspoons per gallon) to the entire gallon before
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bottling. It all will depend on the sweetness of the fruit. With three
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pounds of honey, it is quite possible you will hit both endpoints at
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the same time.
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schuldy (Tibor in the SCA)
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--
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Mark Schuldenfrei (schuldy@progress.com)
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------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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>From cgallagh@goya.helios.nd.edu Wed Apr 8 14:28:21 1992
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You can make a sweet mead or a more dry mead - it's totally up to you.
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There are several books which contain recipes for meads which usually turn
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out good. Here is a recipe I got from the net. It should turn out pretty good.
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FireHouse GingerMead
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----------------------
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Makes 5 Gallons.
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===========
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1/4 tsp Irish Moss Clarifying Agent
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3/4 cups Corn Sugar for bottling
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1 1/2 lbs Corn Sugar
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7 1/2 lbs Wildflower Honey
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2 tsp Gypsum (CaSO4 - Calcium Sulphate)
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1/2 tsp Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C Crystals) to prevent oxydation
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4 oz Freshly-grated supermarket ginger root
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3 tsp Yeast Nutrient
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1 pkg Champagne Yeast (redstar)
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1 tsp Liqued Smoke
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Add everything except Yeast Nutrient & Yeast to water in Brew kettle to make
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4 Gal. Bring to boil and boil for 15 minutes, skimming off albumin proteins
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as they form on the surface. Cool and sparge (strain) to 5 gal. carboy. Sparge
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with hot water (sparge through strainer filled with used ginger) to make 5 gals.
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Add Yeast Nutrient and Yeast to carboy.
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Add 3/4 cups corn sugar during bottling.
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Producer.........Christopher Gallagher
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Director.........Christopher Gallagher
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Stunts...........Christopher Gallagher
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Best Boy.........Christopher Gallagher
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Gaffer...........Christopher Gallagher
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Key Grip.........Christopher Gallagher
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Makeup...........Christopher Gallagher
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