>To: B-man
>From: [log in to unmask]
>Date: 17 Aug 97 01:17:54 -0500
>Subject: Mead Lover's Digest #586, 16 August 1997
>
>
>
>Mead Lover's Digest #586                                  16 August 1997
>
>            Forum for Discussion of Mead Making and Consuming
>                      Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
>
>Contents:
>  Nut Meads (Kate Collins)
>  Poison Cherry Melomel (Kate Collins)
>  Cherry Stones/fermentation temps/buffers ("Nathan L. Kanous II")
>  Poisn Mead?  (Gordon & Cindy Camp)
>  Yeast Starters for Mead ("Val J. Lipscomb")
>  1st melomel question... ([log in to unmask])
>  corking (Matt Maples)
>  Re: Mead Lover's Digest #585, 14 August 1997 (Marc Shapiro)
>  Fwd: failed mail (Robert L Lewis)
>
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>    in pub/clubs/homebrew/mead.
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Subject: Nut Meads
>From: Kate Collins <[log in to unmask]>
>Date: Fri, 15 Aug 1997 10:47:40 +0200
>
>Hi -
>
>I'm sure this has been discussed before but I figure it can't hurt
>to revive interesting topics. Does anyone have any recipes for
>mead made with nuts? Where I live, chestnut trees are about as
>prolific as dandelions, so I figured maybe I could put the chestnuts
>to good use. I'll bet they would be delicious in that milk-honey
>stuff discussed a few months ago, but I'd prefer to do just a
>regular old mead first (I can always freeze the nuts).
>
>/Kate Collins
>
>------------------------------
>
>Subject: Poison Cherry Melomel
>From: Kate Collins <[log in to unmask]>
>Date: Fri, 15 Aug 1997 11:46:38 +0200
>
>> I just made a blackberry-cherry mel.  I didn't think until after
>> the fact that cherry stones contain poision.  I left the fruit
>> (stones and all) in the primary for about a week.  Does anyone know
>> if I made poision mead?  Thanks for the help.
>
>Leaving the cherries in the primary wouldn't cause any problems - the
>proportion of cherries to finished product sounds pretty low and the
>poison doesn't really leach out (many recipes for canned cherries
>leave the pits in). However, if you cooked the cherries with the must
>at a high heat for, say, 1/2 hour or longer, some of the poison MAY
>have been extracted - but I doubt it would be enough to hurt you.
>
>/Kate Collins
> (Botanist)
>
>------------------------------
>
>Subject: Cherry Stones/fermentation temps/buffers
>From: "Nathan L. Kanous II" <[log in to unmask]>
>Date: Fri, 15 Aug 1997 09:35:53 -0400
>
>Hi,
>
>WRT cherry pits left in the fermentor for a month, yes, cherry pits do
>contain toxic substances.  The cherries, pits included, are commonly
>left in beers for similar amounts of time with no detrimental effects.
>I wouldn't worry.
>
>Question about fermentation temp.  I was curious if anyone has
>recommendations for "proper fermentation" temp with wine yeasts.  I am
>looking to avoid the production of fusel or other "higher" alcohols. I
>can't stand the taste of them and I notice them even after extended
>periods of aging.  I would prefer to avoid their production all
>together.  I don't mind a longer fermentation if I can avoid the "higer"
>alcohols.  Premier Cuvee, or Lalvin 1116 yeasts.  Any thoughts on temps
>to recommend?
>
>WRT buffers, has anyone developed an effective buffer to use in meads to
>avoid the difficulties with low pH and "stuck" yeast?
>
>Also, someone posted about the Wyeast Sweet Mead yeast.  I made a batch
>of cyser last fall which has a very distinct aroma and taste.  It tastes
>(imagine this) like Copenhagen snuff.  Yeah, chewing tobacco.  Anybody
>else ever have this?  If I could avoid that, I would use the yeast
>again.  If not, no way.  Everybody else drinks it and thinks it's O.K..
>I can drink it but would prefer to avoid that taste.
>
>Sorry for the bandwidth.  TIA
>
>nathan in Frankenmuth, MI
>
>------------------------------
>
>Subject: Poisn Mead?
>From: Gordon & Cindy Camp <[log in to unmask]>
>Date: Fri, 15 Aug 1997 10:33:42 -0400
>
>Dave Asks:
>
>I just made a blackberry-cherry mel.  I didn't think until after the fact
>that cherry stones contain poision.  I left the fruit (stones and all) in the
>primary for about a week.  Does anyone know if I made poision mead?
>Thanks
>for the help.
>
>As an occasional mead maker who is an avid homebrewer I can tell you
>that in brewing the stones are recommednded to be left in for added
>flavor. Also, as far as danger, Michael Jackson (not that one) writes in
>his book "Beer Companion" p. 44 "As fermentation consumes theflesh of
>the fruit, it eventually reaches the stone, and picks up the almondy
>notes that make a good kriek especially complex." Since the great
>Belgian brewers seem to not fear "getting stoned", I can't imagine that
>you should either.
>
>Please note that I am not a Doctor, however I did play one in the third
>grade.
>
>
>G. Camp
>
>If there aint no beer in heaven, then damn me to hell.
>
>------------------------------
>
>Subject: Yeast Starters for Mead
>From: "Val J. Lipscomb" <[log in to unmask]>
>Date: Fri, 15 Aug 1997 16:54:20 -0500 (CDT)
>
>Greetings All,
>
>I've noticed a number of posts lately on the above subject.
>For several years I've used a starter on all meads,whether
>using liquid yeast or dry wine yeasts. I think that I have
>faster, more complete ferments this way. The starter is from
>Appendix 1 of the Bee's Lees, which also has a lot of other
>good info and recipes. Get it at:
>
>http://realbeer.com/brewery/library/beeslees.html
>
>Try it, you'll like it!
>
>Val Lipscomb-Makin' Mead in San Antonio
>
>------------------------------
>
>Subject: 1st melomel question...
>From: [log in to unmask]
>Date: Fri, 15 Aug 1997 17:37:09 -0400
>
>I have started my first mead, an orange melomel, with (I think)good
>results...my question is: I have read in several sources that a melomel
>takes less time to finish than a true mead...but how much sooner?
>Should I rack and taste it once a month?  Also, it has been bubbling
>away nicely for a week now...when should I expect to need to rack it for
>a first time (it's in plastic now, I'd like to move it to glass ASAP)
>
>Thanks for listening, I've been "lurking" for a while now and have
>learned a lot!
>
>- --
>- - lori
>- --------------------------------------------------
>"Little old lady got mutilated late last night,
> Werewolves of London again... "
>- --------------------------------------------------
>
>------------------------------
>
>Subject: corking
>From: Matt Maples <[log in to unmask]>
>Date: Fri, 15 Aug 1997 16:27:43 -0700
>
>I have been using wine bottles ( ya got to love those magnums) and
>corking my still meads for about 3 years now and I was wanting to get
>some feedback on sanitizing the corks. I have read about soaking in a
>sulfite solution but really didn't like that idea much. I have also read
>that you can steam them for 20 min which I like much better and have
>been doing that. I have also found that if you steam them they are not
>quite wet enough to make for easy corking. to remedy that I dip them in
>a weak iodophor solution. That way they are still sanitary and they are
>wet and slick enough to insert well. I would like to know how others are
>doing it please let me know.
>
>Matt Maples
>[log in to unmask]
>
>------------------------------
>
>Subject: Re: Mead Lover's Digest #585, 14 August 1997
>From: Marc Shapiro <[log in to unmask]>
>Date: Fri, 15 Aug 1997 20:27:05 -0400
>
>> Subject: When to Sanitize Fruits
>> From: [log in to unmask]
>> Date: Tue, 12 Aug 1997 11:00:43 -0400 (EDT)
>>
>> (1)    If I am not going to prepare the fruit along with the must, when do I
>> treat the fruits with sulphites -- at the intial prep (before freezing) or at
>> the time of thaw and pulverization?
>
>I either juice my fruit and add it to the initial must, or (if the fruit
>does not 'juice' easily) I put it in with the primary fermentation.
>However, if you prefer to add the fruit during a secondary fermentation
>I see no real reason against this.  I don't think it really matters when
>you add the sulfites.  They will not be harmed by freezing, and bacteria
>is not going to grow during freezing, either.  I would say that this is
>a matter of personal preference and do whatever is easier, or seems
>better to you.
>
>> (2)    If I am going to sanitize the fruit via sulphites rather than
>> pasteurization, are there any advisements against sanitizing the must in the
>> same way (i.e., sodium metabisulphite rather than boiling)?
>
>If you are using sulfites on the fruit, you might as well use it in the
>initial must, as well.  Just be sure that the TOTAL amount of sulfites
>in the final melomel is not out of line.
>
>- ----
>
>> Subject: Pasteurization, starters
>> From: Samuel Mize <[log in to unmask]>
>> Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 15:12:00 -0500 (CDT)
>>
>> To pasteurize, crush the fruit, put it into some water, and heat it to
>> 150 for 20 minutes, or to 170 for 5 minutes.  (I'm not a microbiologist,
>> this is based on Papazian's New Complete Joy of Homebrewing, Papazian's
>> Homebrewer's Companion,  and an article in Southwest Brewing News.)
>>
>> Some people pasteurize their honey when making mead (same temperatures
>> and times).  It's a compromise...
>
>According to _Inside Mead_ (Sorry, I don't recall which one and mine are
>alread packed to to an impending move) 3-5 minutes at 150F is sufficient
>to pasteurize honey for mead.  The lower the temperature and the shorter
>the heating time, the better (for honey AND fruit), so I wouldn't go
>over 5 minutes.
>
>HTH
>
>Wassail!
>
>Marc
>- --
>Visit "The Meadery":  http://www.mindspring.com/~mn.shapiro1/index.html
>
>"If you drink melomel every day, you will live to be 150 years old,
>unless your wife shoots you."
>- --Dr. Ferenc Androczi, Winemaker of the Little Hungary Winery
>
>------------------------------
>
>Subject: Fwd: failed mail
>From: [log in to unmask] (Robert L Lewis)
>Date: Sat, 16 Aug 1997 10:18:58 -0500 (CDT)
>
>
>Subject: Destoning Cherries
>From: [log in to unmask]
>Date: Mon, 11 Aug 1997 16:02:46 -0400 (EDT)
>
>Hello everyone-
>    I just made a blackberry-cherry mel.  I didn't think until after
>the fact that cherry stones contain poision.  I left the fruit (stones
>and all) in the primary for about a week.  Does anyone know if I made
>poision mead?
>
>    I don't know if the pits contain poison, are considered
>corsonigenic, or what. I do know that there is at least one Belgian
>beer (Cantillon) that lets the cherries & pits sit in the primary
>fermentation for months, while making their Cantillon Kriek. (A truly
>superb lambic, if those are your tastes HTTP://WWW.Cantillon.com). They
>use sour cherries though.
>    I can not verify the safety of your mead. However, if you don't
>feel same drinking it, send me some.  I'll be glad to sample it, just
>to make sure it's safe...
>    Check your references... If there really is something funky in
>Cherry pits, I would be interested in knowing.
>
>Robert
>
>
>
>
>------------------------------
>
>End of Mead Lover's Digest #586
>*******************************
>
 
*Kirk Jones/ Sleeping Bear Apiaries /971 S. Pioneer Rd./Beulah,MI 49617
*Sharon Jones/ BeeDazzled Candleworks /6289 River Rd./ Benzonia, MI 49616
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