Rattling the Cage

[pete.jen...@gmail.com]

Anyone here?

I finished me some Wee Heavy, and did the second rack on my mead.
Anyone else doing anything?

[Amy Cooper]

I have several items that need racking... 5 meads and a cyser, IIRC. Last weekend, though, I did start several liquers, all vodka based. Chai, vanilla, and chocolate mint. We'll see how they turn out!

Ilsebet

[Cudbriht se breowere]

Have a sweet mead here that's been working since early October of last
year. 1 racking done already, and mainly at this time waiting on it to
clarify for bottling. Looks like this is likely to be a good one.

Lord Cudbriht se breowere, Dernehealde

[Pete Jensen]

Mine is clarifying nicely, but I think that's the combination of it being a Malomel and the irish moss I added.  I've been racking as the activity tapers off and sediment builds; add some more fermentables or some yeast food/energizer.

This is my first mead, though, so I'm not sure if there is any rule anyone goes by for this.

Malcolm

[Pierre de Montereau]

I have Strawberry-Banana, Traditional, Mint, and Blueberry Mead the are in the process of racking.
 
Pierre de Montereau

> Date: Sun, 16 Mar 2008 20:18:51 -0700
> Subject: [Midrealm Brewers] Rattling the Cage
> From: pete.jen...@gmail.com
> To: middle-king...@googlegroups.com

[ayla volquin]

I am currently working on another batch of pineapple mead. I used champagne yeast and it really is kickin. The last batch was great for Pennsic, not too sweet... a touch on the dry side with the light taste of pineapple. I hope to have some at Baron Wars in May.
     ~ Lady Ayla  

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[Robert Wenzlaff (AB8TD)]

I just bottled an oatmeal stout. I have a lemon-ginger mead ready to bottle,
too.

Planning on a witbier next. Anyone know if the "bitter orange peel" called
for is fresh or dried? Most recipes call for 1/3 to 1/2 oz per 5 gallons.
That seems a bit low for fresh zest.
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[Pete Jensen]

Bitter orange is something entirely different from a regular orange - I know you can get it at Health Food stores dried, but if you want fresh, look for "seville oranges."

I'd have to see the recipe, but I'm guessing if it doesn't specify "zest" it means the whole peel.

[Amy Cooper]

On Tue, Mar 18, 2008 at 6:36 AM, Robert Wenzlaff (AB8TD) <rwen...@soylent-green.com> wrote:

 Anyone know if the "bitter orange peel" called
for is fresh or dried?  Most recipes call for 1/3 to 1/2 oz per 5 gallons.
That seems a bit low for fresh zest.

Bitter orange peel is something I've seen at the brew shops I go to. Always been dried. It is totally different from regular orange peel - I think it uses the same oranges as orange marmalade, which I'm pretty sure are Seville oranges.

If you live in the Detroit Metro area, I'm 95% certain that Adventures in Homebrewing would have it. They're near I94 and Telegraph. Great guys, and they don't freak out when I buy them out of size 6.5 stoppers for CA bolts :-D. If you're not in the Metro Area, just about any established brew shop should have the peel. It is considered an essential flavor for a true witbier.

HTH
Ilsebet

[Bob Wenzlaff]

At 07:55 AM 3/18/2008, you wrote:
>Bitter orange is something entirely different from a regular orange
>- I know you can get it at Health Food stores dried, but if you want
>fresh, look for "seville oranges."
>
>I'd have to see the recipe, but I'm guessing if it doesn't specify
>"zest" it means the whole peel.

The dried version does make the quantities sound more plausible. A
1/2 oz of fresh zest in 5 Gal. seems like it would have very little
effect (though it is added in the boil, so it probably gets well
extracted). That's still less than the zest of 1 orange.

I have seen recipes that call for the whole peel, but the BJCP (Beer
Judge Certification Program, the AHA Judges' bible) guide lists
excessive bitterness from pith as a flaw.

The Hoegaarten I recently tried definitely wasn't orangey bitter,
just a very slight hop bitterness.

So I'm thinking of 1.5 - 2 oz of fresh zest in the boil. That should
be about the same as 1/2 oz of dried.

Godfrey/
Robert Wenzlaff

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