Vanilla!!!

[matrix4b]

My Vanilla Beans are IN.  Yeah, go high quality organic vanilla beans.  It only took 2 days because their packinging plant or at least head quarters are in Breakenridge, CO.  Also  I mistook my click.  I got 1/4 pounds of Taticain and 1/2 pound of Burbon vanilla beans, whole, grade A, that are about 7 to 8 inches long.  All for only $34 and that was WITH shipping.  It seams to be a good dozen or more in the 1/4 pound.  This is a LOT of vanilla beans. 

<Happy good food dance!>

That is all.  Sorry for the inturption.

Comments

Just so you can be boggled too.

[ryversong.livejournal.com]

I met a man yesterday who made the most amazing mead I have had the joy to taste in my life. Really clean taste. Really crisp. Not gaggingly (Which isn't a word, and I don't care because the meaning is apparent. :) ) sweet. Fifty proof. Hold on to that thought for a moment as it boggled my mind. Then he smiled at me and said that it went straight into the bottle tasting like that,no aging. I took a moment to process that. Then he smiled and said that he managed to get it to fifty proof in... SEVENTEEN days. And won't share his secret. Seriously I want to get my hands on his yeast as he claims the secret is in the feeding of the yeast. Either way, I was amazed at the way this stuff tasted...

Re: Just so you can be boggled too.

[matrix4b.livejournal.com]

Hmm, I personally would say that this is impossible. The first batch of mead that I had turned out around 18% alcohol content. Anything is possible. It takes a very robust yeast to get even close to that. 17 days sounds more like a distilling process. I am not sure what percentage of alcholol is 50 proof. The yeast must have been a very high tolorant yeast, most I have seen was at 25% al content. And that is pushing it, which would requre sweetening it when it slows down and filtering it out. My first batch I started Last Laborday and bottled it ready to drink mid January. Ofcourse I used unfiltered honey. Using store bought honey might change the time as it is very filtered. It took 4 rakings to get it a wonderful clear honey color and it was desert sweet. You would probably call it sickening sweet. I suppose you could rack it every day until it is past the primary (about 1 1/2 to 2 weeks) and then filter and distill the remainer. Might be more of a rum than a mead.

My Mead ending up pretty potent, You can get buzzed on just one 12 oz bottle if you don't sip it and drink it like soda. A nice mellow buzz if you drink it 30 min can result.

Thanks for letting me know. It is odd to hear this type of story. I wonder if he is using an evaprative technique.

Re: Just so you can be boggled too.

[ryversong.livejournal.com]

I have no idea, and he won't share. It's driving me crazy since it doesn't seem likely. All I can get out of him is, "I figured out what the yeast wants to eat". The microbiologist in me is going crazy since it's physically possible, but not all that probable. Really I was kinda hoping you could shed some light on the subject since Wolf isn't talking either. Apparently Mead is some sort of sacred secret for brewers... Brats, the both of them.

Re: Just so you can be boggled too.

[matrix4b.livejournal.com]

Yes, I can. Yeast wants to eat sugar. That's it. Basically, what he is claiming is not possible under normal conditions. I have heard some people sweetening mead to make it more alcoholic, up to the tolorance level of the yeast. There are some pretty robust yeasts out there. But more than likely he is just doing a primary fermentation, Which I have found lasts about 2 weeks. What he may also be doing is putting in a LOT of yeast and extra sugar in it. Then filtering everything out of it. A big waste if you ask me. I mean you could just simply make vodka or everclear by supersaturating water with sugar and then introducing yeast and yeast energizer and nutrient and keep adding sugar as needed and stiring every other day and filtering out the sediment every 3 days. My point is what he is claiming IS physically impossible. It is also apparent to anyone that knows how yeast works. Brewers and micorbiologists types. I found on the internet a recipy for "Cheater's Mead" which is an almost instant process. Not sure how it tastes. I posted it after I found it.
Intersting and it may taste similar to mead but it is not mead. More like a honey infusion. Ever had honey infused vodka or everclear? It is good but not mead. Ok, I became a bit snobish. Ah well.
"I figured out what yeast wants to eat" and "secret is in feeding the yeast." is simply a way of avoiding divulging what way he is cheating. Ofcourse 50 proof is about 28% alcohol. Some yeasts can handle that high, barely.