Subject: Mead Lover's Digest #1362, 21 January 2008 Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2008 08:27:40 -0700 (MST) From: mead-request@talisman.com Mead Lover's Digest #1362 21 January 2008 Forum for Discussion of Mead Making and Consuming Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor Contents: RE: competition medals ("Vicky Rowe") Re: some numbers (MeadGuild@aol.com) What is it that oxidizes? (MeadGuild@aol.com) Re: storage (dan@geer.org) Fermenters for small batches (ashford@whisperpc.com) 2008 International Mead Competition Schedule ("Vicky Rowe") 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: RE: competition medals From: "Vicky Rowe" Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2008 18:01:45 -0500 >>Dick Dunn said..... > >Ummm...'scuse me, but why is this a good thing? > >Sure, I suppose it's nice to have a medal to hang on the >wall...but really, isn't the status or prestige of a medal >inversely proportional to how many were awarded? >- -- Thanks Dick, I was over here biting my tongue. That has always been my problem with the some competitions that take mead (Winemaker does this), that they give medals to over 50% of the competitiors. Seems to me that getting one of 3 medals in your category with 50 entrants is *way* better than getting one of 50 medals in a field of 100...... Wassail! Vicky Rowe The Gotmead Webwench http://www.gotmead.com gotmead@gotmead.com ------------------------------ Subject: Re: some numbers From: MeadGuild@aol.com Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2008 19:57:17 EST dan@geer.org blessed us with the following numbers indicating the decrease in specific gravity seen over the time interval from pitching to bottling, by yeast. > yeast SG decrease > ------------------------------------ > EC-1118 0.102 > 71B-1122 0.100 > K1-V1116 0.095 > D47 0.088 > WLP720 0.085 > Montrachet 0.079 > -------------------------------- > average 0.090 I thank Dan very much not just for sharing these numbers with us, but also for the diligence in collecting them. EC-1118, my yeast of choice, in first place came as no surprise to me. But 71B-1122 being only 0.002 behind EC-1118 and 0.005 ahead of K1V-1116 did surprise me. Dick - -- Richard D. Adams, CPA (retired) Moderator: misc.taxes.moderated ------------------------------ Subject: What is it that oxidizes? From: MeadGuild@aol.com Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2008 23:15:11 EST What is it that oxidizes? I keep asking this question and have yet to get enough explanations that are consistent with each other. In beer, it must be either the malt or the alcohol. In wine, it must be either the grapes or the alcohol. In Mead, it must be either the honey or the alcohol. So I took a liter of vodka and infused it with 180 seconds of oxygen in a one gallon jug and let it sit for three months. I had a friend taste the oxygenated vodka and a fresh bottle of the same vodka. He found no difference. Was three months long enough? Were his taste buds not sensitive enough? If it's not the alcohol, what is it? The only answer I have gotten from surfing the web is that fruit and vegetables will oxidize (spoil). That is consistent with oxidation in wine and beer. But honey doesn't oxidize (spoil)! What about herbs and spices. Do they oxidize? I know from experience that Red Savina Habenero peppers (one time hottest pepper in the world) is not as strong five years later as it was the day I ground it - is that oxidation? So is oxidation only a problem with Melomels, Braggots, and Open Category Meads? Does anyone know of an academic in field of brewing who can give us an explanation based on empirical research? Dick - -- Richard D. Adams, CPA (retired) Moderator: misc.taxes.moderated ------------------------------ Subject: Re: storage From: dan@geer.org Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 09:34:07 -0500 While Mr. Dunn's history of how wineries and liquor stores handle case lots of bottles: > This led to a comedy over some years...winemakers used > to pack bottles into cases cork-up, with all the side > label/logo stuff reading correctly with the corks up, > but with a big note on top, "STORE THIS SIDE DOWN" and > perhaps another on the packing-bottom of the box > indicating it should be up. The back-then-careless > workers would usually stack the boxes with the side > labels upright, leaving the corks up, ignoring the > warning(s) on top and bottom of the boxes. Their action > wasn't entirely unreasonable; after all they wanted to > be able to read the labels in the warehouse. > > Eventually most wineries started caring a lot more and > caught on to the problem. So they continued with the > top and bottom messages but inverted the side labels, so > that the side labels read correctly with the box in the > intended corks-down position. > > But...you can see it coming, can't you?!?...around the > same time, liquor stores were also starting to care more > and so began insisting to the staff that they store wine > boxes with the side labels inverted! To this day I bet > you can walk into a liquor store and find at least some > wine boxes stored with "this side down" on top and with > the side labels inverted. Worst of both > worlds--unreadable side labels and corks high-and-dry. > Plus, of course not all wineries made the inverted label > change, which meant a nuisance in warehouse--even if all > the cases were oriented as intended, some of the side > labels would be right and others inverted. is interesting, I am a numbers guy. I have forty four cardboard boxes in which wine was delivered to groceries, wine merchants, and liquor stores. In every single one without exception, the mark of the bottle in the cardboard proves that the side labels are upright when the bottles are cork-on-top. Not one single box has a "this side up" printed on the bottom. In short, while the purported explanation may be true, it is nonetheless irrelevant to the facts on the ground. I note in passing that storing cardboard boxes loaded with bottles on their sides does nothing but collapse the boxes, and that all wine boxes recovered from merchants have the tops entirely removed. - --dan ------------------------------ Subject: Fermenters for small batches From: ashford@whisperpc.com Date: Sat, 19 Jan 2008 15:37:14 -0800 (PST) I'm getting ready to make a few small (~1 gal) batches, and was wondering about the fermenter. I think that something around 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 gallons should provide some headroom for foaming, and some space in the bottom for the spent yeast. I found 5 Liter Erlenmeyer flasks and Florence flasks at similar prices. http://morebeer.com/view_product/7955/ http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=280109345862 The Erlenmeyer will be more stable (physically), but I think the Florence should be easier to rack from (narrower bottom). Does anyone have experience with this? Thanks. Peter Ashford ------------------------------ Subject: 2008 International Mead Competition Schedule From: "Vicky Rowe" Date: Sun, 20 Jan 2008 17:16:11 -0500 Hi all, I just got an email with the official schedule for the 2008 International Mead Competition, Feb. 7-9: Thursday - This event is limited to industry members (Meadery owners, industry support businesses) to determine the way ahead for the Mead Association (Please RSVP to info@meadfest.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it by 1 February to ensure a place in this session) (Limit 50 participants) * 7:00 - 7:15 Where have we been? - Julia Herz, Gretchen Bliss * 7:15 - 8:15 Where are we going? - Julia Herz, Harrison and Gretchen Bliss o Formation of a new Association o By Laws review o Board formation o Festival Format for next year o Committee Formation o Strategic goals - Association benefits * 8:15 - 8:30 Break * 8:30 - 9:30 Health of the Industry. - Julia Herz o Health of the Industry - Vicki Rowe o Industry Statistics - Vicki Rowe * 9:30 - 10:00 Way Ahead and Due Outs - Gretchen Bliss Friday - All Mead Competition supporters, meaderies, judges, and helpers - Crown Rock Room (Limit 100 participants) * 7:00 - 8:30 Presentation by Mark Berans of Medovina titled "The Queen Bee, the Mother of All Fermentation" & "A Collage of the Past, Present, and Future of Mead" * 8:30 - 8:40 Break * 8:40 - 9:00 Preview of BJCP Mead Exam - Julia Herz (tentative) * 9:00 - 9:30 Presentation by Ken Schramm author of the "Compleat Meadmaker" titled * 9:30 - 10:00 Hang out and catch up Saturday - All Mead Competition supporters, meaderies, judges, stewards, volunteers and invited guests - guests will register at the door and be given wristbands for in and out privileges. Participants may be given to chance to participate in a silent auction for exciting mead door prizes. (Limit 175 participants) Meaderies - if you would like to donate items for the door prizes please contact info@meadfest.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it with a list and invoice of your donations for the event. * 7:00 - 7:15 Social event * 7:15 - 7:30 Introductions - Gretchen Bliss * 7:30 - 8:00 Home Mead Maker Awards Ceremony - Petar Bakulic, Glenn Exline and Deborah Lee * 8:00 - 8:30 Commercial Mead Competition Awards Ceremony - Marie Bird Struckman and Danny Williams * 8:30 - 9:30 Silent Auction - Glenn and Dani Exline * 8:45 - 10:00 Limbo Party (Light buffet provided by Spruce Mountain Meadery) With over 100 Commerical Meads entered in the competition, we would like all qualified commercial judges to sign up for judging. This is a great opportunity to try some of the best meads on the market, not only in the US but in Canada, Slovakia and Poland. Sign up on meadfest.com under Commercial competition. Download a judging application form here: http://www.meadfest.com/2008Forms/Judge_Application_2008.xls If you are going to be at the competition, the HMMC needs your help in Judging or stewarding. They have 188 meads from all over the US and Canada that require the best mead judges from around the world. If you are willing to help judge you can apply at http://hmmc.meadfest.com/hmmc_entry.htm Just select the Judge Entry tab and fill in your information! Approved judges, please bring business cards for the judging forms so you can promote your companies and show entrants the wide and diverse judge pool who evaluated their entries. Please be sure to make your reservations now at the Outlook Hotel in Boulder (www.boulderoutlook.com) soon. Mention the "meadfest" rate to get the outstanding deals on your room at 65.00 + tax per night. Gretchen Bliss Commercial Competition Organizer and Owner Spruce Mountain Meadery Wassail! Vicky Rowe The Gotmead Webwench http://www.gotmead.com gotmead@gotmead.com ------------------------------ End of Mead Lover's Digest #1362 *******************************