Greetings and well met all!

I have been charged with the task of making sparkling mead for my daughters
wedding.  The good news is I have just under two years to accomplish this.  The
bad news is i have never attempted any sort of carbonated beverage.  Does anyone
in the group have any experience in making champagne/sparkling wine?  I am
looking for a fairly sweet end-product.  Thanks in advance for the input.

YIS,
Michelangelo

Does it have to have a wine-like alcohol level or would a more beer-
like level be acceptable? I've made meads with ale yeast that were
meant to be consumed in about 8 weeks. They were sweet, fizzy,
alcoholic, and generally well-received on a hot summer's evening. So
maybe a young mead would suit your purposes, as long as it was meant
to be drunk young?

-Matilda
sometime by-brewer

Sparkling and Dry  is easy.  Just ferment it out till dry then add an
appropriate amount of priming sugar at bottling.

Sparkling and Sweet is not so easy.  If a mead has stopped fermenting
and is still sweet then there is already residual sugar there that could
be fermented and the fermentation has stopped for other reasons like the
pH has dropped too low for the yeast, the Alcohol level has risen too
high, or some other condition unfavorable to you yeast.  So to naturally
carbonate in a bottle you have to wake the yeast up just long enough to
carbonate your beverage and not so long that your bottles explode.  That
is a tricky prospect that is mastered after considerable trial and error
and to be done successfully you really have to know why your yeast
stopped fermenting in the first place so that you know what needs to be
done to wake it up for a brief period to carbonate your beverage and
then go back to sleep (it's tendency is going to be to keep going and
consume all the remaining sugar).

For a fairly sweet end product  I would suggest that you not naturally
carbonate.  Keg the mead and force carbonate.  This also gives your the
opportunity to filter it if you think you need to (ya want the wedding
beverage to be pretty as well).  If you have access to the equipment
this is all pretty easy and relatively fool-proof.

If you want the pour from the champagne bottle sparkling beverage
experience then after forced carbonation in the kegs you can use a
counter-pressure bottle filler to bottle in some champagne bottles that
you can put crown caps on.  Then gold champagne foils on the top and a
pretty label and you have your bottled festive wedding mead.

If you don't have kegging  equipment perhaps another local brewer in the
SCA or nearest homebrew club can help with loaner.

Regards,

-EA


On 8/13/2010 9:31 PM, ozmodiusnc wrote:
> Greetings and well met all!
>
> I have been charged with the task of making sparkling mead for my daughters
wedding.  The good news is I have just under two years to accomplish this.  The
bad news is i have never attempted any sort of carbonated beverage.  Does anyone
in the group have any experience in making champagne/sparkling wine?  I am
looking for a fairly sweet end-product.  Thanks in advance for the input.
>
> YIS,
> Michelangelo
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>

At 10:28 PM 8/15/2010, you wrote:
>Does it have to have a wine-like alcohol level or would a more beer-
>like level be acceptable? I've made meads with ale yeast that were
>meant to be consumed in about 8 weeks. They were sweet, fizzy,
>alcoholic, and generally well-received on a hot summer's evening. So
>maybe a young mead would suit your purposes, as long as it was meant
>to be drunk young?
>
>-Matilda
>sometime by-brewer

The trick is to get the fermentation to stop when the correct amount
of sugar remains. There are several ways, but it is tricky.

The tried and true method is to make a dry, champaign like mead. You
add just enough sugar at the end to get the level of fizz you want.
No remaining sugar = no more fermentation = no bottle bombs.

You can use a lower alcohol tolerant yeast, like ale yeast as you said.
No remaining yeast = no fermentation = no bottle bombs -> In theory.

When the yeast attenuates, it's not really dead, just very sluggish.
The fermentation will continue very slowly and over time, could
produce a bottle bomb. There are also a lot of conditions where the
yeast can look like it's gone sluggish due to alcohol, but in reality
is stuck due to another reason that may resolve itself at a very
inconvenient time.  Also, even if the yeast you add is sluggish, you
have to be very careful nothing else gets in that can tolerate the
ale-level alcohol (typ. under 8%). Keeping it cool and drinking it
young (which is OK for a sweeter mead made with a clean tasting ale
yeast) is a good plan.

You can also try to chemically kill the yeast after the carbonation
level is right.  How?  Chill the bottles to about 29 deg. F.  At that
temp enough of the CO2 will stay dissolved that you can open them,
add Potassium Sorbate to stop further fermentation, and reseal with
only a little loss of fizz.

Counter-pressure carbonation after adding Potassium Sorbate is
probably best (as mentioned previously). You can also force carbonate
in a keg, chill the keg to 29F and bottle w/o fancy equipment.


       Verba Movent - Exempla Trahunt
Words move people, Example compels them

      Godfrey Thacker of Northumberland.

Anyone have a good recipe for ginger beer/mead... I had it while in London and
fell in love, but can't find it anywhere here.
Cynthia

Lost and Found is located on the yahoo groups Trimaris-constable list
Photos. Please cross post.

Thank You

Bobby Jones
Brighten

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/trimaris-constables/photos/album/1968565247/pic/li\
st

The Right Noble Brewers Guild of Caid will be hosting our 6th Annual
Inter-Kingdom Brewing Contest at Great Western War.

The Contest will take place Saturday October 9, 2010. Contest entries will be
accepted Saturday from 7:30-9:30 AM in the Arts and Sciences area.

Results and bottle return will be (hopefully) during the Taste of Great Western,
in the dining pavilion in Merchant's Row from the hours of 9pm and 11pm.

No more than 9 entries (no more than 3 per category) per contestant will be
accepted. There will be a charge of $3 per entry CASH ONLY, no checks will be
accepted.

For more information contact brewcontest@...

For a complete listing of the brewing contest rules please visit the Brewer's
Guild website or email brewcontest@...

Please note this event is sponsored by the Right Noble Brewers Guild of Caid and
is no way associated with the Inter-Kingdom Brewers Guild.

Any questions or comments should be directed to me off list

YIS

Reinhardt Medebruer

http://www.amazon.com/Closet-Kenelm-Digby-Knight-Opened/dp/B003VS1926/ref=tmm_pa\
p_title_0

For those who don't know, there's a new edition of Digby now
available, published in July of this year.  It is released in
paperback, and Amazon is selling it for $10, Enjoy!

Cheers,
Brandubh

Ok, So my grandpa used to make Pumpkin beer, and I really want to make same for
this year.  So, anyone got a suggestion for a good source for the recipe?

Ok, So my grandpa used to make Pumpkin beer, and I really want to make same for
this year.  So, anyone got a suggestion for a good source for the recipe?

Are you looking to make a true mead or a melomel?

If you're looking for a sweet-sparkling melomel, I have a recipe for you.  I've
made this particular recipe 13 times, and it comes out nicely sweet, very fizzy,
and I haven't had a "bottle bomb" since my second attempt.  Now I have three
recipes for it, one is for a 7.5 gallon batch, one is for a 18.5 gallon, and the
last is for a 55 gallon batch (the chemistry changes a touch for some reason I
still don't understand well enough to explain, when you go for batches bigger
than 10 gallons, and again when you break into the "massive batches").  Anyway,
I will say that this recipe is a ROYAL pain in the tail, as many of the steps
are derived from studying the "Champagne Method", but it is consistent.

--- In sca_brew@yahoogroups.com, "ozmodiusnc" <ozmodiusnc@...> wrote:
>
> Greetings and well met all!
>
> I have been charged with the task of making sparkling mead for my daughters
wedding.  The good news is I have just under two years to accomplish this.  The
bad news is i have never attempted any sort of carbonated beverage.  Does anyone
in the group have any experience in making champagne/sparkling wine?  I am
looking for a fairly sweet end-product.  Thanks in advance for the input.
>
> YIS,
> Michelangelo
>

I would be more than happy to do a pumpkin mead, that would be a longer term
project than I was looking for with the beer, but Hey, if I start a pumpkin mead
now, that means I can serve it up next year around the holidays!  So yes, please
share...

--- In sca_brew@yahoogroups.com, Benjamin Berry <bbwaco@...> wrote:
>
> I have a few for pumpkin mead, if that will do for you...but nothing so far
for pumpkin beer..
>
>   "I am ready to meet my maker. Whether my maker is prepared to meet me is
another matter."   -Winston Churchill
>
>
>
> --- On Wed, 10/6/10, Kveldulf Lohipoika <kveldulf_lohipoika@...> wrote:
>
> From: Kveldulf Lohipoika <kveldulf_lohipoika@...>
> Subject: [SCA_Brew] Pumpkin beer?
> To: sca_brew@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 4:04 PM
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>  
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>       Ok, So my grandpa used to make Pumpkin beer, and I really want to make
same for this year.  So, anyone got a suggestion for a good source for the
recipe?
>

I'm getting ready to go shopping for new beer making equipment so I can work
with grain, or partial mash.  Mostly I've only ever made Meads, and Wines.  Beer
is my new venture...

--- In sca_brew@yahoogroups.com, "D.B." <freegade@...> wrote:
>
> how much beer are you looking to make and are you set up to do all grain or
> partial mash or extract only
> Titus
>
> On Wed, Oct 6, 2010 at 5:29 PM, Kveldulf Lohipoika <
> kveldulf_lohipoika@...> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > I would be more than happy to do a pumpkin mead, that would be a longer
> > term project than I was looking for with the beer, but Hey, if I start a
> > pumpkin mead now, that means I can serve it up next year around the
> > holidays! So yes, please share...
> >
> >
> > --- In sca_brew@yahoogroups.com <sca_brew%40yahoogroups.com>, Benjamin
> > Berry <bbwaco@> wrote:
> > >
> > > I have a few for pumpkin mead, if that will do for you...but nothing so
> > far for pumpkin beer..
> > >
> > > "I am ready to meet my maker. Whether my maker is prepared to meet me is
> > another matter."Â Â  -Winston Churchill
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --- On Wed, 10/6/10, Kveldulf Lohipoika <kveldulf_lohipoika@> wrote:
> > >
> > > From: Kveldulf Lohipoika <kveldulf_lohipoika@>
> >
> > > Subject: [SCA_Brew] Pumpkin beer?
> > > To: sca_brew@yahoogroups.com <sca_brew%40yahoogroups.com>
> > > Date: Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 4:04 PM
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Â
> >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Ok, So my grandpa used to make Pumpkin beer, and I really want to make
> > same for this year. So, anyone got a suggestion for a good source for the
> > recipe?
> > >
> >
> >
> >
>

Oh, and I'm looking to do a relatively small batch, either a 7.5 or a 18.5
gallon

--- In sca_brew@yahoogroups.com, "Kveldulf Lohipoika" <kveldulf_lohipoika@...>
wrote:
>
> I'm getting ready to go shopping for new beer making equipment so I can work
with grain, or partial mash.  Mostly I've only ever made Meads, and Wines.  Beer
is my new venture...
>
> --- In sca_brew@yahoogroups.com, "D.B." <freegade@> wrote:
> >
> > how much beer are you looking to make and are you set up to do all grain or
> > partial mash or extract only
> > Titus
> >
> > On Wed, Oct 6, 2010 at 5:29 PM, Kveldulf Lohipoika <
> > kveldulf_lohipoika@> wrote:
> >
> > >
> > >
> > > I would be more than happy to do a pumpkin mead, that would be a longer
> > > term project than I was looking for with the beer, but Hey, if I start a
> > > pumpkin mead now, that means I can serve it up next year around the
> > > holidays! So yes, please share...
> > >
> > >
> > > --- In sca_brew@yahoogroups.com <sca_brew%40yahoogroups.com>, Benjamin
> > > Berry <bbwaco@> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > I have a few for pumpkin mead, if that will do for you...but nothing so
> > > far for pumpkin beer..
> > > >
> > > > "I am ready to meet my maker. Whether my maker is prepared to meet me is
> > > another matter."Â Â  -Winston Churchill
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > --- On Wed, 10/6/10, Kveldulf Lohipoika <kveldulf_lohipoika@> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > From: Kveldulf Lohipoika <kveldulf_lohipoika@>
> > >
> > > > Subject: [SCA_Brew] Pumpkin beer?
> > > > To: sca_brew@yahoogroups.com <sca_brew%40yahoogroups.com>
> > > > Date: Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 4:04 PM
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Â
> > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Ok, So my grandpa used to make Pumpkin beer, and I really want to make
> > > same for this year. So, anyone got a suggestion for a good source for the
> > > recipe?
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
>

I believe Norther Brewer currently has a Pumpkin Spice Beer extract
pre-assembled recipe.  I believe they also have instructions in the box for
using grains and fresh veggies instead of the extracts.

Roland d'Endewearde
Endewearde Brewers Guild
Shire of Endewearde, Kingdom of the East

---- "D.B." <freegade@...> wrote:
>   i usually do batches in increments of 5 gallons but thats just because
> thats the size of a corny keg and the math tends to be easier.
> pumpkin has a good amount of starch that a good base malt grain will convert
> into fermentable sugar.  but that is if you are using an all grain or
> partial mash.
>   if you want the simplest way to pull off a pumpkin ale is to put a 75%/25%
> mix of a base malt in a grain sock and let it steep in 152 degree water for
> an hour, then add extract and a couple of pounds of good crystal malt, say
> 50/50 mix of crystal 40 and crystal 60.  then boil for another hour.
>   Keep your hop scheme really light so as not to overpower the pumpkin i
> prefer something like east kent goldings and add some spices in with five
> minutes left in the boil, the usual pumpkin pie spices will work, just be
> really light with the cloves or thats all people will taste.
>   The weight of the grain, pumpkin and extract depends on what volume you
> are going with.  For say ten gallons id go with 14 lbs of base malt, 4 lbs
> of pumpkin, and 2 lbs of crystal malt.
>   to get the pumpkin ready, id start with canned pumpkin puree, spread on a
> baking sheet and bake for 30-40 min at 350 before adding to the mash.
> Titus
>
> On Wed, Oct 6, 2010 at 5:35 PM, Kveldulf Lohipoika <
> kveldulf_lohipoika@...> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > Oh, and I'm looking to do a relatively small batch, either a 7.5 or a 18.5
> > gallon
> >
> >
> > --- In sca_brew@yahoogroups.com <sca_brew%40yahoogroups.com>, "Kveldulf
> > Lohipoika" <kveldulf_lohipoika@...> wrote:
> > >
> > > I'm getting ready to go shopping for new beer making equipment so I can
> > work with grain, or partial mash. Mostly I've only ever made Meads, and
> > Wines. Beer is my new venture...
> > >
> > > --- In sca_brew@yahoogroups.com <sca_brew%40yahoogroups.com>, "D.B."
> > <freegade@> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > how much beer are you looking to make and are you set up to do all
> > grain or
> > > > partial mash or extract only
> > > > Titus
> > > >
> > > > On Wed, Oct 6, 2010 at 5:29 PM, Kveldulf Lohipoika <
> > > > kveldulf_lohipoika@> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > I would be more than happy to do a pumpkin mead, that would be a
> > longer
> > > > > term project than I was looking for with the beer, but Hey, if I
> > start a
> > > > > pumpkin mead now, that means I can serve it up next year around the
> > > > > holidays! So yes, please share...
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > --- In sca_brew@yahoogroups.com <sca_brew%40yahoogroups.com><sca_brew%
> > 40yahoogroups.com>, Benjamin
> > > > > Berry <bbwaco@> wrote:
> > > > > >
> > > > > > I have a few for pumpkin mead, if that will do for you...but
> > nothing so
> > > > > far for pumpkin beer..
> > > > > >
> > > > > > "I am ready to meet my maker. Whether my maker is prepared to meet
> > me is
> > > > > another matter."Â Â -Winston Churchill
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > --- On Wed, 10/6/10, Kveldulf Lohipoika <kveldulf_lohipoika@>
> > wrote:
> > > > > >
> > > > > > From: Kveldulf Lohipoika <kveldulf_lohipoika@>
> > > > >
> > > > > > Subject: [SCA_Brew] Pumpkin beer?
> > > > > > To: sca_brew@yahoogroups.com <sca_brew%40yahoogroups.com><sca_brew%
> > 40yahoogroups.com>
> > > > > > Date: Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 4:04 PM
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Â
> > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Ok, So my grandpa used to make Pumpkin beer, and I really want to
> > make
> > > > > same for this year. So, anyone got a suggestion for a good source for
> > the
> > > > > recipe?
> > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >

I am more than happy to share my recipes:

Pumpkin Stout:

http://www.honorblade.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=478

Kythe Szubielka


PS- leave out the licorice stick. I've worked with it several times in various
quantities, it's just too overpowering.

I'm not the original requestor, but I would love to have a copy of your recipe
in the 7.5 gallon version, if you would be so kind as to share!

Cheers,
Sorcha Crowe
Baroness, Storvik

--- In sca_brew@yahoogroups.com, "Kveldulf Lohipoika" <kveldulf_lohipoika@...>
wrote:
>
> Are you looking to make a true mead or a melomel?
>
> If you're looking for a sweet-sparkling melomel, I have a recipe for you.