hist-brewing: Need some ideas

[OZRICofPSYTH at webtv.net]

Stan,

Here is one using pears, hope this helps.

Pear/ginger melomel/metheglin 



Source: Eric Urquhart (eurquhar at sfu.ca) 
Mead Lover's Digest #11, 8 October 1992 
Ingredients (2 gallons): 
5 lbs pears, seeds and flower end removed 
5 lbs raw new honey (wildflower/raspberry/blackberrry blend) 
3 oz. finely ground fresh young ginger (more lemony than mature ginger)
1 primed package Wyeast belgian #1214 
1/2 tsp. pure ascorbic acid (to keep the pears from going brown and
because it tastes like lemons) 
1/2 tsp. Difco yeast nitrogen base (yeast nutrient) 
16 cups water 
Procedure: 
Everything but the yeast nitrogen base was put into a big pot and
brought up slowly to 200 F and kept there for 20 minutes to pasteurize
and extract the ginger flavour and allowed to cool down naturally (about
2 - 3 hours).  Next time, I'll extract the same ginger pulp repeatedly
with boiling water a few times to get more ginger flavour out and add as
part of the water used (the ginger flavour is only sparingly soluble in
water).  YIELD: about 2 gallons in the primary. 
...p.s. It was bubbling like crazy 24 hours later and the banana was
evident when I opened the yeast envelope.  This weekend ginger beer! 
Comments: 
It turned out reasonably well.  Slight bitter taste but nice 
ginger/fruit flavour when finished.  It was abused so if racked at the
proper times etc. it likely would have been better.  The Belgian yeast
fermented out well with a high % alcohol and likely would taste better
if more residual sugar remained.  This formula yields a very good young
mead as when 3 months old (after the second racking).  It was very tasty
but quite sweet.  Off-flavours seem to be reduced and fruit flavours
maintained when using this yeast if the fermented product is stored at a
cool (below 60 F) temperature once the initial rapid fermentation is
complete. 
Specifics: 
OG:   1.100 
FG: ~1.020

Ozric


-------------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe from this list, send email to majordomo at pbm.com containing
the words "unsubscribe hist-brewing" (or unsubscribe hist-brewing-digest, if
you get the digest.) To contact a human about problems, send mail to
owner-hist-brewing at pbm.com