| Archive for JACKS SHED. the REAL countryside and REAL country folk. |
| Gareth |
Home-made MeadMost of my friends already know that I enjoy a glass or two of home-made Mead, and a few of them have had the pleasure of enjoying a glass or two with me. Some of them also reckon that I make a drop of good stuff, and if somebody wants to have a go at home-made Mead, Gareth's the one to ask. Yes, I have had a couple of mishaps, the most notable being the exploding bottles. you may be interested to know that my Mead has generated a great deal of anxiety, hilarity, panic, and a caption competition. However, it might surprise you to know that I have only been making Mead for 18 months.This is a batch that I began on the 2nd of January; I want it to run to about 9% ABV. So about 6-8 weeks should be sufficient brewing time. This time I will use a fermentation stopper before I bottle this batch. To fill a 25 litre brew keg or bucket this is the recipe that I use; 7.225 kgs of Honey. I use cheap Asda brand honey which is 76p per 425 grams, so I need 17 tubs. 1kg of Sugar. I use either Granulated White, Soft Brown or Demerara. This batch is being made with Soft Brown Sugar. 10 tablespoons of Lemon juice. 15 grams of Yeast. I find that Allinson’s bread making Yeast makes much nicer Mead than commercially available wine making Yeasts from the local Home-Brewing shop. 13 grams of Pectin. This is optional, and I am not using any with this batch Lots of filtered boiling water. I find my kettle to be very convenient for this, as the boiling water is not required all in one go. First of all, you have to scrub out the brew keg or bucket. Give it a good rinse out, and then add about a gallon of cooled, filtered boiled water, and Milton sterilising fluid. Rather than fill the whole keg up I use the listed solution, fix the lid in place, and the slowly roll the keg or bucket for 30 minutes, ensuring that all the internal surfaces have been sterilised. Remove the lid, and then stand the Keg upside down, to drain. I like to then rinse it out with about 3 litres of filtered boiled water, just to remove any remaining Milton solution. One of my Brewing Kegs. [img]  [/img]
17 tubs of Honey, and the Sugar ready to go. [img]  [/img]
A saucepan of hot (but not boiling) water to help thin the viscosity of the Honey. [img]  [/img]
Even when the Honey has been heated, not all of it will pour from the tubs. So I top the tubs up with boiling water from the kettle, and then stand them in hot water in my frying pan, stirring them well to dissolve as much of the Honey as possible. [img]  [/img]
Even that doesn't remove all the Honey from the tubs, so I repeat the processs. [img]  [/img]
When you have obtained as much of the Honey as possible from the tubs, add the Sugar, then fill the rest of the Keg up with Boiled, filtered water, and stir well. [img] 
Allow the mix to stand for 24 hours (with the lid on), so that it stabilises at room temperature. Then Add the lemon juice, this is the point when you need to make the initial base line specific gravity reading with a hydrometer. The next SG reading will be taken when you filter and bottle the Mead in a few weeks. Fix a sticky label on to the Keg, listing the date, ingreidents, and the initial specfic gravity reading. The Maths are as follows: To calculate an approximate alcohol by volume of your finished homebrew: Original gravity minus Final Gravity times 129=your approximate homebrew alcohol by volume (ABV). For example, a homebrew with an original gravity of 1.050 and a final gravity of 1.015 would be calculated as follows: 1.050-1.015=0.035X129=4.51% ABV Add the yeast, and again stir well. After approximately 30 minutes the fermentation process should have started (can you see the first fermentaion bubbles?) [/img] 
Next, stand the keg in a place where the room temperature will be more or less constant, and forget about it for 6 weeks or so. The Keg was placed in an empty kitchen unit. The idea behind this, is to keep the ambient temperature as stable as possible. My thermometer shows that the air temperature inside the cupboard is 62 degrees F, or 17 degrees C. Which although it is at the lower end of the scale for Mead making, will do more than an adequete job for me. When the side of the keg is rapped wih my knuckles, I could feel that pressure had built up inside it, and a faint but consistant bubbling noise can be heard. Both of which are good signs for this Home Mead maker. I know that this photograph of the brewing keg inside my kitchen cupboard is not it the most interesting one in the world. But there is Mead fermenting inside there. [img]  [/img]
When I moved, a few weeks ago, I found that I still have about 3 litres of Birch sap left over from last year's escapades. So in an another week or so I will be making a 10 litre batch of Birch Sap Mead, flavoured with 500g of Smoked, crushed, mixed Hazel and Walnuts. I wouldn't mind trying to make a batch of Mead from Smoked Honey. I would also like to make a 10 litre batch of Mead each month, and to flavour it with what is available from the hedgerows as the months and seasons pass. Elderflower, Hawthorn blossom, Rosehips, Blackberries, Elderberries, Sloes, and Beech nuts come immediately to mind, but I welcome other suggestions. My Christmas present to myself was a new mains powered Ryobi engraving set. I also "laid down" 10 of Weston's 2 litre jugs of Scrumpy for Christmas (currently £2.99 each in my local Asda ---- part of the Walmart group), and obtained another 12 empty ones from posting an advert on Norwich freecycle. It is my intention to engrave these empty jugs, and then bottle off the Mead into these, so that I have something home produced to take with me when I visit my friends. I just need to finalise a design to engrave upon them. Well on the way to obtaining empty 2 litre Scrumpy Jugs. :lol: [img]  [/img]
My new Mains powered engraving kit. [img]  [/img]
Right Guys, Please stick with me on this one, because in the next 10-14 days I will be filtering and bottling this batch of Mead, and I will also be starting the first batch of my flavoured Meads. |
| kent taxidermist |
brilliant post
sounds like somthing i can do at college nothing like home produced (most notably cheap alcohol) just a couple of questions how much are the brewing kegs and where can i get them from. secondly i should probably know this but what is a hydrometer 
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| Tidal_wear |
I know a guy who makes cannabis wine
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| kent taxidermist |
TW that sounds trully awsome but i think the smell of inital ingredients mite give away whaat i was doing |
| Tidal_wear |
Well,I stood in a greenhouse in holland with several thousand plants in,and fields with 10's of thousands,so maybe your right  Nothing else smells quite like that except money
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| kent taxidermist |
*dream* a few years ago i was growing some 'durban poision' which is an outdoors species however decided to grow it in me green house poped every glass out of the roof eventually reaching 8ft!
an old neighbout (vicar and his wife) kept asking what that rather large plant out the green house wass they never twigged what it was  *dream*
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| Tidal_wear |
Dreams my friend grew durban poison(sativa) your right and crossed it with an afhgani(indica) and grew a greenhouse,not a small one,an industrial one,full,he grows for the coffee-shops,funny the people you meet at agricultural college isnt it Oh yeah,some of his plants went to 14 foot
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| Gareth |
I have this mate who has made Cannabis preserve, and still has a jar or two at the back of his cupboard.
You don't need specially made brewing Kegs to do Home brew. The first batch of Mead that I made was done in a 10 litre mayonase bucket from the local takeaway. Fish will tell you how good that mead was, because we had a few good nights drinking it together, and Yeharr has sampled a drop or two as well. Curently I have almost 30 litres of Mead made during this winter in three 10 litre buckets that previously contained fat balls for bird tables. The bucket must have a sealable airtight lid, and I get over the build up of gases by drilling a hole in the side of the bucket near the top. Into this hole I have siliconed a wiring grommet (from Halfords), pushed in a 90 degree bend (from the aquarium shop), to which I fit a standard cheap brewing airlock. The idea behind this, is that I stack the 10 litre buckets one on top of the other in my cupboard, and each has an accessable airlock which I can top up with fresh water every now and again. You use a hydrometer to measure the specfic gravity of the brew, and they are availble from most kitchen and cookware shops, homebrew sections of general stores, etc. from about £3 and upwards. I'm going to let Fish tell the story about the exploding bottles of Mead. There where tears rolling down is cheeks, and he almost pissed himself with laughter. |
| Tidal_wear |
Remind me to tell you the story of the hashish-honey in kashmir one day
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| wabbiter |
I'M GLAD I DON'T KNOW ANYONE WHO DOES THOSE SORT OF THINGS, IT'S ILLEGAL YOU KNOW  
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| Tidal_wear |
What?Homebrew?
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| wabbiter |
I've heard SOME people find it difficult getting up on their feet after a couple of glasses of IT.
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| kent taxidermist |
distilling is illegal not fermentation
also home grow depending upon the plants your growing
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| wabbiter |
Not legal when you are using cannabis plants
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| Tidal_wear |
Cmon guys,back on topic,this sites about hunting right?And no gags about Rasta-rabbits
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| steve |
well those rabbits will have a different flavor when cooked
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| mayfly |
So, what do you do with the droppings...............
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| Tidal_wear |
Oh,you know mayfly........................Its good shit
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| mayfly |
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| Tidal_wear |
You set the ball up for me mate,I just took the kick
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| Gareth |
Bringig it all back on track to Mead making.250g of Smoked Hazelnuts zapped with my blender, and ready with the rest of the ingredients for tonight's Mead making session.It is close enough to the end of February to start off the 10 litres of speciality Mead for this month. [img]  [/img]
20 minutes later! 2.55 kg clear honey, 1 kg Granulated white sugar, 250 g Smoked Hazelnuts, 4 tablespoons of Lemon Juice. Then filled to the brim with boiling water. Tomorrow, when it has cooled to room temperature and stabilised, I'll take a base hydrometer reading, add the yeast, and affix a BIP label. [img]  [/img]
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| Gareth |
All of the endeavours of a 2 hour session in the Kitchen the other night;
10 litres of Smoked Walnut flavoured Mead (top) 10 litres of Smoked Hazelnut flavoured Mead (bottom) 10 litres of Summer Fruits Vinegar ready for boiling, simmering and reducing. [/img][img]  [/img]
Yes, the Walnut Mead is much darker than the Hazelnut mead, which also took me by surprise too! I have also obtained from my local Freecycle several 1 gallon glass demi-johns this week, and as I have decided to wait until Easter before filtering, bottling and racking the New Year Mead, I shall have a ***** at making a Cyser. Which is a cross between Cider and Mead, I also have the opportunity to get on and complete both the engraving and glass painting. Tedium set in yet again last monday evening. So I relieved it by making 2 gallons of Cyser. For 2 gallons you will need the following: 4 litres concentrated Apple Juice (you should really use fresh pressed apple juice and no water as if you were making cider) 2 X 500g Granulated White Sugar 2 X 1.5 Kg Clear Honey 2 X 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice. 2 X 3 g Yeast. Boiling water to top up the Demi John Bring the apple juice to the boil and simmer for a few minutes, stir in the honey, bring to the boil again simmer for 5 minutes. Add the sugar, stirring constanly. Bring to the boil, turn down to a gentle simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes, skimming off any scum. Place the Demi Johns in a pan of cold water, bring up slowly to the boil, and pour the Cyser mix into it. Place in a convenient spot to cool. Tomorrow, I will top up with boiled water if necessary, add the 2 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice per jar, take the baseline SG measurement, add the Yeast, label, and then the fix the bubble traps in place. [img]  [/img]
By Sturday morning, the two Demi johns of Cyser that I started on Monday evening had only just begun their fermentation process. That is possibly because of the low ambient temperature in my apartment. Demi john on the right started to ferment Friday afternoon, and has gone into a manic style fermentation fervour. The Demi john on the left is considerably more sedate, only just beginning it's process. If you look careful at the one on the left you can see the layers that Honey, apple juice and sugar have settled out a little. The sort of fuzzy, hazy layer that you can see at the surface is the actual area of the major fermentation, which is slowly working it's way down the jar. [img]  [/img]
Another 18 hours on and the Demi John on the left is now starting to do it's stuff. [img]  [/img]
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| Gareth |
I have been waiting for a break in the weather for over a week now. I have my Birch sap tapping kit ready to go, I have chosen the trees that I wish to tap and all I need now is a little warmth to get the sap rising.
No chance! It has been cold, wet, damp, miserable, and today it snowed, although the snow has all melted now, the temperature is possibly still to low to have a Birch sap tapping session this week. Earlier this afternoon the tedium set in once again, and I consoled myself by setting off a 5 litre batch of Orange flavoured Mead. Ingredients; 2 litres concentrated Orange Juice. 500 grams White granulated sugar. 1275 grams clear Honey. Hot water to top up 5 grams Allisons Bread making Yeast. Bring the Orange Juice up to the boil. turn down, and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in the honey, and simmer for 5 minutes Stir in the sugar and simmer for 10 minutes. Skim off the scum, and pour in to a preheated Demi John, and top up with boiling water. Tomorrow, when it has cooled to room temperature, and stabilised, I will take the initial Specific Gravity reading, and then add the yeast. As this flavoured Mead has an Orange juice base, I will fore-go the lemon juice to provide the necessary acidity for the yeast to begin working. The local 99p stores have Lemon Juice currently in stock, and have an offer on packs 1.5 litres of Lemon Juice (2 X 750 mls), so if the weather has not improved by next weekend, and it still cold, I'll start off a batch of Lemon flavoured Mead. |
| Gareth |
About 18 hours on from finishing mixing up the 5 ltr batch of Orange Mead, and the temperature has stablised at 16*C or 62*F. The Yeast was added and the mix given a good stir.
[img]  [/img]
One cup of tea, two slices of toast, and 30 minutes later, and it has begun to do it's thing. [img]  [/img]
This website might help a little; http://www.solorb.com/mead/ Today's Mead making session. Dark Grape Mead. The 99p shop had sold out of lemon juice by the time that I arrived there today. So I purchased the other items that I wanted and nipped over to my local Lidl. Their Dark Grape juice is a particular favorite of mine, and I usually buy it by the case full. Today it had been reduced to 59p per litre so I bought 2 cases. Well, what I can I say, I just had to make a batch of Mead from 3 litres of it. Ingredients: 3 Litres Dark Grape Juice 500 g Granulated White Sugar 1275 g Clear Honey Boiling water to top up 5 g Allinsons bread making Yeast [img]  [/img]
26th of March 2008 This evening, I have taken a specific gravity reading from my keg of New Year Mead, the reading was 1.015. However I forgot to take an Initial baseline reading way back at the beginning, and so I will have to rely upon the two estimates given by J_P of either 1.107, or 1.088. The first calculation equals 11.868% ABV, the second equates to 10.836% ABV. So for arguments sake I am going to call it 11%, but it is still fermenting albeit at a much reduced rate. I now have a dilemma, as I have insufficient bottles and jugs to rack it all off, this presents me with three choices: 1) Let it ferment out with the existing Ingredients. 2) Add another 500 g of sugar, and let it ferment for a while longer, which will make it a fair bit stronger. 3) Stop the fermentation, add the finnings to clear the Mead. Get another ad posted on Freecycle for some more Demi Johns, and rack off into any Demi Johns that I might receive for the time being. I still have two empty 10 litre capacity buckets with lids, and these have been ear-marked for the up and coming Birch Sap Mead, and I will not be needing the 25 litre Rota-Keg that the New Year's Mead is in for the batch of Elder flower for about another 6-7 weeks. Hmm! Decisions, decisions, decisions. 28 th of March 2008 Decision Made ! Late last night I posted another ad on Norwich Freecycle, and today I have been offered several Demi Johns, and other bits and pieces of home-brewing paraphernalia from several sources, which I will be collecting over the next couple of days. So to keep this thread going with some more interesting posts, I will be doing the following: Racking the batch of New Year's Mead into the newly acquired Demi johns, allow the Mead to settle for a couple of days, then stop the fermentation with a commercially available Fermentation stopper, and then adding the finnings to clear my Mead, before racking it into the bottles for the final time. By doing everything in this order; it will be done in clear glass, and I will be able to photograph the process in its various different stages, allow me a little more time to obtain sufficient bottles, and to clear my keg for the up and coming Birch sap and elder flower Meads. This will be a completely new learning experience for me, and it will be far better for me to continue the postings as everything progresses, so that other novice home-brewers can learn from my trials and tribulations. Post Script. I have had a cracking evening playing Backgammon, finishing off 65 pukas, and 4 match points ahead of my guest. On clearing up afterwards I noticed that the Dark Grape Mead that I started some 50 odd hours ago has begun it's fermenting process. :thumbup: [img]  [/img]
29th of March 2008 I had to go on a round trip of Norwich picking up the Home-brewing items that I had been offered on Freecycle. Three stops around the city resulted in me receiving many items. several; hydrometers, thermometers, airlocks, bungs, an electric demi john heating collar, syphoning, and filtering kit, and 9 demi johns. 4 of them containing 21 year old Redcurrent wine (according to the labels), and 4 bottles of 16 year old Perry. I have 5 of the demi johns filled with sterilsing solution, and tomorrow I will rack off the New Year's Mead into them for the first time. Later in the week I will be stopping the fermentation, and adding the finnings to clear it. I popped over to the Home-brew shop at Hellesdon this afternoon to pick up some fermentation stopper and powdered finnngs. The freecycle demi johns are now sterlised, and so tomorrow I will begin this process, along with the now obligitory photos. I have had a really good sort out of the items that I obtained from Freecycle, the vast majority of it is Boots brand home-brew equipment. One of the Hydrometers has a much greater range than my hydrometer. 1.170--0.980, my original hydrometer only has a range of 1.130--0.990. So I will be using the old Boots brand one from now on. A quick trip to Lidl this afternoon to buy some of their most excellent Black pudding, resulted in me also purchasing 24 litres of Grapefruit Juice which was reduced to 53p/litre, so a Grapefruit Mead is a must for me to do later this weekend. 31st of March 2008 Grapefruit Mead making this morning. A slight deviation in my quantities this time. 1700 g Clear Honey. 500 g Granulated White Sugar. 3 Litres of Unsweetened Concentrated Grapefuit Juice. 3 g Allinsons Bread Making Yeast I have used more Honey and Fruit Juice than I would normally, and No boiling water to make up the volume this time. I am tryng to see if I can brew a Sweet and Sour Mead, if that makes any sense. :scratch: When this batch begins to ferment, I only have enough room in the DJ for about 250ml of water to prevent frothing over. I'll just have to see how it goes. This evening I have made a batch of Fruits of the Forest Mead. Ingredients: 3 litres Dark Grape Juice. 2 X 500g of Frozen Summer Fruits & Berries. 2 X 300g of Frozen Morello Cherries. 1700g of Clear Honey 250 g Granulated White Sugar. 3 g Allinson Bread Making Yeast. Zap the thawed out fruit in the blender, add the dark grape juice bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes, pass through a sieve, add the other ingredients as per my other Mead recipes. My Kitchen Windowsill this evening. Left to right; Grapefruit Mead, Orange Mead, Dark Grape Mead, Sweet Cyser, Dry Cyser, Fruits of the Forest Mead. [img]  [/img]
I have also added the powdered Fermentation stopper to my 5 Gallon Keg of New Year's Mead. I'll give it 2-3 days, then I will rack off, and add the finnings. Righty 'O'. I am off to prep and sterlise my Birch sapping kit ready for tomorrow. 7th of April 2008 I am pleased to announce that the 2 Cysers, Dark grape Mead, Fruits of the Forest Mead, Grapefruit Mead, and Orange Mead are still ferckling away with a manic fermentation fervour. The Birch sap tapping is going appallingly badly, in 3 days I have only managed to obtain a little less than 1 litre, and although I am not giving up on the sap tapping I am considering making a Lemon Mead this week, although a quick look out of my kitchen window indicates that the Stinging Nettles are starting to begin their new spring growth Late last week, I added the fermentation stopper to the 25 Litre keg of New Year's Mead. After adding the stopper, I decided to leave it for 72-96 hours to do it's thing. This morning I syphoned the Mead from the keg into 5 previously sterilised Demi johns, ready to add the wine finnings to clear the Mead of any sediments still in suspension. Initial filtration was through a standard fine wire mesh coffee maker filter. This was used just remove the larger lumps, and I am happy to report that only the one dead bug was found this time around. Away She goes! into the first demi john [img]  [/img]
A close up of the fine mesh coffee filter. The addition of the spring clamps to hold everythng in place was one of my better ideas, and the syphoning tube with the little tap was invaluable for preventng a sticky mess. [img]  [/img]
The Wine finnings that I obtained from the home-brew shop up the road. Bottle A contains Kieselol solution Bottle B contans Gelatine solution, citric acid (E330) and Preservative (E202). The correct dosage is 1-2 ml of each per 4.5 litres. Add A first, stir in well and leave for at least 30 minutes, then add B and stir in well. The instructions state that my wine/beer/Mead will be clear and ready for rackng after 24-72 hours. [img]  [/img]
Left to right; DJ one. No Finnings added. This my control so that I can observe how quickly the finnings clear a DJ, and it's contents will be used as a taste comparission later in the week. DJ two. This is the one from the bottom of the barrel (pun intended) and contains a lot of sediment in suspension. So I should get a good idea of how well the finnings work DJ three, four, and five. Are just the first 15 litres syphoned from the barrel. Having what I consider a normal amount of sediment in suspension. [/img] 
I'll continue with observations and photos at regular intervals over the next few days 8th of April 2008 Here is an update on the progress that been made, by the Wine finnings added to my Mead yesterday lunchtime. Approx 45 minutes after adding the finnings. The one on the left is the control DJ, without Finnings. The one on the right is the one with the sediment from the bottom of the keg with the finnings added. [img]  [/img]
All the DJ's this morning. As you can see, there is a significant difference in clarity Left to Right. DJ1) Control, no finnnings. DJ2) Heavy sediment with finnings. DJ3, 4, & 5) the rest of the keg wth finnings. [img]  [/img]
A close up of DJ's 1, & 2, The model Knight in the foreground is for reference puposes. NOTE: Thats is not cloudiness at the top of the DJ, but an inverted refelection of the hedge outside of my kitchen window. [img]  [/img]
The model Knight placed directly behind the DJ to indcate the clarity of the contents. Again, there is an inverted reflection of the hedge and tree just outside of my kitchen window. [img]  [/img]
Saturday 12th of April 2008 I have asked the question about finnings, and more importantly none animal based finnings on one of the home-brewing forums. When I get a reply, I'll copy and paste it to here. :thumbup: I have been off colour with a bad stomach for a couple of days, achieving absolutly nothing but self pity. However, I did clean up the 12 wired, flip top, beer bottles that I obtained from my local freecycle group. Ironically, just after collecting my S/H freecycle bottles, my local homebrew shop a couple of miles up the road called me, to say that they now stock 500 ml capacity wired, flip top bottles @£12.99 per dozen, or £1.10 each. Which is considerably cheaper than either Thorns or Lakeland in the city, who both knock out exactly the same bottles at £2.99 each. It is a real shame that lagers gas me up and give me a wicked hangover and headache, as my local corner offie has 500 ml bottles of Grolsch with the wired flip tops @ £1.85 each. :q52: [img]  [/img]
I also picked up some cheap 100% Natural Pear Juice (complete with pulp, and nectar) this week, and so 2 litres of that have gone in to a demi john to become Pear Mead. 2 ltres Pear Juice. 1700 g Clear Honey. 3 Tablespoons lemon juice. 5 g Allinsons Bread making yeast. I have not used any sugar in this one, as the Pear juice is extremely sweet. This batch of Mead has also been the most reluctant to begin fermenting, taking 4 days to even start. A quick surf around some of the home-brewing forums indicates that I could have been a little too quick to fit the airlocks. With the suggestion that Oxygen is required in the first 24-36 for the yeast to begin the fermentation process properly. I removed the airlock, gave the DJ's contents a really good stir and left it over night. By the following morning the fermentaton process had started. I left it until late that evening, when I topped up the DJ with cooled, boiled filtered water. By the next morning the fermentation was at the manic pace that I have become acustomed too. My birch sap tapping is going appallingly badly. The weather this week probably being my downfall, as I have only managed to obtain about 2 litres of Birch sap from 5 trees. I am going to persist at this for 1 more week, before I write it off as a lost cause. I am just about to set off, and go out Birch Sap Tapping for the afternoon. I wish to collect between 25 and 30 litres of Birch sap over the next 7-10 days, and will only harvest 2 litres of Sap from each tree tapped. I do not expect my containers to be filled completely today, but will leave them out over night and collect them at some time tomorrow. However, I will take a few photos while I am out showing the methods that I am employing. The basic Kit that I will use out on the common; Cordless Pistol Drill, C/W 10mm dia Standard drill bit and a spare 10mm dia spade type bit. Trimming knife to cut the tubing to length. 10 metres of 10mm dia plastic tubing. 5 X 2 litre Empty milk containers, washed out using Bicarbonate of soda, sterlised with Milton fluid, and thoroughly rinsed out. Note; The green caps for the milk containers have been drilled through to accomodate the plastic tubing (see the cap on the placed on the larger container). 2 X 5 litre containers (only 1 shown) for transporting the collected Birch Sap. [img]  [/img]
Birch sap is mainly used to make Beer and Wine, it is also drunk unprocesed from the tree. Being regarded a health tonic as it contains natural sugars, vitimins, minerals and trace elements. However, I am involved here! :q33: :q33: :q33: : Some of you may remember me making a most deliceous Birch Sap toffee live on Webcam (and consuming a little too much Vin Rouge in the process :ROFL: ). You may also recall me making a 10 litre batch Birch Sap flavoured Mead, which I managed to polish off about 3 weeks ago. From this years harvest, 25 litres of Birch sap will be going straight into Mead production, the rest will be used for more toffee. Although I may save a few litres for use later on in the year, and I may try cooking a chicken breast or two in some. To tap the sap, I have drilled a 10mm hole, 45mm deep, at 45 degrees (upwards) into the trunk of the Birch trees. A length of plastic tubing has been pushed approximately 10mm into the trunk of the tree. The other end is put into the top of the collection container. I have tapped 5 trees this afternoon, and a little sap has already begun to collect in my containers. I will return tomorrow and see how much has collected in the contaners. Appalling light condtions this afternoon, and so this is the best photo that I have managed to take. [img]  [/img]
A fortuitous afternoon out as I managed to obtain approximately 7 litres of Sap from 4 Birch trees. Tomorrow I will seal off the holes with a whittled plug from the branches of the trees, and then I will cover the wounds with some sterilised Fullers earth. I also met a man out walking his dog with the rest of his family, and he was very iinterested in what I was up to. I also bumped into another friend, who I have not seen in a long time. We were both members of the same return work scheme 18 months ago, and she has agreed to accompany me to dinner one night. |
| Baldryk |
How chuffin busy are you?? 
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| fossil |
how long do you keep the mead before you can drink it? |
| Gareth |
The eldest my Mead made it to was 12 months, normally it is gone within 6!
The reason that making so much of it, is to give me the opportunity to actually lay some down this time. I've been told that Mead matures extremely well with age, but mine has never had that chance! |