Mead

[Okbrewer]

I have not used Alt yeast, but have used a Londond ale yeast. I treat mead kinda like barleywine, start out with say London ale yeast and let it do its thing until the environment becomes too alcoholic and then if need pitch another more agressive strain. I also use wine yeasts, Lalvin EC1118, tho it leaves a dry tasting product, and D47. I have also used Lallemand 71B-1122 (Narbonne) with good results.

It's also important to add yeast nutrients (I failed to mention that before), like 2 tsp of diammonium phosphate for a 5 gallon batch. I don't add anything to acidify the must either.

The type of honey definitely impacts the final product! If I am going to make a traditional or 'show' mead, I want a very flavorful varietal honey where the honey character will be evident.

When I make a metheglin or melomel, I am more likely to use a lighter tasting honey like clover, because I want to show off the fruit or spice.

Like anything in homebrewing it takes some trial and error, but I find meak making allows you to be very creative and you can try different concoctions!

One other style I failed to mention is 'braggot', traditionaly a blend of old ale and mead or a beer made with a large honey component.

I have had good luck with just blending beer and mead. I made a spiced old ale for the holidays and had some left over base mead, so I simply mixed the two! One of the best meads I've made was the result!

[hjshorter]

Wow, what an interesting and timely thread. We'll be at the Pennsic War all next week, and many of the folks there specialize in medieval/rennaissance food and drink. Mead can be had in plenty... maybe I will sample as many as I can and post my impressions once we're back.

[Mabelline]

I've spoken to SCA'ers here, this is the Kingdom of Artemisia. I am very interested in the SCA, and Carolyn is an absolute jewel of information. I think I'll buy some mead this weekend and give it a swirl.

[Mayhaw Man]

What about fining? The meads that I have enjoyed the most seem to be almost crystal clear. Is that a result of the addition of some kind of fining material (carrageenan for example) or just the way that it naturally works out?

[Carolyn Tillie]

I've spoken to SCA'ers here, this is the Kingdom of Artemisia. I am very interested in the SCA, and Carolyn is an absolute jewel of information. I think I'll buy some mead this weekend and give it a swirl.

I used to hang out in Caid when I was young and <ahem> well, let's just say, I was young...

Thanks for the bone, though!

[Carolyn Tillie]

What about fining? The meads that I have enjoyed the most seem to be almost crystal clear. Is that a result of the addition of some kind of fining material (carrageenan for example) or just the way that it naturally works out?

Could you do it the way wineries do? Add eggwhites and shells?

[cdh]

Sounds like an experiement to be tried in the upcoming project, eh? I call Irish Moss.

[Mabelline]

In one of the sites you posted, there is a meadman using bentonite, if that's any help.

[Mayhaw Man]

What about fining? The meads that I have enjoyed the most seem to be almost crystal clear. Is that a result of the addition of some kind of fining material (carrageenan for example) or just the way that it naturally works out?

Could you do it the way wineries do? Add eggwhites and shells?

Beer Carolyn. We're making beer, dammit. Not Cowboy Coffee.

And carageenan is Gaelic for irish moss (I think anyway, hell, until this very moment I had really never thought about it-it is a coagulent made from Carrageenan moss and other red type algaes) Gaelic is one of the world's most inscrutable languages-I used to listen to the public radio equivelant of NPR in Ireland for the Hurling Matches being broadcast in Gaelic. I didn't understand a word, but they were a riot!

[Varmint]

I was actually served mead as sort of a surprise dessert "wine" at Gramercy Tavern several years ago. It was delightful, but I can't remember any other details (perhaps because of the 10 or 12 other wines I "sampled" that night).

[Mayhaw Man]

I was actually served mead as sort of a surprise dessert "wine" at Gramercy Tavern several years ago.

It's a miracle that you even remembered where you were.

Thank God for credit card statements. I would have lost some of the best evenings of my life if not for AmEX's detailed billing methods.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Truffles -- as far as what the beer was served in, I'm sorry I won't be back at work 'til next Monday. I have a bookmarked website of Medieval cooking images. Mostly it shows tankards and I know they were made from both pewter and wood (only the very rich could afford glass).

I'll post that link next week.

[cdh]

What about crockery? Cheap, abundant, and easy to make.

Edited August 12, 2004 by cdh (log)

[Okbrewer]

No glass in the 16th century! But wood, clay and possibly pewter would have been used. A meather, the cup traditionaly used to drink mead from, is typically four-handled. A mead cup is meant to be passed around, so if you are holding on to two handles and presenting the cup to another, then at least one handle is available for the other person to grab hold of! I use a fired clay goblet or a pewter horned animal goblet when I drink mead.

As for finings, I don't usually use any, just let the mead clarify on its own. But polycar or bentonite can be used, if you don't mind plastic and clay in your mead!

[cdh]

With regard to mead clarity-- how many rackings are typically required in a mead aging? I'd imagine that if it must sit around for a year, then it is going to require some attention to get it off of its lees and prevent autolysis.

Anything that ages for months and months and then gets racked is going to be pretty clear as a result, no?

[Okbrewer]

I usually transfer mead at least 3 times, sometimes 4. True, with each racking it becomes clearer. You'll be surprised at the amount of settling that occurs! Even tho it might sit on some dead yeast for a while, I've never really noticed any of the off flavors associated with autolysis in my mead.

[ivan]

I tried to make some mead, and promised to post progress reports in this here eG thread some eons ago.

Well, the upshot is this: after 2-3 months of steady, fairly robust and very encouraging fermentation, we tried a glass. Clearly, it had a ways to go yet -- it needed to be drier and rounder -- but it had tremendous potential! So I shoved the carboy back under the ol' blanket and forgot about it for... I don't know... 6-8 more months. Well, truthfully, I did check on it occassionally, and all the signs of fermentation were there every time I checked until one day... they weren't. With sinking heart, I siphoned off a few drops, tasted them, and ceremoniously poured the contents into the compost heap.

Now, I know a million things can go wrong -- errant bacteria, damaging temperature fluctuations -- but that's the first time any fermenting project has ever gone south on me (well, except for my ill-begotten attempt to ferment an alcoholic sparkling orange beverage using the skins from 50lbs of oranges, yeast and water -- but that doesn't count). I was wondering whether honey wine is especially fragile, but don't really believe it -- the ancients had no problems with it in much less antiseptic and controlled environments.

I WILL TRY AGAIN!

Edited August 12, 2004 by ivan (log)

[Truffle]

Fabulous, all these facts, and thanks again Carolyn, please do post when you have the time-you've been such a wonderful help.

I was just thinking about the temperature of Mead-seasonal? Did the Queen enjoy it hot or cold, or both, I wonder?

Sake we enjoy hot and cold, but not beer or traditional wine, I wonder if it was treated like a 'hot toddy'?

Thoughts?

[Okbrewer]

From the American Homebrewers Association (AHA) TechTalk:

From: Julia Herz [mailto:julia@honeywine.com]

Sent: Saturday, August 21, 2004 11:30 AM

Subject: International Mead Festival Tickets Now Available

We are proud to announce the November 5 and 6 International Mead

Festival-Honeywines of the World Tickets Now On Sale! Check out

www.meadfest.com to order your tickets and for all festival details. Plan to attend

the world’s largest commercial mead competition and festival. This

third annual historic event will be held in Boulder, Colorado. Last year we

had over 60 commercial meads to taste from 7 different countries.

Cheers!

Julia Herz

-Honeywine.com

-Redstone Meadery

-International Mead Festival

[sylunt1]

If anyone is interested in mead or making mead there is a knowledgable mead maker who is very helpful in a mead forum here

[Carolyn Tillie]

Truffles -- as far as what the beer was served in, I'm sorry I won't be back at work 'til next Monday. I have a bookmarked website of Medieval cooking images. Mostly it shows tankards and I know they were made from both pewter and wood (only the very rich could afford glass).

I'll post that link next week.

eGads, I just remember I promised to post pictures!

Here is the link to the Brewing/Drinking page of the best site for Medieval food references and images:

Godecookery.com