What is Mead?
To put it simply, mead is a fermented beverage made from honey which is sometimes
referred to as "honey wine."
Plausibly humankind's first fermented beverage, mead has evolved and expanded
its range through the millennia to include other fermentables such as fruit
and malt as well as various flavorings such as herbs and spices.
Brewers often make a malt and honey mead known as "braggot" or "bracket."What
is Mead Day?
http://beertown.org/events/meadday/index.htmlThe American Homebrewers Association
(AHA) Mead Day is a national event to help increase camaraderie among homebrewers
and meadmakers and introduce or reintroduce the meadmaking hobby.
Each year on the first Saturday in August, homebrewers around the nation are
encouraged to invite non-brewing and brewing friends and family to celebrate
by making mead.From: Ken Schramm [mailto:schramk@resa.net]
Sent: Friday, July 15, 2005 12:01 PM
Subject: Mead Making Season
Now's the time. In the heat of the summer, when many of us put our beer making
on hiatus, it is the perfect time to be making meads. Fresh fruit is available
at excellent prices, mead fermentations love
the warmer basement temps, and there are even beekeepers in the midst of their
first harvest in some parts of the country.
A couple of tips for your trip to the farmers' market:
Find a beekeeper who packages and sells his/her own honey, and ask what kind
of price he might like for a five gallon bucket. You may have to make two trips,
but that is a good relationship to build.
Return any empty buckets (that can keep his costs down). They'd probably be
glad to take any clean surplus food grade five gallon buckets you may have lying
around.
Buy fruit at the end of the day, when vendors are looking to off load their
stock.
Buy the ripest fruit you can find.
And for home:
Use a lot of yeast (I use 3 pkgs of 71B-1122 per 5 gals.), and make sure your
must is thoroughly mixed and aerated before pitching.
Use some nutrient. I like 1/2 tsp. of diammonium phosphate plus 1/4 tsp Fermaid
K each day with a good stir when you pitch, and then repeat that addition each
day for the next three days.
Keep your OG under 1.150.
Use more fruit than you thought. A Fermentap siphon starter is a great way to
get mead out from under fruit and into a secondary, if you can find one.
Much fun awaits.
Ken Schramm
The Compleat MeadmakerThe Compleat Meadmaker - Schram
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A Frosty Brew to Help Smokers Quit?
July 13, 2005
STUTTGART, GERMANY -- How about the taste of combining beer with nicotine?
A new beer has been launched by German company Nautilus that claims to help
smokers kick the habit by infusing nicotine into the brew.
According to a press release, NicoShot is not necessarily a cure for
smoking, but it can help smokers make lifestyle changes "without having
to
walk out of the bar for a quick smoke to deal with sudden withdrawal
symptoms."
NicoShot contains a shot of natural nicotine, equivalent to a few regular
filtered cigarettes. One 250 ml can of NicoShot contains 6.3 percent alcohol
by volume. The press release notes that three cans of the brew are
comparable to an entire pack of cigarettes.
"Similar to nicotine gum, NicoShot is considered nicotine replacement
therapy that provides a steady, controlled release of nicotine," notes
the
press release. "It can be used to relieve withdrawal symptoms at the
beginning of quitting, to relieve urges from cigarette smoke (cravings)
while quitting, or to avoid relapse months after quitting when a new stress
or situation may trigger a strong urge to smoke."
Richard H. Davis, president of Beverage Marketing USA Inc., notes that
NicoShot is a "smoking cessation brew" designed to satisfy nicotine
cravings; therefore, the brew is a realistic way to help smokers kick the
habit. "NicoShot is a nicotine enhanced beer that can significantly control
cigarette cravings, yet it taste like a fine imported European beer, but
instead it gives you that extra shot of nicotine," he said.
The press release also notes that none of the statements concerning the
effectiveness of NicoShot to help "cure" smoking have been evaluated
by the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration and that the product is not intended to
treat, diagnose or prevent any disease.
--
Kim and SunAe Thomson
ALABREW Homebrewing Supplies
8916a Parkway East
Birmingham, AL 35206
Voice/Fax (205) 833-1716
http://www.alabrew.com
mailto: homebrew@alabrew.com
Tuesday - Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Closed Sunday - Monday