The Missus and I are attempting some elderberry/rasberry mead. Might be ready for October's Blundergate. Keep yer fingers crossed! We still have a couple of gallons of strawberry to bottle as well. By this time Tuesday, it'll all be in the hands of the wee yeastie-beasties.....uhh, but they don't have hands. I guess it'll be in their digestive systems!

<img src="http://www.arlo.net/ubb/smilies/peace.gif" width=16 height=16> through drunken Pagans,
Capt'n Zap

<img src="http://www.arlo.net/ubb/smilies/yum.gif" width=15 height=15>

The must (pre-mead stuff in the primary fermenter) is perkin' away with the wee yeastie-beasties passin' gas (CO2 to be exact). The whole dang house smells like yeast farts, but that's a good thing. #1, it means that the fermenting is going great and #2, it helps cover up the smell of the cat litter box...."Please excuse the smell. It's the yeast cells farting in the mead must!" It's about time that we got to send some stinkers back to the feline fuzzballs!

If all goes well, there should be some ready for October. Sorry if nobody's into this, but I think it's pretty cool that you can legally throw a bunch of stuff in a bucket and get off on it some months down the road, not to mention that it don't taste too bad, either....hopefully (if I do say so myself).

<img src="http://www.arlo.net/ubb/smilies/smile.gif" width=15 height=15> YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Captain Zap:
#2, it helps cover up the smell of the cat litter box...."Please excuse the smell. It's the yeast cells farting in the mead must!"

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

no way...!! well, under that guise...maybe...
(but not with the feral cats i've been lucky enough to know...P U ! and believe me, i honor them as the most good natured, gnarly, most graceful and spooky cats i could ever imagine meeting!)
...however, if folks manage to separate the two 'scents' (and i'm saying, something in how you've described it has me believing)...i'm sure your concoction would come off as emitting more of a bouquet than a stench!

sorry i probably won't be able to sample any of this mead you speak of (even in an act of mutiny!)
but i'm sure it will be very refreshing and deserving of a most gracious and decorated label...

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Captain Zap:
It's about time that we got to send some stinkers back to the feline fuzzballs!

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

it's my experience that they will pull the oblivious card!

The odor from the mead "must" is somewhat similar to (though not quite as bad as) the nasty smell you get when walking past a hair salon with their door open. My sweetie tells me that this is a by product of getting a permanent. It's pretty pervasive. Even got down into the basement! I'm not sure, but I believe that this may be where the phrase "a musty odor/smell" originated. It's all quite worth it upon the uncorking, though!

And you're right, Agnes. The cats are pretty much oblivious to it. I am of the opinion, however, that if cats were humans we would throw them bodily out of our houses for their behavior!

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Captain Zap:

The odor from the mead "must" is somewhat similar to (though not quite as bad as) the nasty smell you get when walking past a hair salon with their door open. My sweetie tells me that this is a by product of getting a permanent. It's pretty pervasive. Even got down into the basement! I'm not sure, but I believe that this may be where the phrase "a musty odor/smell" originated. It's all quite worth it upon the uncorking, though!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Oh!...is that what she (your sweetie) likens it to (i know exactly the smell she means. i've had many hairdresser friends while i was growing up, never knew a more stylish group, never did an unstylish word leave their lips...i remember as a young teen, i wanted them to use some of that stinky stuff on me, but they all refused...said they loved my ordinariness. 'course that got them a skeptical look <img src="http://www.arlo.net/ubb/smilies/smile.gif" width=15 height=15>
...anyhow, it must be smelling downright terrific over there...!! and it gives me a fresh (funny choice of words there) angle on the word 'must', didn't realize the association. being as how i love some stinky cheese, (and we do love referring to it as stinky goat cheese, as opposed to it's proper name in french) i'm not afraid of any musty mead odor.
i imagine after all this disclosure about certain of my inclinations, folks may be inclined to keep their distance.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Captain Zap:
And you're right, Agnes. The cats are pretty much oblivious to it. I am of the opinion, however, that if cats were humans we would throw them bodily out of our houses for their behavior!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

HA! well, when you put it that way... <img src="http://www.arlo.net/ubb/smilies/smile.gif" width=15 height=15>

Nope, Agnes. That's what I liken it to. There's a hairdressing place next to the place I bank at and that is one gawd awful stink a comin' from that place at times! My S.O. refers to the must as smelling "swampy"!

We have a friend living in Massachusetts who does brewing seminars and wrote a self-published book on mead making. She always has at least a half dozen fermenting buckets going at one time. Never been to her house, but I can imagine what it smells like!

<img src="http://www.arlo.net/ubb/smilies/peace.gif" width=16 height=16> via yeast farts!
Capt'n Zap

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Captain Zap:

<img src="http://www.arlo.net/ubb/smilies/peace.gif" width=16 height=16> via yeast farts!
Capt'n Zap<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


hear hear!

What really smells from beauty parlors is that stuff they use to do perms on peoples hair. Phewwww (pewww? puewww) (Sp? not sure if I spelled that right)...

The elderberry mead looks to be at 14% alcohol content and holding. A bit tangy right now. Not fit for drinkin', but we just can't resist takin' a sip or two when we stir it (for aeration) to see how it's comin' along. It's still perkin' a wee bit, too, so we'll wait 'til that stops before it goes in the secondary fermenter (called a carboy). Like Tom Petty said, "The waiting is the hardest part!"

Whoa! I've done that early tasting. My sinuses are sympathizing.

so like, how can you tell the alcohol content is at 14%? and don't say it's because you have a very discerning palate cuz i might believe it.
(and we all know i believe enough things already)


edited for word problems

<center><FONT COLOR="#000080">--- Edited 1 times, lastly by agnes on Feb 20, 2006 ---</FONT></center>

Tom Petty also said: "Stop draggin' my heart around"...

To measure alcohol content when brewing wine, you have to remember to get the hydrometer and measure the mixture before adding the yeast. Then as time goes by, you measure again. Subtract the new measurement from the starting measurement and you know the current alcohol content.

or you can guess. <img src="http://www.arlo.net/ubb/smilies/wink.gif" width=15 height=15>

kurt...