Recent content by TheRabidKumquat

Amazing was a word thrown around more than once. After waking up this morning, checked it and there might be 3 pints left in the keg, so people weren't just being polite. Will definitely be making another batch of this later in the year to have for the winter.

So I was planning on bottling this and sharing with family and friends. Laziness and not finding the time to finish cleaning the bottles paid off though. Kegged it instead and am bringing it to a St. Patrick's Day party. Tasted a small bit of it while transferring to the keg, and at basement...

Brewed this up yesterday. After a phase of lighter beers, I've wandered back onto the dark side and had been wanting to brew a stout. The name drew me in. Mashed at 152 for an hour. Only as the wort was coming to to a boil did I notice that you mashed a little higher for 90 minutes. Brewed...

Nice to see another mead maker in Chicago. With the cooler weather I'm starting to return from my hiatus I take in the summer. If you're looking for a Red: I've made Rolf's Irish Red and it was a batch that I was sad to see gone. Used it a lot in cooking, gave some away to friends who like reds...

Ken Schramm has a recipe in The Compleat Meadmaker for a nutmeg metheglin. He commented that it took "two years to settle down, but is now a delight..." At 3 nutmegs for one gallon, I would be worried about the toxic effects nutmeg possesses, not just the overpowering flavor contribution

I age my batches of apfelwein for at least a year. I don't care for the taste of it young. I rack once or twice: after primary into a secondary, and then maybe around the 6 or 7 month mark after it has cleared and probably won't drop any more sediment. At about 8 or 9 months I switch it to a...

That's going to be a really high gravity. I don't think you'd have to worry about it drying out on you, and I would consider using a "stronger yeast" like EC-118, KV1, or something else that could handle that much sugar. I think you'd be better off lowering your honey amount, or at the least...

I oaked my last batch of Apfelwein I kegged last year. I used 2 oz of American Medium+ for 6 months. Kind of forgot about it for awhile, but when I'd checked it at two months, it wasn't quite where I wanted. Next time I will definitely go less time and less oak. It's over-oaked, sure, but after...

It's all personal preference. I'd also assume that toast level might effect how pronounced it is, as well as honey variety. Is it a traditional mead, or does it have other ingredients? I've had a few batches where I used a 1/4oz and started checking after a couple weeks and wanted more of an...

Wild Blossom Meadery, here in Chicago, does a dessert mead aged in a Kentucky barrel for a year. I have a bottle sitting around that I keep meaning to open up, but at the same time want to hold on to. If you are going to just take apart the barrel and add chunks of it, would it not possibly be...

Like others have said, if you have a Binny's near you, they stock Wild Blossom. Sam's might, also. I'm only a few miles away from the meadery, and they have mentioned Sam's once or twice, but that might be the way of getting around a strange old law regarding the wet and dry side of...

Seven pounds might contribute a more subtle raspberry flavor, so if I were making it, I'd save the fruit for secondary. What yeast do you plan on using? Some yeasts need more nutrients than others, but like bill mentioned, you might not need the nutrient if you put the raspberries in the...

Yeast food is dependent on the amount of yeast pitched. Using a full 5g of yeast in a smaller batch than 5 gallons is fine, you'll have a larger population sooner. Spices might not scale equally, as some are more potent than others, such as cloves. You might not want 5 cloves in a 5 gallon...

Use a yeast that would do well in a lower nutrient situation, such as K1v-1116 or EC-118 instead of something like D-47 or Cote de Blanc. You might end up drier than you anticipate, if the yeast don't stall out, but if they do stall out, I would think the chances of them stalling at a lower S.G...

I started an Orange Blossom mead back in August that I'm going to put on some oak for a long while, and then bottling September '12 for this purpose. I originally was going to do two batches, one of Scandinavian theme, the other of Mayan theme. Ragnarok and 12/21 mead, but so far I haven't...