Brewing mead without boiling and without sulfiting

For those making mead and related drinks
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Laripu
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Brewing mead without boiling and without sulfiting

Post by Laripu » Mon Apr 27, 2015 3:18 am

This is in response to a post by Trefoyl, who said he'd sulfite his mead instead of boiling, in order to preserve volatile flavor and aroma compounds. I'm in favour of a third way, that eschews chemicals, but preserves volatiles, while still getting rid of spoilage micro-organisms.

The first thing to note is that what drives off volatile compounds is threefold: agitation (as in boiling), heat (as in boiling) and time. It's the combination of these that does the most damage.

Pasteurization doesn't require boiling. The elements of pasteurization are heat and time (and, incidentally viscosity, which is an important consideration for milk pasteurization). You can pasteurize for less time with more heat, or pasteurize with less heat in more time. The actual balance has been nicely laid out for us by milk producers who had a little problem with tuberculosis and raw milk about 100 years ago. For milk, the standard is 145°F (62.8°C) for 30 minutes, or 161°F (71.7°C) for 15 seconds. Mead wort, being much less viscous than milk, requires either less heat or less time or a little less of both.

What I'm proposing follows. (FYI, you can substitute a US gallon for 4 litres, roughly. I mention that in order that it's easily useful for both US and UK members.)

1. The day before brewing, boil 12 litres of water, cool, then pour into three 4-litre (or US gallon) jugs. Refrigerate overnight.
2. On brew day, boil 8 litres of water, with whatever yeast nutrients, acids, tannins etc that you planned for your mead. Boil for 5 minutes and remove from heat.
3. Add 12 pounds of honey, stir well without aerating much, return the lid to the pot, and cover the pot with some towels to insulate. The resulting liquid should be around 155°F. How do I know that? 8 litres at 1 kg/litre weighs 8 * 2.2 = 17.6 lbs. The 12 pounds of honey are at around 72°F, room temperature. And finally:
(17.6 lb * 212°F +12 lb * 72°F) / (17.6 lb + 12 lb) = 155.2°F
Easy as π. :D
4. Leave this covered and insulated for 15 minutes to pasteurize, then force cool.
5. While it's cooling, pour 8 litres of the refrigerated boiled water into you fermenter (reserve the last 4 litres for topping up). When the honey wort has cooled to around 100 to 110°F, pour it into the fermenter over the cold water. Stir. (Note: pouring into the fermenter should provide enough aeration. If you're a bit nervous about that, put a tiny drop of olive oil into a thimble of vodka, dissolve, then into the boil. Why? Sterols. That's another story.)
6. Top up with the reserved water, as required and stir a bit more.

What's just happened here? You've pasteurized your honey wort for a short time (not long enough to drive off volatiles at that temperature) and with a temperature much lower than boiling (not hot enough to drive off volatiles in that short time).

And you didn't need any chemicals, which, being bad for microbes, aren't great for you either. That's how we do it chez Laripu.

Now go and sin no more. :D :wink:
Secondary FV: As yet unnamed Weizenbock ~7%
Bulk aging: Soodo: Grocery store grape juice wine experiment.
Drinking: Mostly Canadian whisky until I start brewing again.

fatbloke

Re: Brewing mead without boiling and without sulfiting

Post by fatbloke » Sun May 24, 2015 3:17 pm

Entirely unnecessary.

Honey is anti-fungal and anti-bacterial naturally. It's easy to get confused, what with a lot of the sanitation processes needed for beer, and to a lesser extent wines - can't say about beers other than due to it's relatively low alcohol levels generally, good sanitation is a must. With wines, you need to make sure about any wild yeasts that may be on the base fruit ingredient etc.

Honey has done all that for you naturally. So don't boil. Hell don't heat it at all, even if it's crystallised. Just, work out the weight you're gonna use per gallon and add it to the bucket. If you want it easy, some "hand hot" water, just for rinsing out the jars/containers it came in. If the honey is crystallised, just scoop/cut it out and weigh it, in the bucket and made up with the appropriate amount of water. If you're concerned about it, you could drop a campden tablet (crushed) into it.

Then just seal the bucket and shake the hell out of it. If the honey was liquid, you could just use a sanitised stick blender or electric balloon whisk and that will aerate it nicely, then you're ready to pitch yeast. If the honey was crystallised then after it's been shaken, just leave it be. Honey is naturally hygroscopic, so will dissolve over a couple of days. Further shaking of the sealed bucket won't hurt.

Once it's all dissolved you're ready to continue on.......

Bingo. No heating of any kind.

Just my tuppence worth.......

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Laripu
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Re: Brewing mead without boiling and without sulfiting

Post by Laripu » Sun May 24, 2015 3:57 pm

fatbloke wrote:Entirely unnecessary.

Honey is anti-fungal and anti-bacterial naturally.
Yes. Honey is, due to the high concentration of sugar.

Diluted honey, at 1.080 or so, has lost much of that protection.

You can probably make a number of batches without problems if your equipment is sanitized, but you will occasionally get a bad batch. (If you read antique recipes for mead and metheglin, you'll find that they all call for boiling. That's experience talking.)

Your suggestion that a Campden tablet be used will work, but is exactly what I want to avoid. Heat treatment without boiling works, doesn't require chemicals, and doesn't destroy aroma or flavour.
Secondary FV: As yet unnamed Weizenbock ~7%
Bulk aging: Soodo: Grocery store grape juice wine experiment.
Drinking: Mostly Canadian whisky until I start brewing again.

fatbloke

Re: Brewing mead without boiling and without sulfiting

Post by fatbloke » Sun Jun 07, 2015 7:18 pm

Utter bollocks. Historic recipes didn't use boiling for the honey.

They used boiling to sanitise the water element. Read up about "small beer" and why it was popular in Europe, until they worked out how to produce good, clean, safe water.

The beer was safer as it had been mashed. The heat had killed off any of the water bourne nasties. Stuff that can be a little iffy, like ...........cholera and typhus, etc........ :shock: :D

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Laripu
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Re: Brewing mead without boiling and without sulfiting

Post by Laripu » Sun Jun 07, 2015 9:13 pm

fatbloke wrote:Utter bollocks. Historic recipes didn't use boiling for the honey.
Nope. Nope nope nope nope and nope. Examples? See the following, and in all cases I added the bold emphasis. Plus I included links, so you can check it for yourself. Plus I could, without even having to stray from my bookcase, provide a dozen more. I've read dozens of these, some in middle English. (I always knew Chaucer would be good for something! :) )

Note, I'm not saying you should boil. I am saying you should pasteurize with light heat, for about 15 minutes, and the temperature of the mixture of room-temperature honey, and water that has just been boiled, will be sufficient for that. You can instead use Campden tablets, but this is what I'm trying to avoid. While honey itself, on its own, can't be spoiled by bacteria, the proof that honey dissolved in water is not immune to infection is that it is infected and fermented by the yeast brewers introduce. Were it not so, you wouldn't have mead!

Some references:
Digbie recipes
Medieval/Renaissance Brewing Homepage

Ex. 1. From here, 13th century. That may be the oldest known surviving mead recipe, says this other link to it.
//ffor to make mede. Tak .i. galoun of fyne hony and to þat .4. galouns of water and hete þat water til it be as lengh þanne dissolue þe hony in þe water. thanne set hem ouer þe fier & let hem boyle and ever scomme it as longe as any filthe rysith þer on. and þanne tak it doun of þe fier and let it kole in oþer vesselle til it be as kold as melk whan it komith from þe koow. than tak drestis of þe fynest ale or elles berme and kast in to þe water & þe hony. and stere al wel to gedre but ferst loke er þu put þy berme in. that þe water with þe hony be put in a fayr stonde & þanne put in þy berme or elles þi drestis for þat is best & stere wel to gedre/ and ley straw or elles clothis a bowte þe vessel & a boue gif þe wedir be kolde and so let it stande .3. dayes & .3. nygthis gif þe wedir be kold And gif it be hoot wedir .i. day and .1. nyght is a nogh at þe fulle But ever after .i. hour or .2. at þe moste a say þer of and gif þu wilt have it swete tak it þe sonere from þe drestis & gif þu wilt have it scharpe let it stand þe lenger þer with. Thanne draw it from þe drestis as cler as þu may in to an oþer vessel clene & let it stonde .1. nyght or .2. & þanne draw it in to an oþer clene vessel & serve it forth
Ex. 2. From Recipe from Kenelme Digbie, 1669
Master Webbe, who maketh the Kings Meathe, ordereth it thus. Take as much of the Hyde-park water as will make a Hogshead of Meathe. Boil in it about two Ounces of the best Hopp's for about half an hour. By that time, the water will have drawn out the strength of the Hopp's. Then skim them clean off, and all the froth, or whatever rifeth of the water. Then dissolve in it warm, about one part of honey to six of water: Lave and beat it, till all of the Honey be perfectly dissolved; Then boil it, beginning gentle, till all the scum be risen, and scummed away. It must boil in all about two hours.
Ex. 3. From Another one from Digbie, 1669. (You can look at all the Digbie recipes here).
To make good Meath, good White and thick Marsilian or Provence-honey is best; and of that, to four Holland Pints (the Holland Pint is very little bigger then the English Winepint:) of Water, you must put two pounds of Honey. The Honey must be stirred in Water, till it be all melted. If it be stirred about in warm water, it will melt so much the sooner.
When all is dissolved, it must be so strong that an Egge may swim in it with the end upwards. And if it be too sweet or too strong, because there is too much Honey; then you must put more water to it; yet so, that, as above, an Hens Egge may swim with the point upwards: And then that newly added water must be likewise well stirred about, so that it may be mingled all alike. If the Eggs sink (which is a token that there is not honey enough) then you must put more Honey to it, and stir about, till it be all dissolved, and the Eggs swim, as abovesaid. This being done, it must be hanged over the fire, and as it beginneth to seeth, the scum, that doth arise upon it, both before and after, must be clean skimmed off. When it is first set upon the fire, you must measure it first with a stick, how deep the Kettel is, or how much Liquor there be in it; and then it must boil so long, till one third part of it be boiled away. When it is thus boiled, it must be poured out into a Cooler, or open vessel, before it be tunned in the Barrel; but the Bung-hole must be left open, that it may have vent. A vessel, which hath served for Sack is best.
Ex. 4 Speak German? 14th century German? Of course you do! Who doesn't? Then you'll like this recipe from the Würzburger Kochbuch, 1350.
Der guten mete machen wil. der werme reinen brunnen. daz er die hant dor inne liden künne. und neme zwei maz wazzers. und eine honiges. daz rüere man mit eime stecken. und laz ez ein wile hangen. und sihe ez denne durch ein rein tuch. oder durch ein harsip in ein rein vaz. und siede denne die selben wirtz gein eime acker lanc hin und wider. und schume die wirtz mit einer vensterehten schüzzeln. da der schume inne blibe und niht die wirtz. dor noch giuz den mete in ein rein vaz. und bedecke in. daz der bradem niht uz müge. als lange daz man die hant dor inne geliden müge.
So nim denne ein halp mezzigen hafen. und tu in halp vol hopphen und ein hant vol salbey. und siede daz mit der wirtz gein einer halben mile. und giuz ez denne in die wirtz. und nim frischer heven ein halp nözzelin. und giuz ez dor in. und giuz ez under ein ander. daz ez geschende werde. so decke zu. daz der bradem iht uz müge einen tac und eine naht. So seige denne den mete durch ein reyn tuch oder durch ein harsip. und vazze in in ein reyn vaz. und lazze in iern drie tac und drie naht und fülle in alle abende. dar nach lazze man in aber abe. und hüete daz iht hefen dor in kumme. und laz in aht tage ligen. daz er valle. und fülle in alle abende. dar nach loz in abe in ein gehertztez vaz. und laz in ligen aht tage vol. und trinke in denne erst sechs wuchen oder ehte. so ist er allerbeste.
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Secondary FV: As yet unnamed Weizenbock ~7%
Bulk aging: Soodo: Grocery store grape juice wine experiment.
Drinking: Mostly Canadian whisky until I start brewing again.

BenB

Re: Brewing mead without boiling and without sulfiting

Post by BenB » Mon Jun 08, 2015 7:49 am

I guess it's like jam. You would imagine it would make a perfect growth medium for infection but it's so flipping sugary it isn't. I've made jam without adding anything other than pectin, sugar and strawberries and 2 years later not a sign off mould. Get some of that jam and slacken it off with water and it'll go funky in a day ..

I wonder why they say to use rain water which has sat for two years? I've read brewing texts talking about using well water for dark beers and river water for pale beers so I'm assuming they got best results with very low alkalinity water with their meads. But leaving it for two years?

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Laripu
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Re: Brewing mead without boiling and without sulfiting

Post by Laripu » Sat Jun 27, 2015 8:56 pm

BenB wrote:I guess it's like jam. You would imagine it would make a perfect growth medium for infection but it's so flipping sugary it isn't. I've made jam without adding anything other than pectin, sugar and strawberries and 2 years later not a sign off mould. Get some of that jam and slacken it off with water and it'll go funky in a day ..

I wonder why they say to use rain water which has sat for two years? I've read brewing texts talking about using well water for dark beers and river water for pale beers so I'm assuming they got best results with very low alkalinity water with their meads. But leaving it for two years?
I think you're right about minerals. Rain water has no minerals.

About the two years, I have no idea. Guess: Maybe the water would pick up some flavour from an oak barrel? Vanilla and tannin, maybe. And some insects, probably.
Secondary FV: As yet unnamed Weizenbock ~7%
Bulk aging: Soodo: Grocery store grape juice wine experiment.
Drinking: Mostly Canadian whisky until I start brewing again.

Will333

Re: Brewing mead without boiling and without sulfiting

Post by Will333 » Thu Sep 10, 2015 10:26 pm

If the honey is anti-fungal due to the high concentration of sugar then surely there will be nothing to cause infections when watered down if proper sanitation has be applied?

So no boiling needed?

bquiggerz

Re: Brewing mead without boiling and without sulfiting

Post by bquiggerz » Thu Sep 10, 2015 10:45 pm

Honey can have bacterial endospores that will grow to full sized bacteria quite rapidly. Often botulism which as you know is toxic.

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Laripu
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Re: Brewing mead without boiling and without sulfiting

Post by Laripu » Thu Sep 10, 2015 10:54 pm

bquiggerz wrote:Honey can have bacterial endospores that will grow to full sized bacteria quite rapidly. Often botulism which as you know is toxic.
Which is why they don't want you to feed honey to children below a certain age, i.e. before immune systems have developed.
Secondary FV: As yet unnamed Weizenbock ~7%
Bulk aging: Soodo: Grocery store grape juice wine experiment.
Drinking: Mostly Canadian whisky until I start brewing again.

bquiggerz

Re: Brewing mead without boiling and without sulfiting

Post by bquiggerz » Thu Sep 10, 2015 10:54 pm

Very true lari

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Laripu
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Re: Brewing mead without boiling and without sulfiting

Post by Laripu » Mon Sep 14, 2015 6:13 am

I found this reference. The rule seems to be don't feed honey to children under 12 months old. Both the UK and the US have the same warning, for the same reason.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... honey.html
Secondary FV: As yet unnamed Weizenbock ~7%
Bulk aging: Soodo: Grocery store grape juice wine experiment.
Drinking: Mostly Canadian whisky until I start brewing again.

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Re: Brewing mead without boiling and without sulfiting

Post by simon12 » Thu Sep 17, 2015 1:54 am

Most supermarket honey is pasteurized unless it says raw honey or something similar on the label.

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