Mead: Not Just For Nerds Anymore

I have been busy in the mead lately! I bottled the cream soda mead in 12oz bottles and I primed with sugar in order to induce carbonation. I have tried carbonating mead before and it did not work--too much acid I believe--but I have higher hopes for this latest batch. I hope that it will taste like cream soda only with 14% ABV. God help us all at the next Memorial Day or Fourth of July BBQ.

I also ran across an article praising the mainstream popularity of mead:

Mead, that drink of viking saga and medieval verse, is making a comeback. But this ain't your ancestors' honey wine.

"It's not just for the Renaissance fair anymore," says Becky Starr, co-owner of Starrlight Mead, which recently opened in an old woven label mill in this little North Carolina town.

In fact, this most ancient of alcoholic libations hasn't been this hot since Beowulf slew Grendel's dam and Geoffrey Chaucer fell in with the Canterbury pilgrims at the Tabard.

Here is the article: Article on mead from the San Francisco Gazette

-Safari Bob

Another Pumpkin Cider

So I was wandering around Wal-Fart looking for a particular movie for Nancy's daughter who LOVES Beauty and The Beast. I have never seen it but who am I to cast stones at Disney films? My favorite movie of all time is Disney's Robin Hood. I do love that movie! In fact, I believe a clip is in order:

In any event, I found more apple cider on sale for $3 a gallon so I had to make some cheap hard cider! This time, however, I doubled the pumpkin and I plan to add habanero peppers to the secondary. Here is the recipe:

6-006

• 5 gal apple cider (mixed; no preservatives)


• 30 oz (2 cans) Libby's All Natural Pumpkin


• 5 tsp yeast nutrient


• 3 tsp pectin enzyme


• 1 pkt EC-1118


• OG: 1.060

Secondary

• 1-3 cinnamon sticks (crushed)


• 2 habanero peppers (quartered)
  

Wassail!

-Safari Bob

Because I can...