Apricots, Honey & Techniques (was Re: SV: SV: SC - peach mead? )

[Nick Sasso]

Brokk,

You sound like a brewer/meader after my own heart!  I figured that you
were describing pasteurization, but wanted to come right out in case
there were novices just getting started, or thinking about starting
using fruit in their cooking/brewing.  Clarification of terms and all.
 How long you been at this mead thing?  Sounds like you are really on
the track of being one with the yeast :o)

Dry, crisp meads are  so refreshing on the hot Georgia summer nights. 
We are so lucky to be in the foot of the Appalachian mountains.  The
honey is abundant and pungent.  Lots of apists and processors across
the state.   The price is as reasonable as it can bre since the China
honey embargo.

The vanilla bean, I add one whole in the must to steep 30 minutes or
more then into the secondary for 30 days, adds a character to the
overall blend.  In dry mead, it is like tannin in flavor; in sweet
mead, it gives a smooth sweetness to round the flavor.  Whole bean is
the only way to go with this.  If you cut the bean open, you may get
more flavor, but then you get grainy black junk in the mix.  

I'm not aware of any sources I have of peaches, but Apicius has
apricots in the ancient Roman cuisine.  That should mean they came up
north at some point thereafter, at least in dried form.  No certianty,
but those Romans shared their cultures with so many others that you
never can tell which way stuff went.  Then there is the Hansiatic
trade league shooting all over the north European trade ways......they
proliferated many foodstuffs as well.  Apricots would be a great taste
idea to go with a semi dry mead of final gravity around 1.035-1.040.

Beers are entire 'nother world of wonder with fruits and herbs!!

niccolo




- ---Brokk <H940114 at stud.kol.su.se> wrote:
>
> OK, the sterilization thing was just a bad choice of word/slip of the
> mind. 30 mins at 65-70/160-170 sounds a lot to me,
>  but it's always best to play it safe.
> Sadly enough I have a hard time getting hold of good quality honey
to a
> good price here in sweden, and if 
> I want a more aromatic one I'll have to go for an orange blossom or a
> blended type which I tend to avoid, 
> mostly because of the price =(
> 
> As far as dry meads go, I tend to like many of them after a long
> maturing period, but i also like salt and vinegar on my chips which
all
> of my friends but one absolutely refuse to eat, so made I have an odd
> taste, what do I know ?  Otherwise it doesn't take too long to heat
up a
> little water, add some honey and sweeten it up a little. In your
> original post you meantioned vanilla beans as well.
> That's something i've never tried.  What size is the maturing in ? 1
> year ?  How does the vanilla taste come out ? 
> As a primary taste or does it blend nicely with other herbs ?
> 
> I've searched everywhere for a reference as to when peaches came to
use
> in Scandinavia/northern Euorope but all I've found is 
> the old encyclopedia stuff ie latin name, time of harvest, general
> description etc.  Hopefully someone out there will be able to
enlighten
> me.
> 
> Keep the pots boiling, whatever you have in them.
> Brokk.
>     
>       Brokk,
> 
> > I do boil my honey for two reaasons.  Gets the scum up MUCH quicker,
> > and it kills wild yeasties in the honey.  It only goes for about
10 to
> > 15 minutes, and since I use a very aromatic wildflower honey, I
don't
> > miss out on the subtltiy of the honey character.  Boiling also
gives a
> > slight caramalized character that I enjoy.  Not a whole lot, but
> > enought that is noticably different from the sulfited mead I made
> > once.
> > 
> > As for pectic enzyme, it works marvelously, and I've used it on odd
> > occasion.  When I am doing medieval brewing, though, I don't add any
> > chemicals to my must (excepting acid blend, because it is more
> > convenient than lemons all the time, and has tartaric acid as well).
> > 
> > Heat pasteurization is effective only with sufficient time.  My
> > sources suggest that 160-170F for 30 minutes is neccessary to
> > pasteurize (NOT sterilize...that requires autoclave or way long
boil)
> > fresh fruit.  5 minutes may not bring core temp of larger pieces
high
> > enough quick enough to make real difference.
> > 
> > I agree with your assessment of tannins as good foil to sweeter
meads.
> >  In a dry mead, it'll suck the spit right out of your
> > mouth....requiring drinking of a cup of sand to moisten your
tonuge. 
> > Bittering is pretty great when skillfully balanced!
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > niccolo
> > 
>
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