Craft Forum / Winemaking / Brewing / Meadmaking / March 2005

Last time I drove up to Dutch Gold Honey they had a special
of $8 for five lbs of Buckwheat Honey.  With no usage idea
in mind, I took two.  I used 2-1/2 lbs in a recipe that is
in long term storage (meaning: I did like it).

Do I have to soak them?  Or will sanitizing them be enough?
Phil
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visit the New York City Homebrewers Guild website:

Bottled my Blueberry Melomel this weekend.  I was aiming for a light melomel
that would age quickly.  I made it 11% and only used 1.5 lbs of blueberries
per gallon added to the secondary.  It gave a much darker color than I
expected with so little berry but the flavor is about ...

I would like to lightly sweeten one of my bone dry meads with honey.
This is my proposed plan:
1) wait till mead completely clears
2) dissolve some honey in a little water

So I filled a hops bag with chopped peppermint leaves.  It sits
on the top of the must and it's in a carboy.  I doubt that I can
weight it now.  But for in the future, is it better to weight a
hops bag or just let it float?  If you weight it, with what do

Well, after only 7 days at 65 F my Braggot has dropped from an OG of 1.103
to a gravity of 1.022. That gives it an ABV of 10.8% Fermentation had slowed
to almost zero, so I racked to secondary. I was afraid of oxidation so I
flooded the receiving carboy with CO2 prior to racking ...

Susan, my child bride, found 48 oz Hersey's Chocolate Syrup on
sale for less than the Chocolate Extract I'm still waiting for
my LHBS to order.  One day later it is awesome.  I don't care
for chocolate that much and she does not care for peppermint

Well, this weekend I am going to make what I am calling a Red Mead.
As opposed to a Red Wine.
The Recipe:
4.5 gal red grape juice (made with 14 frozen Welch's Grape)

I made a mead and dropped a bag of peppermint tea into the
secondary.  When it ceased fermenting, I racked it into a carboy.
the peppermint was overwhelming.  Steve suggested chocolate
syrup; Ray suggested chocolate.  My child bride (who is an

When I went back to look at the BJCP guidelines, I realized they
don't cover wine!!  I have three gallons of awesome maple wine
fermenting away.  It's gonna be a higher ABV than I wanted anyway
so I could change it to mead.

I just read two conflicting stories.
1) A solution of one gallon of water and one lb. of honey
  should register 1.033 on an hydrometer.
2) One lb. of honey and enough water to make a one gallon

I have noticed that Mead, Wine, and Beer shows require you to
send them your entry 3 to 5 weeks before the show.  Why?
How about shows that use category guidelines different from the
BJCP guidelines.  Is this common?

I have been reading up on sweet Stouts and may try the same pasteurizing
process to make a Sweet, Sparkling Mead or even a Cider.
Here is what I am thinking:
1) Let the mead or Cider clear.

I can't drive a car because of multiple surgeries in the last
two years.  So I either have to get a ride from my 20 year old
son or my child bride.  This means once every 2-3 weeks.
Steve Peek noted he used a Melec/Merlot kit plus honey for a

I thought Campden tablets stopped fermentation.  Now a post in
this newsgroup says it does not.  What does other than alcohol
growth in the must?
Dick