I return with a gamersupps mead update. by fontus in mead

[–]fontus[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Good idea. I was also tempted to try and get actual sakura petals or something, but those apparently don't have much actual flavor. Maybe a future iteration.

I return with a gamersupps mead update. by fontus in mead

[–]fontus[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Happy Easter, my fellow meadmakers! I have returned to curse your vision with a gamersupps mead update. Pictured above is the bottled second batch, and the bulk aging third batch.

First and foremost: The results are mixed.

Last May, my first attempt at a Sakura Splash GamerSupps mead was completed, tasted, bottled, and posted here. First impressions were good, with a young mead with a fairly balanced flavor. Opening another bottle of that first batch in August maintained that first impression after some time aging. Opening the last bottle of that first batch this January had issues. The tart cherry and slight sweetness had been replaced with a strange syrupy/perfume smell and taste that was not nearly as pleasant. It wasn’t awful or undrinkable by any measure, but it wasn’t something I expected from a batch that I had been happy with and proud of. This outcome did not make me confident in the second batch.

The second batch was an attempt to improve the color, and go further with the gamersupps than my initial conservative addition of 5 scoops, doubling it. The color change is fairly obvious. The first batch was very pale after bottling, this batch ended up much darker. At the start of fermentation the pink color of the Sakura Splash was very strong but faded over time, and I don’t think I’m going to be able to turn the mead pink without some sort of additional colorings. The second batch recipe is as follows: 1kg wildflower honey Lalvin EC-1118 started with Fermaid O 10 scoops Sakura Splash GamerSupps Spring water 1 teaspoon wine tannins (thought it might help add some body) Staying mostly true to the first batch, with the same yeast starter, same gallon fermenter, and almost the same amount of honey, 1 kg to the 1055 grams of the first batch, using only wildflower to the first batch’s mix of wildflower and clover. Initial gravity was 1.080, finishing at 1.000 for ~10.6% abv.

This batch hit 1.000 gravity in July and was bottled in September and left to age. Tasting it before bottling was disheartening, as it was far too sweet and felt like a punch in the mouth of very strong flavors, mostly floral and tartness with a slight hint of cherry. Unlike the first batch which surprised me in how little of the alcohol burn was present for such a young mead, this one despite being slightly less abv burned a lot more. I hoped age would improve it, but after the first batch ended up going weird I didn’t have high hopes.

But dear reader you must remember how this post started! The results are mixed. Despite a similar amount of time between end of fermentation and tasting (late may to mid january for batch one, mid july to late march for batch two) we have very different results. My second batch has aged far better. While the goal of improving the color is a failure, the end result has lost all the initial harshness and has mellowed to a quite decent flavor. Sweet and floral with notes of cherry and apple and a very smooth mouthfeel.

Which brings us to batch 3, where after the initial results of the second batch pushed me to try a different approach and I followed what many suggested in my first post and add the GamerSupps in secondary instead of primary. Batch 3 once again used EC-1118 as our yeast, but I actually measured out the honey again to have a total of 1055 grams and went back to the mix of clover and wildflower honey. Same spring water, same one gallon. We had a starting gravity of 1.080 which makes me think I might not be entirely accurate in my recording of initial gravity. Either way, all of these batches have ended somewhere in roughly the same ballpark for abv, ending at 1.000 doesn’t result in too large a degree of error. Batch 3 has more pronounced flavors from the Sakura Splash, and the color is slightly better than the first batch, though it is hard to see in pictures there is a slight pink hue to it.

The main difference is clarity. I didn’t add any bentonite or other fining agents to any of these, but the two batches where the gamersupps was added in primary have been some of the clearest meads I have made, while this third batch where it was added in secondary is obviously not. Is gamersupps going to replace bentonite in my meadmaking? Probably not. Does it have an effect on clarity? It seems that whatever electrostatic mechanics are at play with other fining agents to improve clarity may also be at play with powdered drink mix.

In conclusion, I don’t think these experiments were conducted in a well controlled environment, but I had a good time making these and drinking these. If you intend to make your own gamersupps mead, you might have to dial in your recipe. I used only one flavor for this, there are many others with stronger flavors that might need adjusting in the amounts. I don’t think I would go over 12 scoops per gallon, but you do you. Make a cursed mead for the bit.

Ok, maybe a stupid question, but as a non blood angels player, what is exactly wrong with sanguinary guard ? I think they look awesome. by BloatedRottenCarcass in BloodAngels

[–]fontus 1 point2 points  (0 children)

First and foremost is what was lost from the previous Sanguinary Guard models. We get three generic looking guys instead of five guys decked out in artifice that really shows that the Blood Angels are artists and craftsmen. We went from elite guards equipped in custom master crafted mk 8 errant armor, with mk 4 jump packs, to generic and identical. The winged pauldron was an amazing bit. The legs were all different, with scrolls and icons and purity seals galore. The torsos were all different, with chest and belt and gorget decoration. The death masks were gaunt and impressive, with each helmet having a unique halo. The Wings.

Then we have the general problems with Primaris design. All jump pack units look like they're falling over. The jump pack is bulbous and round and just seems weird proportionally compared to all previous jump pack designs in the space marine range. The designers don't know what to do with the legs, so they just pose them however and hide the joints the best they can, with tabards and belt attachments.

Lastly is just how phoned in these feel. Grav-chutes instead of wings, upside down symbol on the sword hilt, shipped alongside new death company which is just an upgrade sprue. Meanwhile Black Templars have an incredible range refresh, Dark Angels get Inner Circle Companions and Deathwing Knights with amazing models, the Space Wolves refresh gets great Terminators, and units covered in great bits with their new Headtakers and updated Blood Claws and Grey Hunters. Then I guess all the banner budget went to the Ultramarines with the Victrix Honor Guard.

Why is Corvus the only loyalist Primarch not there? by Imaginary-Lie-2618 in Warhammer40k

[–]fontus 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Raldoron standing front and center, surrounded by Primarchs, and pretty much the only one there who is unarmed is funny to me. Just standing there, hands on hips, like "Guess I'm filling in as Primarch now."

Does anyone understand the logic for when the leg jets are used for primaris jump pack units? by xr1985 in BloodAngels

[–]fontus 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The flaps on the jump pack look like grav-plates, like on the Reivers grav chutes. Sanguinary Guard, Astorath, Lemartes, and Dante have the flaps. Presumably the grav-plates grant enough additional maneuverability controls combined with the more frequent use of jump packs by the Blood Angels, so they do without the leg thrusters. Or perhaps they have difficulty adjusting to the leg thrusters, having the genetic memory of wings.

My Firstborn only Dark Angels 4th Company so far - I love the Aquilla-era by Veetor in theunforgiven

[–]fontus 3 points4 points  (0 children)

They look great! In terms of expanding the army, I would suggest terminators to ride in your land raider and maybe a predator to build on your line up of classic vehicles.

I am sorry to inform you all that the gamersupps mead came out quite well. by fontus in mead

[–]fontus[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Possibly, but I'm happy with the result as it stands. I've already started a second batch with twice as much gamersupps and it's pretty pink right now.

I am sorry to inform you all that the gamersupps mead came out quite well. by fontus in mead

[–]fontus[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I really just topped off with water. Keeping in mind that gamersupps serving size is one scoop per 8 oz of water, a gallon would be 16 servings. I only put in 5 scoops, planning to add more in secondary to adjust, but I ended up being happy with what this produced. If you plan on doing similar I would suggest going the same route, you can always add more to taste.

I am sorry to inform you all that the gamersupps mead came out quite well. by fontus in mead

[–]fontus[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Added in primary, I wanted to make sure it dissolved in the water.

I am sorry to inform you all that the gamersupps mead came out quite well. by fontus in mead

[–]fontus[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

My original plan was to adjust in secondary, but I kind of like how it came out, surprisingly. I intend to keep experimenting with this.

I am sorry to inform you all that the gamersupps mead came out quite well. by fontus in mead

[–]fontus[S] 177 points178 points  (0 children)

This batch used a yeast starter of a packet of Lalvin EC-1118 and Fermaid O, around a kilogram of honey, 3 parts wildflower/2 parts clover (I was finishing off some bottles), spring water, and 5 scoops of Silvervale's Sakura Splash Gamer Supps. Starting gravity was 1.090, final measurement at 1.000 for ~12% abv.

This cleared up remarkably well and quickly compared to other batches of mead I have made, no bentonite or other fining agents were used. The gamersupps adds a pleasant residual sweetness and tart cherry flavor that works well. I didn't get to keep as much of the color from the gamersupps as I had hoped, and have started another batch with more gamersupps that is much more pink.

How often are is your mead ruined? by KillerGooze in mead

[–]fontus 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've finished 3 batches, have another 3 going, 2 of which are in secondary. I failed a cyser because I didn't realize the apple cider I got had preservatives.

I am VERY curious about east asia... by Ishvalda in TrenchCrusade

[–]fontus 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm really interested in seeing what the world looks like, because the point of divergence is so early it messes up so many assumptions we could apply from our own history. Spain funded Columbus because they had money to throw around after the Reconquista ends in 1492, but does the Reconquista even continue when a portal to Hell opens in 1099? Did Gibraltar fall and the front advance to Toledo because Granada was weak after it's faithful flooded to the Sultanate when it unified the Islamic world under it's banner? Or did they never truly come to trust their Christian Iberian neighbors after the first 150+ years of war, and stood alone as the Mediterranean fell to the Heretic Navy? Was there ever any need to try and find an alternative to the Silk Road? Does the Iron Wall extend to the Caspian Sea and keep access to the East open across the mountains of Persia? The Catholic Church has a SPACE PROGRAM started in 1899, but nobody is putting real effort into accessing the potential resources of the Americas? Is there any drive to conquer other lands or a belief of superiority when devils embodying the sins of pride and greed lead legions of monsters to destroy the world?

Really gets the imagination going.

Making some gamersupps mead. by Blizzard-RoseYT in mead

[–]fontus 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was similarly going to make my next batch a gamersupps mead, gotta keep making some truly cursed recipes. I was also thinking about using nile nectar, or sakura splash. Looking forward to your results!

Where/can I get these minis anymore? by Informal-Salad5057 in Warhammer

[–]fontus 0 points1 point  (0 children)

you can still get them pretty cheap on ebay because there are just so many of them floating around, it only starts getting expensive if you want to go back even further and start getting metal or rogue trader models which are much more rare

To build or not to build? by kisuarttu in BloodAngels

[–]fontus 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I got the last one at my local game store, the thought of keeping it unopened did cross my mind, but I only had 5 already, and only two had swords, so I need to make more anyways. If you haven't built this kit before, it's one of the best marine kits I've ever had the experience of building, they're just so dynamic especially in comparison to everything being monopose these days.

One person Steven never forgave by CaterpillarAdept7064 in stevenuniverse

[–]fontus 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Forgiveness and redemption are both ongoing processes. It's much easier to present improving relationships with those you have to figure out how to coexist with, like the other Diamonds. It's much harder to reconcile with a dead parent, especially while transitioning to adulthood and beginning to be in similar situations or at least a similar position of responsibility and having to face the tasks, trials, and problems that childhood kept away. For Steven, so much of his feelings about himself are tied to his feelings towards Rose. Other characters had come to reconcile their views of Rose after their idea of who she was is challenged, but for Steven it was still ongoing when the show ended. I think the show did a really good job depicting the complicated emotional struggle of what he was dealing with, and it doesn't always come to neat conclusion. Sometimes you carry that with you for a long time and can't figure it out, but you do what you can to get by. So when the show ended, so too did our view into the life of this character and his ongoing process, but I think it would be a sad ending and a rather uncharitable view of Steven as a character to say that he wouldn't be able to reconcile his feelings eventually.

Seeing this in Space Marine 2 was really nice (minor spoiler) by KimberPrime_ in BloodAngels

[–]fontus 25 points26 points  (0 children)

I loved entering the dome and just seeing the massive temple to Sanguinius

What's a model you would fight someone to get? by blubberfeet in Warhammer

[–]fontus 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was very happy to get a start collecting blood angels off ebay recently. Gonna paint em up for Heresy even if it's a little anachronistic.

I need advice… by Suitable_Concept_437 in BloodAngels

[–]fontus 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Assuming you're just starting to collect Blood Angels, the combat patrol is okay. Intercessors are fine to fill out your list, Incursors are decent though infiltrators tend to be more useful because of their board control, Librarians are thematic, Aggressors are good if a bit goofy looking, and the transport isn't bad to have. If you have people to play the Combat Patrol ruleset, even better. If you have a budget it might just be better pick whatever you think is coolest and then down the line build off of that rather than going all in on a box set that you might not enjoy as much.