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ceannt · 08-29-2012, 03:32 PM

So, I made a joke a month or two ago that I was going to take ginkgo to help my memory, but keep forgetting to take it… The person I was talking to said I should just put it in my beer…. I did a little research (still joking) on ginkgo tea… apparently the stuff increases blood flow, not only to the brain, but to the…. Uh…. Genitals… (basically does the same thing as E.D. medication…) So, I pulled some leaves off a ginkgo tree near my office, and brewed up some tea just to see what it tasted like….. very subtle, much like green tea but more “earthy”… “this would be great in Mead” says I…. just think… a drink that not only improves your “performance”.. but helps you remember it better afterwards…. How can you go wrong?
So of course I made some…. I made a short batch with 7 pounds of local honey and 2.5 gallons added water, 1-gallon of it ginkgo tea… I pitched K1V yeast. I did my normal staggered nutrient additions, (scaled down for the smaller batch) for the first 2 days (I missed day 3).
After a week I noticed that it looked like fermentation had stopped (airlock activity stopped on day 4), and was looking clear…. Stuck fermentation? Maybe I didn’t aerate enough? On day 8 I took a gravity sample…. The sample in the hydro tube was water clear…. The hydrometer sank…. Gravity reading… 0.008.
Holy s**t… holy sh**t!!!!! are you *****g kidding me?? From 1.080 to 0.008 in a week???? That is crazy fast… I have never seen mead get to this point in less than a month or two…. Is the ginkgo like Viagra for yeast????
It has a little “sulpher” aroma… that I hope will age out, but otherwise tastes like 3-6 month old mead… a little harsh, but not bad at all…. And very dry….
I shook it up good to de-gas… it was almost clear again the next morning. I’m thinking of going ahead and racking (I normally do this at the 3-month mark)… and letting it sit for a month or two, then bottle. Any suggestions???
Have I stumbled onto a way to speed up mead fermentation? Anybody ever see mead go this fast????
Anybody want to try it yourself to see if you get the same effect? The tea is easy…. 80 leaves per gallon… pour boiling water over the leaves… let steep for 15-minutes…. Pull out the leaves, bring to a boil again to sanitize, and let cool.

**TheBrewingMedic** · 08-29-2012, 04:27 PM

I've had similar effects with a small batch I made with a chai blend yerba mate tea, I believe it is the tannens and nutrients in the tea that really pushes the ferment to finish fast and quickly it becomes crystal clear.

mrdillon5 · 08-30-2012, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ceannt

So, I made a joke a month or two ago that I was going to take ginkgo to help my memory, but keep forgetting to take it… The person I was talking to said I should just put it in my beer…. I did a little research (still joking) on ginkgo tea… apparently the stuff increases blood flow, not only to the brain, but to the…. Uh…. Genitals… (basically does the same thing as E.D. medication…) So, I pulled some leaves off a ginkgo tree near my office, and brewed up some tea just to see what it tasted like….. very subtle, much like green tea but more “earthy”… “this would be great in Mead” says I…. just think… a drink that not only improves your “performance”.. but helps you remember it better afterwards…. How can you go wrong?
So of course I made some…. I made a short batch with 7 pounds of local honey and 2.5 gallons added water, 1-gallon of it ginkgo tea… I pitched K1V yeast. I did my normal staggered nutrient additions, (scaled down for the smaller batch) for the first 2 days (I missed day 3).
After a week I noticed that it looked like fermentation had stopped (airlock activity stopped on day 4), and was looking clear…. Stuck fermentation? Maybe I didn’t aerate enough? On day 8 I took a gravity sample…. The sample in the hydro tube was water clear…. The hydrometer sank…. Gravity reading… 0.008.
Holy s**t… holy sh**t!!!!! are you *****g kidding me?? From 1.080 to 0.008 in a week???? That is crazy fast… I have never seen mead get to this point in less than a month or two…. Is the ginkgo like Viagra for yeast????
It has a little “sulpher” aroma… that I hope will age out, but otherwise tastes like 3-6 month old mead… a little harsh, but not bad at all…. And very dry….
I shook it up good to de-gas… it was almost clear again the next morning. I’m thinking of going ahead and racking (I normally do this at the 3-month mark)… and letting it sit for a month or two, then bottle. Any suggestions???
Have I stumbled onto a way to speed up mead fermentation? Anybody ever see mead go this fast????
Anybody want to try it yourself to see if you get the same effect? The tea is easy…. 80 leaves per gallon… pour boiling water over the leaves… let steep for 15-minutes…. Pull out the leaves, bring to a boil again to sanitize, and let cool.

Sounds like the Ginkgo is working on the yeasts !!

I only have Ginkgo in pill form, I am going to add some to my next batch and see if it speeds things up.

ceannt · 08-30-2012, 12:01 PM

I would avoid the pills .... the stuff they use to extract the goodness is not something you want in anything ...... acetone for one ...

**TheBrewingMedic** · 09-03-2012, 01:36 AM

Plus it wasn't the ginko that sped up fermentation/clearing. It is the tannins from the tea that caused it.

siroiszoo · 09-04-2012, 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBrewingMedic

I've had similar effects with a small batch I made with a chai blend yerba mate tea, I believe it is the tannens and nutrients in the tea that really pushes the ferment to finish fast and quickly it becomes crystal clear.

That sounds good! Is it possible for you to share the recipe? I would love to make some Chai Blend Yerba mate tea mead.

**TheBrewingMedic** · 09-07-2012, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by siroiszoo

That sounds good! Is it possible for you to share the recipe? I would love to make some Chai Blend Yerba mate tea mead.

I made a very simple 1 gallon batch just to test it.
No heat method

3.5 pounds of orange blossom honey
12 yerba mate chai blend tea bags
Nutrient blend (step feeding)
water to a gallon
D-47 yeast

Came out great, fermented and cleared remarkably fast, very drinkable going into teriary, I can't wait until its about a year old.

Arpolis · 09-08-2012, 12:32 AM

my spiced chai was not that fast but i did an experimental cucumber mead that fermented dry in 6-7 days.

siroiszoo · 09-09-2012, 10:22 PM

BrewingMedic, was just beginning the recipe for chai mead. Was going to use it on a JOAM or similiar (ei using the rasins & oranges to feed the yeast) but want to brew it your way instead. However, while I do have yeast nutrient (from an attempt at making blackberry wine) I do not understand step feeding. Could you please elaborate or direct me to a link that helps me out on this?