(June 21, 2021 at 12:03 am)Foxaire Wrote:

(June 21, 2021 at 12:00 am)Rev. Rye Wrote: Waiting in my basement with Dad and Alison for the tornado warning to stop.

You don't want to go to the magical land of Oz?

Not everyone's a friend of Dorothy, dude.

(June 21, 2021 at 12:23 am)Fireball Wrote: How did you chop out the mortises? By hand, or do you have a router, and the required templates?

By hand. I put the hinges in the desired spots and drilled all the screw holes, then traced around them and removed the hinges again. I then used a knife to score the outlines of the recesses, then chiseled them out. They're not perfect, but they did get the metal of the hinge below the surface of the wood. If need be, I can fine-tune the mortises with filler. The doors are getting painted anyway, so close enough for rock and roll.

I like routers but don't currently have one. The one I used to have just stopped working a number of years ago, and I haven't gotten around to replacing it. At least with a chisel I tend to work more carefully and keep inside the lines, rather than over-enthusiastically rendering half the board into sawdust.

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(June 20, 2021 at 11:56 pm)freakygin Wrote: Can I use baker's yeast to brew decent Mead?

I'm pretty sure it's been done, but it would probably have a bready flavour and not much alcohol content. For mead, because of the high sugar content, you need a yeast that won't keel over dead as the percentage of ethanol rises.

Quote:And heyy.. I think I recognize you...
Greetings..

You were also there at that whywontgodhealamputees forum, didn't you?

Yup. Last I checked, the WWGHA parent site was still up but the forum was down.

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(June 21, 2021 at 12:33 am)Jackalope Wrote: Wondering if it's possible to make mead in a tropical climate, I have a source for honey and an interest for recreational purposes only of course.

I think it's quite possible.  If you can brew beer or wine, mead isn't any more difficult.  My recipe uses 3 kg liquid honey, about 10-12 litres of spring water, one package of yeast and about a tablespoon of "acid blend" (Malic Acid, Citric Acid, and Tartaric Acid, I think).  Yield = 1 half-size carboy, or about 20-21 pint bottles.

(June 21, 2021 at 1:25 am)Astreja Wrote: I think it's quite possible.  If you can brew beer or wine, mead isn't any more difficult.  My recipe uses 3 kg liquid honey, about 10-12 litres of spring water, one package of yeast and about a tablespoon of "acid blend" (Malic Acid, Citric Acid, and Tartaric Acid, I think).  Yield = 1 half-size carboy, or about 20-21 pint bottles.

(Taking notes and browsing plastic brew buckets)

And with that recipe, how long should i wait until the Mead is fully fermented and ready to drink?
Fortunately, that particular yeast (EC-1118) are available here, what are the odds...

(June 21, 2021 at 2:02 am)freakygin Wrote:

(June 21, 2021 at 1:25 am)Astreja Wrote: I think it's quite possible.  If you can brew beer or wine, mead isn't any more difficult.  My recipe uses 3 kg liquid honey, about 10-12 litres of spring water, one package of yeast and about a tablespoon of "acid blend" (Malic Acid, Citric Acid, and Tartaric Acid, I think).  Yield = 1 half-size carboy, or about 20-21 pint bottles.

(Taking notes and browsing plastic brew buckets)

And with that recipe, how long should i wait until the Mead is fully fermented and ready to drink?
Fortunately, that particular yeast (EC-1118) are available here, what are the odds...

I ferment the mead  right in a glass carboy rather than a bucket.  Works best with a stopper and an S-trap, and it's ready to bottle as soon as the bubble rate goes below 1 "bloop" per minute (4 or 5 months, approximately - it usually starts bubbling on day 2 or 3 and gets quite active.)

Steps, in brief:

• Wash, rinse and sterilize everything that's going to come in contact with the mead.
  
• Heat up the honey with at least some of the water, till just below boiling (about 190°F), then  stir in a spoonful of the acid blend.  Take off the heat and let cool to nearly room temperature (this'll take a while).
  
• When the honey/water mix is almost cool enough, dissolve the yeast in a small bowlful of spring water.  Let it sit in the bowl for 10 minutes, then pour into the fermenter (in my case, a carboy). 
  
• Add the cooled honey water, letting it splash vigorously to mix with the yeast.  Top up with spring water, leaving a small amount of airspace at the top.
  
• Take a specific gravity reading if desired, to get a "before" measurement for the final alcohol content.
  
• Close the fermenter and install an S-trap, then pour a small amount of spring water into the trap to keep out unwanted stuff but permit gases to vent.
  
• Drag it into a corner somewhere (sliding the fermenter on a towel or piece of cardboard works great) and leave it alone.
  

Making up a couple of stencils for painting the car today.

Just finished mowing that yard because it's the one day in the last 3 weeks that's not 90 degrees or above.

Caught a lucky break leaving L.A. - almost no traffic. Ten hours to Ashland.

Churning down mint toffees, from Walker's nonsuch.

Ordered take out and waiting on it to arrive.

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(June 21, 2021 at 12:42 pm)Jackalope Wrote: Caught a lucky break leaving L.A. - almost no traffic.   Ten hours to Ashland.

Yay! Where are you heading?

(June 21, 2021 at 6:08 pm)*Deidre* Wrote: Ordered take out and waiting on it to arrive.

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(June 21, 2021 at 12:42 pm)Jackalope Wrote: Caught a lucky break leaving L.A. - almost no traffic.   Ten hours to Ashland.

Yay! Where are you heading?

Heading to our home in Washington for the summer.