11-08-2005, 12:58 PM
Lord Willum's Metheglin- "Pie in a bottle"Ingredients:2 Lbs darkish unpasteurized local honey. (Much more characterthat "Store bought" honey!)1 Lb processed cane sugar. (Hoping to speed up the process a little)Juice of 2 fresh squeezed lemons - approximately 1 liquid cup.2 cups fresh squeezed apple juice. (This is supposed to help act asthe yeast nutrient)1 ts ground cinnamon.½ ts ground cloves.½ package Lavin EC-1118 yeast. (I used modern yeast to get somecontrol over the final product)Water to make 4 liters total volume.Clean and sterilize all containers and mixing apparatus with solutionof crushed ½ Campden tablet dissolved into 2 cups warm water. Save ¼cup sterilizing solution for bubble trap.Mixing process:To start the yeast: Take ½ cup water warmed to 100oF. Add 1 teaspoonlemon juice, 1 teaspoon apple juice, 1 teaspoon cane sugar, ½teaspoon honey. Mix well, then add ½ package (eyeball measure)yeast. Yeast was started about 1 hour before other ingredients weremixed. This mix was growing a foamy head well before I finishedmixing the "must" ingredients.I began with about 1 liter of water in a 4-liter pot, brought to anear boil. Slowly stir in 2 pounds of warmed honey. Add anotherliter of water and stir. Allow to warm for another minute, add inremaining lemon and apple juice. Add water to bring total volume upto about 3 liters. Warm mix back up to 150oF for 10 minutes. Allowto cool to about 120o F. Add 1 liter water. Add 1 cup (8oz) canesugar , stir vigorously. Stir in cinnamon and cloves. Mix foam backinto yeast starter. Check temperature of must, it is right at 100degrees. Mix in yeast starter. Pour 1.5 liters into a plastic 2-liter bottle and cap with a "HIGH" pressure EZ Cap. Pour theremaining 2.5 liters into 3 liter glass fermenter, insert rubberstop. Pour sterilizing solution into bubble trap up to appropriatelevels, insert bubble trap into rubber stop. Put both bottles intowarm place and let sit. I noted that the temperature of the fermentis now 90o, and smells wonderfully like pumpkin or sweet potato pie!Checked after 2 hours; EZ Cap bottle is at full pressure, glassfermenter is bubbling about once every 4-5 seconds.ORGINAL POSTER: willum