Meadjito Batch 2
After the success of my first Meadjito, I started brewing another.
I pasteurised this batch on 7 Nov, adding a little bit of Sparkolloid directly to the batch (not pre-dissolving it in hot water) before heating. Only ten days later, it was already clearing up visibly:
Note: I'm not necessarily endorsing using Sparkolloid this way. I'm admittedly miserly
I'll wait a little longer for the sediment to compact before racking. After racking I'll store this in the fridge, and prepare a bottle for drinking the same day or the day before.
I have a BonneO beverage carbonator (a soda maker that uses a chemical reaction instead of CO2 canisters!) and their bottles hold about 750 mL.
My carbonator needs extra liquid to run the machine (my old "BonneO" model steals liquid from the bottle to activate caronation, and replenishes the bottle from the reservoir; but the newer "Sparkel" model uses a water reservoir to activate the carbonation instead). I don't know exactly how much liquid is extracted from the bottle, but the reservoir holds about 135 mL.
If I'm very fussy, I can make sure all the liquid is pre-mixed to avoid dilution (when the machine replenishes the bottle from the reservoir). Either way generates waste; using all pre-mix means wasting a little more mead, but results in a more predictable ABV.
To get an approximately 6% ABV beverage, I'll use:
For just the bottle (750 mL):
340 mL mead at 11% ABV
75 mL honey
25 mL lime juice
enough mint tea mixed with the honey and lime to make 410 mL
To make enough for the bottle and the reservoir (885 mL):
402 mL Mead
89 mL honey
30 mL lime juice
enough mint tea to make 483 mL
I served this at my birthday party and it was a hit!
