Subject: Mead Lover's Digest #1383, 9 August 2008 Date: Sat, 9 Aug 2008 16:24:05 -0600 (MDT) From: mead-request@talisman.com Mead Lover's Digest #1383 9 August 2008 Forum for Discussion of Mead Making and Consuming Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor Contents: Aeration overkill (Steven_Butcher@fpl.com) RE: Newbie Melomel (Mail Box) A pH Question ("Zuckerman, Alan") Give Us Your Mead Day Numbers! ("Janis Gross") NOTE: Digest appears when there is enough material to send one. Send ONLY articles for the digest to mead@talisman.com. Use mead-request@talisman.com for [un]subscribe/admin requests. Digest archives and FAQ are available at www.talisman.com/mead A searchable archive is at http://www.gotmead.com/mldarchives.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Aeration overkill From: Steven_Butcher@fpl.com Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2008 11:50:00 -0400 >For me, the hard part is the aeration. You specify pure oxygen. Will air >work (I expect it will, just checking)? I can get an aquarium pump that is >specified at 7PSI (actual delivered pressure more like 3-4PSI - don't you love >honest marketing people). Can I use this? Would I have to put a 0.45um >filter in the line? I assume that the air should be dispersed while the >stirring is occurring, and that it should be delivered through a stainless >steel airstone. Frankly, I think all of this complicated aeration talk is unnecessary. I've made plenty of good mead without ever worrying about any of this. A good frothing up of the must for a couple of minutes just before adding well hydrated and conditioned yeast is all I ever needed to ensure a vigorous fermentation and a wonderful result. I think some of us over complicate things. ------------------------------ Subject: RE: Newbie Melomel From: Mail Box Date: Sun, 03 Aug 2008 11:12:00 -0400 On 8/2/2008 2:19 AM, mead-request@talisman.com wrote: > Subject: RE: Newbie Melomel > From: ashford@whisperpc.com > Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 22:41:15 -0700 (PDT) [snipped] Peter, On stirring and oxygenating: I make my meads by a method pretty close to that which Vicky outlines, but lower tech and lower 'touch', and I get what appears to be the same results she describes: Fast, clean ferments and short(er) aging periods. I use no oxygen bottle, instead I use the kitchen hand held blender with a standard whisk. Since I primary in plastic there is no issue with the neck of the carboy. I'll run the blender for a few (3? 5? Until I get bored with it) minutes each day for the first 3 or so days of fermentation. My fermentations take about 10 days to go to dryness from an OG of 1.8 to 1.95 or so (wine strength, and then typically I'll sulfite and sorbate and back sweeten half of the batch during bottling and after bulk aging or a week or so later if I'm going to split it into smaller carboys). The blender takes care of both the stirring and the aerating chores in one simple step, and I don't bother to take intermediate gravity readings, instead I just watch the airlock. Since you already have your high powered stirrer and the aquarium pump there's no harm in breaking them out and using them. I just wanted to offer a different perspective on stirring and oxygenating which has given me wonderful results over a good many years and without the need for a lot of expensive, bulky, and fussy gear to complicate what can be a very simple hobby. (er, leaving me able to buy more expensive and bulky carboys for greater production capacity ;)) That's not to say that Vicky's/Oskaar's method is in any way 'wrong', my motto for brewing is: There are many ways to do it right. Cheers, Ken Taborek ------------------------------ Subject: A pH Question From: "Zuckerman, Alan" Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 10:46:17 -0400 Hi. I've just subscribed with the email address zuckyscookies@verizon.net. I hope you'll take my question while that is still in process. Here it is. I've just put together my first batch of mead. I used a liquid yeast (Steinberger) energized for 24 hours in a starter mixture. I'm making a dry show mead. The O.G. was 1.08. Here's the problem: the pH of the must was quite high: something over 6.0. The Compleat Meadmaker talks a lot about what to do if the pH is too low, but not if it's too high. The book, and your website, say that these days acid isn't added until the secondary fermentation, but I'm stuck with a high pH. Should I add the acid blend that I purchased with the intention of adding it later to improve the taste of the mead in the secondary fermentation stage? I don't want to let this go on too long, because I'm worried that the must is too friendly to bacteria. By the way, this is going to be a 5 gallon batch. Also, I'm not sure why the pH is so high anyway. I'm pretty sure my pH meter is accurate, since we cross-checked with litmus paper, so the problem is real. Our honey and water are both more acidic than the final must, so I'm wondering if the yeast nutrient and starter are highly basic? Any thoughts? Thank you very much. Alan Zuckerman Library Associate II (Adult) Norrisville Branch Harford County Public Library 410-692-0506 ------------------------------ Subject: Give Us Your Mead Day Numbers! From: "Janis Gross" Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2008 09:56:31 -0600 Hello to the Mead Day site directors, I hope you all had a fabulous time making mead last Saturday! I get a smile just thinking about all the delicious meads we'll enjoy in the near future as a result of Mead Day 2009. The site for reporting the batches, gallons made, and total number of participants is live (http://www.beertown.org/apps/mead/remit.aspx) and I urge you to enter your numbers before the mead-making glow wears off. This is the first year that we are collecting this information for Mead Day, so please be sure to submit your site's information. You'll need to know your site number, which you can find here: http://www.beertown.org/apps/mead/meadday_select.aspx . Thanks for participating in Mead Day this year! Cheers, Janis Gross AHA Project Coordinator Janis@brewersassociation.org ------------------------------ End of Mead Lover's Digest #1383 *******************************