SC - Mead

[CorwynWdwd at aol.com]

In a message dated 9/7/98 3:13:46 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
atargatis at hotmail.com writes:

> I've just got on to this mailing list, and haven't really got into the 
>  thick of cooking (I can't do that very well :-).  But I ran across a 
>  recipe for Honey Mead, and thought it looked good.  I am hoping to make 
>  it, but my boyfriend warned me about bacteria that can occur in the 
>  fermenting process.  Has anyone made it before?  Have they any tips as 
>  to how to go about it, I'm sure that someone with experience help an 
>  in-experienced one (like me) a lot. 

WELCOME HANNAH... now.. as long as your equipment is clean (and rinsed, as
soap can do damage to a brew too) then mead shouldn't be a problem. Beer, on
the other hand, can go bad if you look at it wrong. Mead is an ideal way for
the novice to get started, as it seems naturally resistant to most of the
buggies that infect beer.... this is a personal opinion based on eighteen
years of making mead, your milage may vary. Keep exposure to air at a minimum
(the gas produced by the yeastie beasties is carbon dioxide, which is
heaverier than air, so it shouldn't be a problem) and everything clean, and
there should be no problems.

> Also, as I'm 20 I haven't got much experience with ligure, what should I
expect >with it. I don't really  want any unpleasantness, since I have to wait
a week for
> the fermenting.

Actually, fermenting for a week I'd be suprised if there was any
"unplesantness".. the thing I'd most worry about would be ...

A: Any rules at your college concerning alcohol. The point would be moot in
the real world... most places anyway.... with something fermented a week. But
there may be some things concerning underaged drinking you might want to check
out first. That is if you live here in the good old alcohol paranoid USA...

B: Any local laws concerning home brewing. The Federal Government (USA) allows
for hombrewing for people of age (I think heads of households, but I haven't
checked the rules lately) Again, this is a function of your local standards,
how close you are to 21, and how many people know what you're doing (always
the pragmatist here) sooooo.... To recap:

1. IF you live in the USA, and IF you're living in the dorm.... be
circumspect. Do it
    (IF you do it)  someplace else that's secure. There's little worry really,
what
    you're dealing with is a weak honey drink with some fizz basically, like a
hard
    cider (yum).

2. Make sure your equipment is clean and relitively soap free upon use. Keep
the container sealed with a fermentation lock, or at least a ballon.... or if
this is one of those two liter coke bottle recipies, then vent it every now
and then.

3. Let us know how it goes, and when you turn 21, I'll send more recipies.

Corwyn
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