*  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.

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