Barkshack Gingermead

* Exported from Key Home Gourmet *

Barkshack Gingermead

Recipe By : Charlie Papazian
Serving Size : 5 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Mead - Sparkling

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
7 Lb Honey
1 1/2 Lb Corn Sugar
6 Oz Ginger Root -- grated
1 Tsp Citric Acid
3 Tsp Yeast Energizer
1/4 Tsp Irish Moss
Crushed Fruit -- 1 - 6 Pounds
3 Oz Lemon Grass -- or other herb/spice
2 pkg Chanmpagne Yeast
3/4 C Corn Sugar -- for bottling

Boil for 15 minutes 1.5 gallons of water, the honey, corn sugar, ginger
root, citric acid, irish moss and yeast nutrient. Turn off the heat. If
you are going to add fruit, then take a small strainer and fish out as
much of the grated ginger as possible. Then add your crushed fruit to the
hot of hot liquid (now called "must"), and let it steep for 15-20 minutes.

Pour the entire contents of the pot into a 6 gallon plastic primary
fermenter and add cold water to make up to 5 1/2 gallons total. About 3
gallons of water. When the must is cooled to 70°-78°F, rehydrate the yeast
according to the package directions, and pour the yeast into the
fermenter. This is called pitching the yeast. Put the lid on the bucket
and install an airlock.

Afer the specific gravity has fallen to 1.020, or within seven days, which
ever comes first, rack (syphon) the brew into a secondary fermenter,
normally a 5 gallon glass carboy. If you used fruit, remove as much of the
fermented fruit with a sanitized strainer, or carefully manipulate the
siphon hose so that very little fruit passes to the secondary fermenter.
Install and airlock.

Age 1-1 1/2 months in the secondary fermenter.

Boil 2 cups of water with 3/4 cups of corn sugar for 10 minutes then cool.
Add this liquid to a 5 gallon bucket (also known as a bottling bucket).
Rack the mead from the secondary fermenter into the bottling bucket with
as little splashing as possible. Stir gently to mix the mead with the
sugar syrup. If herb, spice or tea flavoring is desired, add a strong
strained tea to the finished mead in the bottling bucket.

Bottle the mead. Beer or Champagne bottles are required. Returnable beer
bottles (not the screwtop type) work very well. Cap or cork and wire the
bottles. Note that beer bottles are less expensive, and less of a problem
to cap up than champagne bottles.

The flavor of the mead will change with age. Harsh and sharp flavors will
mellow. A tasting after 6 months will give some indication of your
results. It will continue to improve over the next 6 months to a year.


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Serving Ideas : This should be served ice cold in champagne flutes.