Cider, mead, and other things

[Iwagakki 0]

Years ago, I lived in Herefordshire on the Welsh border for a while. While I was there, I drank a lot. A lot of wine mostly, but I went to the pub often. As often as I could, I guess, which was about 5 nights a week. Back then, the pubs closed early. I think at 11pm. I don't know if this is still the case.

At the pub, they served "Flowers IPA" it think. I don't remember anymore, it was a long time ago. It was lovely ale. I recommend it to anyone. I remember the pint glass filled to the rim. Nothing more lovely than a fresh pint of your favorite ale.

I also drank a lot of cider. Stowford Press, I think it was. A local company made it, and it was on tap at my little pub. The "publican" warned me always, about it. "Hooligan juice, my boy..." I never saw any hooligans, but I did spend many nights in a happy world, with cider in my glass and pretty English country girls on my mind.

If I could spend my life in any way, anywhere, I would be a shepherd, in Herefordshire, or maybe in Hay-on-Wye, perhaps. A simple life, full of music, and cheer.

Lately I have taken to Mead. I love mead. what is nicer than a glass of honeywine? It is unusual, and special, for someone to gather their own honey, and brew a magical drink with it. I adore my favorite meadmaker. He is a crabby old ornery man, who swears like a certain German girl, and has few other words for anyone. But his mead is wonderful, and it makes him happy and proud to know it is loved by many.

I travel about "discovering" other meads and ciders. Not as far as I would like, because there are some great masters in Europe that I have not met yet. I love to meet the maker, so to speak. Especially craftsman, who make wines, and ales and ciders in small batches. Each batch is special and unique. Each is a kind of history. Like a single day in sumo, maybe. Special for what it is, not what we want it to be.

Maybe not everyone thinks the same way.

What are your favorite things? Do you like mead? Do you like Herefordshire? How about ales? Or goats? (Sign of approval...)

Verena has me thinking today. She went to Japan, and she found a way, and a job, and a life. And she is there for sumo. She told her boss that Sumo is first, and work is second. I am in awe. She is right, and for such a young person, wise. I am so happy that she will experience her life on her terms. Even if just for a day, a week, or a month, or a year. It is an inspiration. The fact that she shares her moment with us, is nice, but it isn't as nice, (to me, anyway) as the very thought that she is there, living her moment, right now, in the Kokugikan.

Any one else have any thoughts? I love mead, and sumo, and Herefordshire, and my goats, and art.

I am in fact, drunk on mead. But I just wanted to tell you all, that I think it is about what you love, and maybe you can think about it for a while, and feel nice and good to know it.

[Mark Buckton 1]

a beautiful part of England there on the border with Wales - an area that sometimes seems(ed) untouched by modern life.

I was fortunate enough to spend around 7-8 months of my military training time in the rolling hills outside Hereford during 1990 and 1991 and returned for refresher courses once or twice in 92 & 93 IIRC - before being posted off to the extreme southern tip of Lincs / border with Cambs / Northants over the opposite side of the country.

Spent some time not far to the south east in Wilts in 93 or 94 learning to jump out of perfectly serviceable aircraft too and passed through there and the towns around dozens of time on my way out of the UK - on the way to Lyneham and Brize.

Never really drank when there though but I recall Hereford the town, its old streets and cathedral (church?). Miss old buildings here in Tokyo.

[Fujisan 533]

What are your favorite things? Do you like mead? Do you like Herefordshire? How about ales? Or goats? (Applauding...)

I never liked beer when I was drinking,I must be the only alcoholic in the world who doesn't/didn't like beer (Applauding...) ,not that I ever drank for the taste only the effect it had on me. (Applauding...)

I was a cider drinker but the stuff I drank was the cheap and nasty stuff that probably had never seen an apple when it was made.

I've never been to Hertforshire but I do like the country,the only time I ever went out of England was to Stornoway in the outer hebrides and I love it there even though I have only been twice it is my 2nd home.

Goats (Shaking head...)

What do I enjoy? Apart from Sumo? I like Chicken korma curries sat in front of the tv enjoying my own company and not worrying about what the rest of the world is doing right at that moment.

I like Chess and playing games on my playstation 2 which is my little escape from reality now I dont drink anymore.

I like travelling and going places other people dont go like climbing the hills in Stornoway so I can get a birdseye view of the town,just going that little bit further than anyone else would be prepared to go.

What do I really enjoy? Life,just life...

[Gusoyama 104]

I love mead, especially my wife's homemade mead. I also love my homebrew beer, and if I had a way to ship it safely, would gladly ship some to whomever wanted any, if it wasn't illegal to do so. Cizers are also good, which are mead/cider combos. A cizer made from fresh macintosh apples and honey from a good farm is a wonder to behold. I fully believe in fresh ingredients for brewing, I even use freshly tapped maple sap for my maple beer.(8-9% alcohol)

[Iwagakki 0]

I dragged up this old topic---a no-no, I know.

But this topic is just right for today.

One of the reasons I have been so scarce around the forum for the past year is that I decided, since I love mead so much, to open a winery. A meadery, in fact. Well, whatever.

It has been fantastic. A lot of work. Paperwork mostly. You wouldn't believe the paperwork. The original application was about 3 inches thick. The regulations...good grief. Background checks, and bank records, multiple bonds and tax bonds and page after page of forms and questions. I had no idea. Getting labels OK'd, even, is a big deal.

It's all good now. That part is done, and I'm officially a WINERY (Clapping wildly...) Still a very small, very "rustic" sort of operation. But hey, you have to start somewhere, ne?

I'm making two varieties of mead, a sweeter one, and a drier one. Nothing fancy. Just a good, honest, down-to-earth mead.

The main product, though, is something really special. Maple Syrup Wine. Really, maple syrup. People ask me if it's good on pancakes. I tell them, "NO!!!...But it's good WITH pancakes." (Welcome...)

I vaguely remembered Gusoyama saying this about maple beer. Brilliant!!! Maple beer? (An idea...)

What fun.

Anytime anyone happens to be around Northern Minnesota, I'd love to have a glass of mead or maple wine waiting for you.

[Harry 67]

Maple Wine sounds Canadian! There is a little winery in Muskoka which makes some. Congratulations on the opening of your winery, I hope you do very well with it.

I used to enjoy some mead but my tastes are now for less sweet drinks. So... perhaps I'd like to try the dry one some day.

Whisky, from Islay or Japan, is my favorite these days.

[Otokonoyama 2,735]

Oh, I think resurrecting excellent old topics like this is quite alright... (Welcome...)

[Iwagakki 0]

Maple Wine sounds Canadian! There is a little winery in Muskoka which makes some. Congratulations on the opening of your winery, I hope you do very well with it.

I used to enjoy some mead but my tastes are now for less sweet drinks. So... perhaps I'd like to try the dry one some day.

Whisky, from Islay or Japan, is my favorite these days.

It is Canadian in a way. There is another winery called JOST Vineyards in Nova Scotia, that makes a maple syrup wine. There is also Lang winery in BC that makes a red wine that is sweetened with maple syrup. Good stuff. Should be the national drink of Canada.

[Asashosakari 19,664]

Oh, I think resurrecting excellent old topics like this is quite alright... (An idea...)

Heck, it's in Off-topic...nobody's going to look through the January 2007 threads and go "hmm, there was supposed to be a mead thread here!" Drag as you wish. (Welcome...) And congrats, Iwagakki...sounds like this is something you've really wanted to do, and that's always a good basis upon which to build. (Clapping wildly...)

[Gusoyama 104]

JOST vineyards is very very good. I have not had their maple wine, but I have had their ice wine. Good stuff. Can you make ice wine in Minnesota?

Good luck with the meadery, its got to be a tough time to do so, with the insane price of honey right now.

I am very very jealous, I'd love to open a nanobrewery, but I just don't have the money or business sense, or the courage. Good luck to you, and I'll definitely stop on by if I'm ever in the neighborhood.

[Jonosuke 28]

I love an English country way of life. I love their cities and towns as well but there is something about the country.

Once I said to my wife, I want to move to England when I retire. She looked at me and said she would rather live in Ryogoku and that settled that question.

Edit:　It's not that she doesn't like the place as she wants to visit there often. It's that she figures once she is older, she probably won't be able to do without Japanese food. But she isn't into Ryogoku for sure.

Edited September 12, 2008 by Jonosuke

[Mark Buckton 1]

good luck with the winery. Hope it works out for you.

Have sank a couple (or so) glasses of some very nice Denki Bran 'Asakusa juice' of late.

Always offered the choice (of strength) at the little eateries a couple of hundred metres to the north west of Senso-ji which are well worth the effort in going to if in the area: best まぐろぶつ in Tokyo.

Anything like that in the US?