Mead 101 W Recipes
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MEAD 101 Mead: at least 50% of fermentables from honey Strength: Hydromel (<1.080 OG), Standard (1.080 – 1.120), Sack (>1.120) Effervescence: Still, Petulent, Sparkling Sweetness: Dry (<1.010 FG), Semi-sweet (1.010 – 1.025), Sweet (>1.025) Types of Mead Traditional: Honey, Water & Yeast Varietals include orange blossom, clover, sourwood, tupelo and many others. Melomel: Fruit meads, several are popular enough to have special names. Cyser: apple/cider Pyment: grapes/juice Metheglin: Spice meads Mulling spices: Allspice, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg Beer spices: Coriander, cardamom, curacao orange, woodruff, etc. Mellow spices: Vanilla, chocolate, anise, sassafras, maple syrup Italian spices: Oregano, basil, thyme, bay, sage, rosemary, garlic Flower Petal Metheglin: Rose petals (Rhodimel), dandelion, lavendar, tea blends, heather tips, hop cones (Miomel), honeysuckle, elderberry flowers. Peppery: White/black pepper, mint, lemon grass, curry powder, grains of paradise, juniper berries, spruce, mustard seed, fennel, tumeric, cumin. Chile mead (capsicumel) varies in heat. Braggot: malt/extract (hops not required) Yeasts Lalvin K1V-1116: light & fruity meads Wyeast 4184: sweet meads “ DV-10: high gravity meads “ 4632: dry meads “ EC-1118: high gravity, neutral flavor WLP720: sweet meads Red Star Premiere Cuvee: dry meads Lalvin D-47: Med. to sweet meads, earthy tones Red Star Montrachet: dry meads “ 71B: light & fruity, med-dry meads, fast Glossary Metheglin: Mead with spices or extracts Acerglin: Mead with maple syrup Miodomel: Mead with hops Apple Pie Mead: Cyser with mulling spices Morat: Mead with mulberries (mora) Bochet: Sack mead that has been burnt or charred Omphacomel: Mead of rerjuice, juice of unripe Braggot: Mead with malt/malt extract grapes Capsicumel: Mead with peppers (chili, etc.) Oxymel: Mead mixed with white vinegar Cyser: Mead with apple as main fruit, may have Pyment: Mead with grapes/juice other fruits as well Rhodomel: Atlar, rose petal distillate or rose petals Hippocras: Mead with grapes & spices Rhyzamel: Mead with root vegetables Hydromel: French name for mead Sack: Sweet mead, higher strength made with more Lactomel: Mead with milk honey Malteglin: Mead with malt and spices Tej: Ethiopian mead with honey & hops Maltomel: Mead with malt and fruit Thalassiomel: Mead using sea water Melomel: Mead with fruit or fruit juice Historical or meads from other lands Meddeglyn / myddyglyn: Welsh spiced mead Acun: Native Mexican mead Mede: Dutch mead Gverc: Croation mead Medovina: Czech or Slovak meads Dwojniak: Polish mead with equal amounts of Medovukha: Russian mead honey & water Medu: Old high German mead Wornia: Polish mead with 3:1 water:honey Medus: Lithuanian mead with Latvian honey Dandaghare: Nepalese mead with Himalayan herbs Meis: Entrean mead & spices Meody: Old English- West Saxon mead Qhilia: South African mead Met: German mead Mulsum: Ancient Roman drink from fermented Midiy: Lithuanian wine w/ fresh honey added Miod: Polish Condidum: Roman recipe of wine, honey & spices, Mjod: Danish, Swedish or Norwegian meads to be aged. Modhu: Vedas- nectar or ambrosia, Greek/Roman Aquamiel: Spanish mead Alu: Prussian Balche: Mayan psychodelic mead with balke or Methe: Ancient Greek pitarilla bark Mede: Frisian or low German Chou chen: Breton (France) mead Metu/Mitu: Old high German Hidromel: Portugese mead Meth: German Idromel: Italian mead Melikatos: Old Greek (morphed to hydromel) Med: Bulgarian and Ukranian meads Terms for HONEY Honig: German Honning: Norwegian Honwig: Swedish Hunaja: Finnish Mel: Welsh, Brazilian and others Mgarly: Australian Aboriginal Mjod: Russian Miel: Spanish Tapli: Georgian Acknowledgement: I want to thank Ted Perry (TRUB member – Durham, NC) for nearly all the above information, presented at the July, 2010 TRUB meeting. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ RECIPES Cinnamon/Nutmeg Metheglin Source: Ken Schramm (with comments by Todd Wenzel) Ingredients: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon 15 lb honey (1.25gal) 28 gr (1 oz)whole nutmegs, freshly ground and infused in the boil (I just bought a fresh package of ground nutmeg at the store, TCW) 2, 3-inch cinnamon sticks (Again, use fresh package, TCW) 2t ascorbic acid 2t citric acid OR 2t acid blend (I used the acid blend, TCW) 1/2T yeast nutrient 1/2t Irish moss water to make 5 gallons 10 gr Epernay II yeast 5 gr Pasteur Champagne yeast (I used 71B dry yeast, TCW) Procedure: Boil 35 minutes, chill to 80F, then pitch yeast. When fermentation is complete, prime with 3/4 c dextrose. (I used no-boil method with no priming for a still mead. In 2008 I bottled before fermentation was complete, resulting in a sparkling mead that was very well received. TCW) Comments: Use FRESHLY ground whole nutmeg. This requires at least 2 years in the bottle to be at its best. After 2 years the mead is vinous and semi-dry, pale yelow in color with a good sweet/acid balance. Cinnamon appears first in the nose, followed by the nutmeg. There is an almost citrus aftertaste. Spices are balanced and subtle rather then assertive. (I achieved the citrus character with orange-blossom honey, was winning medals in 8 months, took 3rd place NC Mead-maker of the year with this one mead. TCW) Best served at 45-50F. (I’d really like to try this mead mulled or heated on a cold winter night. TCW) Specifics:OG 1.104 FG 1.000 Ancient Orange Cinnamon & Clove Mead This is one I have shared before but it may have got lost in the rebuild. It is so simple to make and you can make it without much equipment and with a multitude of variations. This could be a first Mead for the novice as it is almost fool proof. It is a bit unorthodox but it has never failed me or the friends I have shared it with. Wikdwaze, you might like this one better than your Chancers since it will be both sweet, complex and tastey. 1 gallon batch • 3 1/2 lbs Clover or your choice honey or blend (will finish sweet) • 1 Large orange (later cut in eights or smaller rind and all) • 1 small handful of raisins (25 if you count but more or less ok) • 1 stick of cinnamon • 1 whole clove ( or 2 if you like - these are potent critters) • optional (a pinch of nutmeg and allspice )( very small ) • 1 teaspoon of Fleismanns bread yeast ( now don't get holy on me--- after all this is an ancient mead and that's all we had back then) • Balance water to one gallon Process: Use a clean 1 gallon carboy Dissolve honey in some warm water and put in carboy Wash orange well to remove any pesticides and slice in eights --add orange (you can push em through opening big boy -- rinds included -- its ok for this mead -- take my word for it -- ignore the experts) Put in raisins, clove, cinnamon stick, any optional ingredients and fill to 3 inches from the top with cold water. ( need room for some foam -- you can top off with more water after the first few day frenzy) Shake the heck out of the jug with top on, of course. This is your sophisticated aeration process. When at room temperature in your kitchen. Put in 1 teaspoon of bread yeast. ( No you don't have to rehydrate it first-- the ancients didn't even have that word in their vocabulary-- just put it in and give it a gentle swirl or not)( the yeast can fight for their own territory) Install water airlock. Put in dark place. It will start working immediately or in an hour. (Don't use grandma's bread yeast she bought years before she passed away in the 90's)( Wait 3 hours before you panic or call me) After major foaming stops in a few days add some water and then keep your hands off of it. (Don't shake it! Don't mess with them yeastees! Let them alone except its okay to open your cabinet to smell every once in a while. Racking --- Don't you dare additional feeding --- NO NO More stirring or shaking -- Your not listening, don't touch After 2 months and maybe a few days it will slow down to a stop and clear all by itself. (How about that) (You are not so important after all) Then you can put a hose in with a small cloth filter on the end into the clear part and syphon off the golden nectar. If you wait long enough even the oranges will sink to the bottom but I never waitied that long. If it is clear it is ready. You don't need a cold basement. It does better in a kitchen in the dark. (like in a cabinet) likes a little heat (70-80). If it didn't work out... you screwed up and didn't read my instructions (or used grandma's bread yeast she bought years before she passed away) . If it didn't work out then take up another hobby. Mead is not for you. It is too complicated. If you were sucessful, which I am 99% certain you will be, then enjoy your mead. When you get ready to make a different mead you will probably have to unlearn some of these practices I have taught you, but hey--- This recipe and procedure works with these ingredients so don't knock it. It was your first mead. It was my tenth. Sometimes, even the experts can forget all they know and make a good ancient mead. Enjoy, Joe Starrlight Mulled Apple Cyser Ben and Becky Starr from Durham, North Carolina, have three and a half years and over 175 gallons experience making mead. In February 2006, they took Best in Show out of over 210 entries in the International Mead Festival Home Mead Makers Competition at the International Mead Festival.