Brewing - Ice Mead Results, Round 2, Science Boogaloo!

 Earlier this week, I discussed the first round of ice mead results.  Since then I've had a chance to test an easier-to-process method than doing it in a bottle.

Procedure

The procedure is mostly unmodified.  Since it was the exact same batch as the previous procedure, brewing method was exactly the same.

Modifications to Previous Procedure - Apparatus

Instead of a 750mL bottle, I used a one-gallon square ice cream bucket.  The square bucket was used to allow easy pour-off when the time came, and because storage of a square bucket in a freezer is an economic use of space.

Modifications to Previous Procedure - Materials.

I used approximately half a gallon (approx. 2000mL), eyeball measure only, of bochet as a test volume, instead of a 750mL bottle.  This was based on the very small pour-off results from the first batch; I wanted sufficient volume to produce measurable results, instead of the tablespoon of ice mead created the first time.

Modifications to Previous Procedure - Checking

In the original experiment, I expected that I would need at least two to three days to achieve freezing and concentration.  In 36 hours, I saw a solid mass.  As a result, in this test, I aimed to test every twelve hours.  However, the actual testing schedule wound up at twelve, 26, and 40 hours due to outside factors - it's hard to pull the mead from the freezer when the freezer and I are in different counties.

Results

12 Hours

At twelve hours, mead was slushy but still liquid.  I tasted approximately a tablespoon, and it was cold but had no appreciable change in viscosity or alcohol content.

26 Hours

At 26 hours, my wife tested the mead and used a tea filter with a 1mm-aperture (#25 mesh in US units) mesh to scoop off approximately two pounds, or about a quart, of semi-solids, including an appreciable volume of liquids that did not immediately precipitate out.  She reserved the semi-solids in a mixing bowl and returned this to the freezer.  Taste test showed concentration in the liquids.  Her description of the product was "a mead slushy or adult snow-cone" at this point.

40 Hours

At 40 hours, mass was mostly frozen but broke up easily when stirred.  Stirring broke up the ice matrix and freed sufficient volumes of liquid for pour-off.  Using the same tea filter, we poured off two 375mL bottles over about twenty minutes, and reserved anything that didn't pour off into the same .  The first bottle poured thick and syrupy, and taste test showed it fumed in the nose.  This confirmed the basic procedure.  Second bottle, due to partial melt, was slightly weaker.  Semisolids went back in the ice cream bucket, and back in freezer for second "pressing" at future date.  Remainder of fluids went into a graduated cylinder.  Specific gravity was 1.035, compared to specific gravity of bochet at 1.020.  After testing, we drank both of them.  At this point, melt was 100%, so the ice mead was only barely stronger than the straight bochet.

Interpretation

Plausibility of Frost Distillation as Method

So far as I am concerned, frost distillation as a plausible method of achieving spirit-level (greater than 20% ABV) using nothing but Viking-age technology and climate conditions is completely proven.  A measurable, usable volume of distillate came out of the experiment, and the taste, color, and flavor indicated strong concentration compared to initial concentration.

Volume Distilled

Out of about 2000mL (0.5gal) of mead, we were able to distill about 750mL (1.5qt) of distillate at 40 hours, or about one-third retrieval.  The semisolids were reserved for later use, as not all of the liquids were pulled from suspension.  Agitation - in this case with a tablespoon - helped to bring liquids out of the ice matrix before thawing could skew results.

Alcohol Content and Flavor

On this test, because of poor note-taking in the brewing phase, and because it was proof-of-concept to begin with, we only got qualitative results.  Ice mead was dark amber and moderately viscous (and no, I'm not getting a shear vane to determine what "moderately viscous" really means!).  The first bottle, before melting affected results, fumed both in the cup and in the mouth strongly enough to suggest that concentrations were well above 20% ABV. 

Further Research

If the goal is manufacturing, then the next step on this process would be refinement - a more scientific approach to brewing the base mead to establish initial ABV, and more rigorous measurements at all stages than simple qualitative measure.  These are all well-established methods, and to tell the truth I am surprised we did not measure the specific gravity of the caramelized honey that went into the bochet because it was substantially different from standard 1.64 Gs honey.  Were I to guess, I'd say it was about 1.8 to 2.0 Gs but it did not get measured, meaning that all future specific gravity-based measurements would be, at best, approximations.

At this point, the next stage for this batch is a second "pressing," to see how much we can pull off of the semisolids before we're down to the point we have snow-cone quality material or an actual ice cube with only trace amounts of alcohol or honey.

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