arethinn: glowing green spiral (Default)
Arethinn ([personal profile] arethinn) wrote2005-07-10 04:23 pm

(no subject)

Honey wine (mead) with elder flowers??? Woo!

This is brought to you by my searching for "elderflower honey" after having found elderflower syrup at a local gourmet market while searching for orange flower water (which I eventually found, in the wines/spirits section, with the lime and grenadine syrup. Who'd-a thunk it).

[identity profile] silvaerina-tael.livejournal.com 2005-07-10 11:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Y'know, I've been thinking about doing that very thing - elderberry/flower meade (maybe mixed half with maple sprup)... Within the next month I was planning on picking up the brewing equipment for a 1-3 gallon batch. I can get both dried elderberries and flowers locally.

[identity profile] starlightforest.livejournal.com 2005-07-10 11:55 pm (UTC)(link)
*searches for jaws of iron trap you must surely have set somewhere in the wilds of Nova Scotia, that you are mentioning such a thing to me*

[identity profile] heron61.livejournal.com 2005-07-11 01:18 am (UTC)(link)
After having some of the amazing maple wine you share with [livejournal.com profile] amberite & I when were were all visiting [livejournal.com profile] rialian and [livejournal.com profile] helen99, I have convinced Becca to make maple wine as her text project :)

[identity profile] starlightforest.livejournal.com 2005-07-11 01:32 am (UTC)(link)
(*@&$(*@. I am never going to get any of the maple ambrosia [livejournal.com profile] silvaerina_tael had/has, am I? Damn your eyes! lol.

[identity profile] silvaerina-tael.livejournal.com 2005-07-11 02:25 am (UTC)(link)
If your significant other does indeed come down here this summer, I will provide him with a couple of bottles - one for each of you - that way yu can both have a glass (that's about all is in a bottle).

[identity profile] starlightforest.livejournal.com 2005-07-11 03:12 am (UTC)(link)
Unfortunately, I'm not aware of any definite plans to be there within the month.. and that's when I'm going to be there, on the 11th of August, soo..

[identity profile] soundwave106.livejournal.com 2005-07-11 01:57 am (UTC)(link)
Dammit, now I'm regretting that my experiment didn't work in the maple wine department.

Have plenty of traditional mead at least.

[identity profile] zaecus.livejournal.com 2005-07-11 12:43 am (UTC)(link)
If I ever get a stable placee to live again, elderflowers were the next stage of experimentation for that black elderberry mead I'm working on.

(assuming what I've done so far isn't toxic.)

[identity profile] zaecus.livejournal.com 2005-07-11 01:20 am (UTC)(link)
The sap of elders is toxic. In some varieties of elder, even the berries are. The variety I used should have safe berries, but I want to make sure I properly removed all of the woody parts before anyone goes drinking it.

I have never heard of toxic elder flowers, oddly enough.

[identity profile] silvaerina-tael.livejournal.com 2005-07-11 02:28 am (UTC)(link)
I've made yew berry meads before, so I do understand the poison aspect. The pits have to be removed from the berries before adding to the meade - they are quite toxic. It also has... interesting effects...

[identity profile] heron61.livejournal.com 2005-07-11 12:50 am (UTC)(link)
Yum, I hope the wines Becca is making turns out to be as good as those sound (currently she has pear, cranberry, green tea, strawberry, rose, chocolate, and a few others brewing or aging). With luck, we'll bring some with us to Thresholds next year.

[identity profile] starlightforest.livejournal.com 2005-07-11 12:55 am (UTC)(link)
Green tea wine? Or mead? (still sounds odd)

Chocolate? Surely you are trying to lure me to my doom in Oregon just as [livejournal.com profile] silvaerina_tael is in Nova Scotia (http://www.livejournal.com/users/tass/407295.html?thread=1039615#t1039615).

[identity profile] heron61.livejournal.com 2005-07-11 01:20 am (UTC)(link)
We'll have some ready for our poly-wedding in mid September, come to it and you'll get to see what she's been brewing (the pear, the cranberry, and maybe the green tea should all be ready by then).

[identity profile] starlightforest.livejournal.com 2005-07-11 01:29 am (UTC)(link)
Might happen. Do you have a set date? I might be able to plan now...

[identity profile] heron61.livejournal.com 2005-07-11 06:58 am (UTC)(link)
Mid September, the weekend of the 10th or the 17th, likely the later. We will have decided on an exact date in no more than 2 weeks, and likely less.

[identity profile] silvaerina-tael.livejournal.com 2005-07-11 02:33 am (UTC)(link)
Y'know, that gives me as idea that I should try for Yule - a Yule meade. Pear, cranberry, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and, if I can get any, yew berry... Should be interesting...

[identity profile] starlightforest.livejournal.com 2005-07-11 03:08 am (UTC)(link)
Hmmm.. better put a warning label on that one!

[identity profile] silvaerina-tael.livejournal.com 2005-07-11 03:11 am (UTC)(link)
*snicker* yeah, I know. It *is* a yule meade...

[identity profile] heron61.livejournal.com 2005-07-11 06:59 am (UTC)(link)
Mmmm, that sounds incredibly good.

[identity profile] silvaerina-tael.livejournal.com 2005-07-11 03:44 pm (UTC)(link)
If I manage to get the equpment together for both, I'll try to bring some with me to Thresholds - though they'll likely be rather green (unless I go with a few one gallon carboys - they "perk" quicker.).