All,
With National Mead Day fast approaching I find myself going back to the question I always have about mead…how should one prepare their must?
While I’ve always heated my must to pasteurize, I read the Complete Mead Maker again, and I find myself leaning toward Mr. Schramm’s no heat, no sulfite method. That being said, I will be giving a mead making demonstration this weekend at a honey farm. I’m confident that, within the confines of my own home, I can prepare must in a sanitary environment, but out in a field? I’m not so sure.
So, I’m thinking about using my 11 gallon boil kettle to heat the must to 140F for about 25 minutes to pasteurize or 160F for 5-10 as stated in the Complete Mead Maker (I'm pretty sure that those are the temps and times). With that I find myself wondering whether or not the above temperatures and times would be sufficient to sanitize my ball valve?
What do you think?
Thanks!