Mead Journal: Bottling + pther stuff

Well, I have all batches in the bottle now. It is time for some aging.

( Bottling history )

Tenetive Plans for the Spring/summer batches.
       Strawberry Vanilla.
       Cherry Vanilla.           Need to check seasons or use frozen concentrate
       Orangecicle:  Kinda of an orange cream using orange concentrate and vanilla
       Hmm, need to check fruit types availale in summer and my past posts to see what is in season for the other batch. 

Tentive Plans for next year's Fall batches:
        Cranberry
        Peach (ginger or nutmeg or maybe even allspice
        Chocolate mint
         Pickly Pear:  I see lots of recipies for this and it may turn out well.
         I may get the repirement to do another Rockbiter brew
         I may also try a cyser

Plans subject to change.  Ofcourse NONE of the batches I plan on using the fruit in the primary.

So a few general questions besides the wanted suggestions and coments and other experieces from other people's makings.

I saw a lot of recipies that include spanish moss.  About a teaspoon or so in a  gal batch. 

What does spanish moss do in a mead batch?  I am confused as to what good it is.

What does Prickly Pear juice really taste like, tart, sweet, comparable flavor?  Is there a concentrate or do I need to hunt them up?

Because I like desert quality mead, I have been using 20 pounds in a batch.  Do people recomend I use less and then back sweeten?  Test the alcohol content as it is fermenting and stop fermentation with calcium carbonate?   Or some combination?

I have been just trying to cool the must with chilled water and some Ice and just letting it take time, covered up to cool.  I have been thinking about an emersion chiller.  Any ideas?  I am not sure I need it but if it will improve the quality of the mead it may be worth the investiment.  Anyone do side by side compairisons?

Lastly, anyone know if there is a law about how much alcohol one can make in a year or store in one's own house with out needing some sort of liscence?  I know that I can't sell it unless I get a liscence to do so but I don't know if that is something that states an amount or what not.  Not sure what City/County/State/Fed  Laws apply unless I plan on really distrubiting or selling my mead.  Again, no big plans on this as I would like to get a stock of mead up and running and aging to have for parties and such when I get older.   When I have kids, I shall have to lock up my stuff too.  I know that when I was young and dumb and curious I nicked some alcohol from my parents.   Almost enough to be noticed.  I would notice ANY loss in mead, especially if I am making it.  Best to paln in advance that it may be stolen by my pre-teen or teenager, when I have a kid.  No luck yet on that front but I anticipate with in the year, or going to greater lenghts to knock up my wife after that year.  My wife wants kids badly and I like the idea too, many of our friends have kids (three groups of friends have over 2 or second on the way).  I think that it should happen before I turn 40.  I am going to be 38 on the 24th of september.  Arg, I feel Old.  Ok, I have diverged from my original intention of a post.  Laters.

A very Odd dream, because it is dealing with politics

 

( Put behind a cut as it is political and long )

Dave

p.s.  No polititions, "persons", teressrials, or extra-teresrials, or other entities were willfully or knowingly harmed in the production of this dream and post.