Important info for anyone involved with bees, honey, or mead.

East Cowdry Bootleggers Quite a few updates in the "Attempts to Date" are up. The yeast test info will be up early this week. (Aug 6, 2006)
Mead That stuff the Vikings drank It isn't a wine. It isn't a beer. It's more of a forerunner to both, made by combining honey & water, and letting them ferment. Without adding yeasts, this could take five or ten years, but it would happen. Normally stronger than beers, known as an aphrodisiac, it has been brewed (under various names) by nearly every culture around the world, through all time periods. If you want more history on mead, look somewhere else, it's well covered on several sites, and more books than I can count. If you want recipes that are tried & true, keep looking, plenty of sites and books for them too. If you want expert advice on brewing, you're at the wrong place again, try your homebrew store, or better yet, a newsgroup. This is more of a journal of what I've tried, what works for me, and what doesn't. OK, a real quick intro to the basic types of mead, & some of the other terminology that's related. Mead - Honey, mixed with water, then fermented. example Cyser - Cyser is a combination of honey and apple cider. example Pyment - Pyment blends honey and grapes. Melomel - Melomel is made from honey and any fruit other than grapes or apples. example 1, example 2, example 3, example 4 Metheglin - Metheglin starts with traditional mead but has herbs and spices added. example Hippocras - Hippocras is a combination of Pyment and spices. Braggot - Braggot marks the invention of Ale. Brewed from honey and hops. example 1, example 2 Must - The mixture of honey, water, and whatever else, until the yeasts are added. Wort - Similar to Must, but it applies more to Ales, Braggots, and certain types of Metheglins, beer-like mixes. Press - Used to press the juice from fruit, an apple press is usually sturdier than others. Fermenters - The Primary fermenter is usually a plastic bucket with a tight sealing lid and an airlock. Carboy - Usually the secondary fermenter, large glass jug with an airlock. Air Lock - A small water trap that allows expanding gasses out, but no air in. Wildflower Honey - Dark honey from a variety of plants, strong flavour. Clover Honey - Sweet, mild flavour, light whitish colour. Orange Blossom Honey - Darker than clover, almost as strong wildflower. Basswood Honey - Light coloured, mild, with a little zing. Apiary - A honey farm (you know, those square bee-hive things?) Yeast Baseline Test . . . Moved to a separate page. Got to be more than just an idea, so here are the details so far. Questions, comments, complaints, suggestions? Want to give all your money away to fund honey brewing experiments? brewmaster@eastcowdrybootleggers.us

East Cowdry Bootleggers

Quite a few updates in the "Attempts to Date" are up. The yeast test info will be up early this week. (Aug 6, 2006)

Mead

That stuff the Vikings drank

It isn't a wine.

It isn't a beer.

It's more of a forerunner to both, made by combining honey & water, and letting them ferment. Without adding yeasts, this could take five or ten years, but it would happen. Normally stronger than beers, known as an aphrodisiac, it has been brewed (under various names) by nearly every culture around the world, through all time periods. If you want more history on mead, look somewhere else, it's well covered on several sites, and more books than I can count. If you want recipes that are tried & true, keep looking, plenty of sites and books for them too. If you want expert advice on brewing, you're at the wrong place again, try your homebrew store, or better yet, a newsgroup. This is more of a journal of what I've tried, what works for me, and what doesn't.

OK, a real quick intro to the basic types of mead, & some of the other terminology that's related.

Mead - Honey, mixed with water, then fermented. example

Cyser - Cyser is a combination of honey and apple cider. example

Pyment - Pyment blends honey and grapes.

Melomel - Melomel is made from honey and any fruit other than grapes or apples. example 1, example 2, example 3, example 4

Metheglin - Metheglin starts with traditional mead but has herbs and spices added. example

Hippocras - Hippocras is a combination of Pyment and spices.

Braggot - Braggot marks the invention of Ale. Brewed from honey and hops. example 1, example 2

Must - The mixture of honey, water, and whatever else, until the yeasts are added.

Wort - Similar to Must, but it applies more to Ales, Braggots, and certain types of Metheglins, beer-like mixes.

Press - Used to press the juice from fruit, an apple press is usually sturdier than others.

Fermenters - The Primary fermenter is usually a plastic bucket with a tight sealing lid and an airlock.

Carboy - Usually the secondary fermenter, large glass jug with an airlock.

Air Lock - A small water trap that allows expanding gasses out, but no air in.

Wildflower Honey - Dark honey from a variety of plants, strong flavour.

Clover Honey - Sweet, mild flavour, light whitish colour.

Orange Blossom Honey - Darker than clover, almost as strong wildflower.

Basswood Honey - Light coloured, mild, with a little zing.

Apiary - A honey farm (you know, those square bee-hive things?)

Yeast Baseline Test . . .

Moved to a separate page. Got to be more than just an idea, so here are the details so far.

Questions, comments, complaints, suggestions? Want to give all your money away to fund honey brewing experiments?

brewmaster@eastcowdrybootleggers.us