Joe's Ancient Orange Mead - JOAM

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z987k

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We made a 3 gallon batch of this a few weeks ago and got the recipe from moremead.com, but I was surprised that there is little mention of it here and no recipe. So I figured I'd post it for people to look at. We just tripled it.

1 gallon batch

* 3 1/2 lbs Clover or your choice honey or blend (will finish sweet)
* 1 Large orange (later cut in eights or smaller rind and all)
* 1 small handful of raisins (25 if you count but more or less ok)
* 1 stick of cinnamon
* 1 whole clove ( or 2 if you like - these are potent critters)
* optional (a pinch of nutmeg and allspice )( very small )
* 1 teaspoon of bread yeast ( now don't get holy on me--- after all this is an ancient mead and that's all we had back then)
* Balance water to one gallon
Process:

Use a clean 1 gallon carboy

Dissolve honey in some warm water and put in carboy

Wash orange well to remove any pesticides and slice in eights --add orange (you can push em through opening big boy -- rinds included -- its ok for this mead -- take my word for it -- ignore the experts)

Put in raisins, clove, cinnamon stick, any optional ingredients and fill to 3 inches from the top with cold water. ( need room for some foam -- you can top off with more water after the first few day frenzy)

Shake the heck out of the jug with top on, of course. This is your sophisticated aeration process.

When at room temperature in your kitchen. Put in 1 teaspoon of bread yeast. ( No you don't have to rehydrate it first-- the ancients didn't even have that word in their vocabulary-- just put it in and give it a gentle swirl or not)( the yeast can fight for their own territory)

Install water airlock. Put in dark place. It will start working immediately or in an hour. (Don't use grandma's bread yeast she bought years before she passed away in the 90's)( Wait 3 hours before you panic or call me) After major foaming stops in a few days add some water and then keep your hands off of it. (Don't shake it! Don't mess with them yeastees! Let them alone except its okay to open your cabinet to smell every once in a while.

Racking --- Don't you dare
additional feeding --- NO NO
More stirring or shaking -- Your not listening, don't touch

After 2 months and maybe a few days it will slow down to a stop and clear all by itself. (How about that) (You are not so important after all) Then you can put a hose in with a small cloth filter on the end into the clear part and siphon off the golden nectar. If you wait long enough even the oranges will sink to the bottom but I never waited that long. If it is clear it is ready. You don't need a cold basement. It does better in a kitchen in the dark. (like in a cabinet) likes a little heat (70-80). If it didn't work out... you screwed up and didn't read my instructions (or used grandma's bread yeast she bought years before she passed away) . If it didn't work out then take up another hobby. Mead is not for you. It is too complicated.

If you were successful, which I am 99% certain you will be, then enjoy your mead. When you get ready to make a different mead you will probably have to unlearn some of these practices I have taught you, but hey--- This recipe and procedure works with these ingredients so don't knock it. It was your first mead. It was my tenth. Sometimes, even the experts can forget all they know and make a good ancient mead.

Enjoy, Joe
 
I foget where I found this recipe, but I have 2 gallons that are already gone, and I started 3 more last night. My first was with the recipe as is. The second was with blueberries. They both came out great but I really liked the blueberry, so I started up another blueberry and I am experimenting with cherrys and strawberries. I will post later how they turn out but thats a few months off. After a day the cherry looks like it's going to be very pretty when it gets done. I am a little dissapointed that the strawberry started out with a little bit of pinkish but has gone back to being a golden brown already. The blueberry is taking on it's nice purlpleish tint. I just hope its as good as last time.
 
So....

Just bread yeast? Like that fleishmans bread yeast at the supermarket? Thats all?

What kind of flavor does a bread yeast impart rather than say a beer or champaign yeast? Only reason im asking is i actually have several packs of both beer + red star yeast laying around and i could use them if it improves the recipe any. If not, then ill stick with the bread yeast!
 
I have a jar of fleishmans bread yeast I bought at wal-mart. Don't use the bread machine kind, just the regular bread yeast. I found the optional spices tend to add a little too much spice to the orange. I didn't add them to the others. I got some very good compliments when I was letting people sample my first two I made using this recipe.
 
one question... it only has to ferment for 2 months?? i was told mead can take years....or is that for a different type of mead.
 
wow, bumping 2 old threads with the same question?

Anyhow - you can make quick mead. It's just a matter of if you are able getting the best possible mead. AFAIK, JOAM ends quite sweet which really covers all the flaws and defects of a quick process and have heard that from most JOAM lovers that it tends to get better over time.

Can you do it and drink it in 2 months? Maybe. Doubt it's the best mead you'll ever drink, but it might be possible.
 
one question... it only has to ferment for 2 months?? i was told mead can take years....or is that for a different type of mead.

It's pretty raw when it's young. At about 6 mo it gets drinkable. I broke open a 18 month old bottle with a friend last night. It was smooth and delicious.

I am on my third gallon as well.

I'm close to 30 gallons. Made good Xmas gifts last year. I have about 8 bottles of the 18 mo old batch left. I have 10 gallons at 9 mo old. I'm getting ready to make more so it has time to age.
 
i made a 1 gallon batch of JAOM back in april, and i forgot all about it! DOH! its been sitting on the bread yeast for 6 months, is it going to taste like a**? should i just go ahead and bottle it?
 
Actually that recipe is posted here, complete with exactly the same misspellings. I am on my third gallon as well.

Can you post the link to the JOAM/blueberry recipe?
Also, a few other questions. I'm totally new at this. The JOAM recipe does not discuss boiling the honey/water mix. Is this not part of it?

I am using wild Alaskan blueberries, that are very tart. What sorts of berries are others using?

In making blueberry cordial by adding Everclear to wild berry juice, the wild berries have a tendency to gel. I have been told that this is the reaction between the pectin in the berries and the alcohol, and some have said that it can be reduced by freezinbg the berries first. Has this ever been an issue in making a mead?
 
I have a 5 gallon batch that should be ready to bottle in a month or so. I didn't use the bread yeast though, I didn't want it too sweet. Taste great right now not harsh at all, although i did use a touch too much of clove. Thankfully I like clove.
 
I just started a batch of this on Monday... It's not very foamy, when is a good time to add water as per the recipe? Have I waited long enough?

And is it normal for this to be so active? The carboy looks like there's a current in there due to all the movement!
 
I just started a batch of this on Monday... It's not very foamy, when is a good time to add water as per the recipe? Have I waited long enough?

And is it normal for this to be so active? The carboy looks like there's a current in there due to all the movement!

You pitched before adding the water? I would add the water now. You'll probably need to heat it so it will blend with the honey, but watch the temperature so you don't kill the yeast.

Please make a movie. I'd love to see this.
 
Mine took off slow, still is a month later. One bubble every 15 seconds.

I added the top off water on the second day since there was no risk of blow off.
 
You can't expect the same amount of airlock activity with a 1 or 2 gallon batch that you would see in five gallons of beer. If it's bubbling, it's working.
 
Today was a big brew day for me and I decided to include a gallon of this brew. It started bubbling about an hour after I pitched the yeast. :rockin: I've made this before and I am puzzled as to why I don't continue making it or make a 5 gallon batch. Oh well. Cheers.
 
I've seen several mentions of JOAM on this place and only just checked out the recipe. It's very similar to a batch that I had written off as a baddun because it cleared so quickly (<6 weeks). From what I read here I have renewed hope that it may be drinkable in a few months.

When bottling I had a little bit left that I stuck in a Grolsch bottle as a taster but it only filled two-thirds of the bottle. Can I assume that being bottled with that much air will make it a wee bit gross?
 
@RedCabbage - I would put some N2 on the top to drive out the excess O2. I have found canned N2 at most good wine and beverage shops.

I made a batch of this 3 years ago and was able to keep a few bottles away from the two-legged cellar rats. It does get better with age! I have another batch going right now and will likely keep a few gallons going in a steady rotation with the beer :) Funny thing is that making mead got me into brewing and I don't regret a minute of it !
 
Thanks, LG. I think I'll pick up some N2 for such an eventuality in future. And put a little 25cl beer bottle in with the other bottles when sterilizing in case I have a little bit left over.
 
Thanks, LG. I think I'll pick up some N2 for such an eventuality in future. And put a little 25cl beer bottle in with the other bottles when sterilizing in case I have a little bit left over.

You may have a friend with a MIG or TIG welder and a tank of either CO2 or argon. I borrowed my neighbors for a racking and bottling weekend.
 
Here it is, my yeasties started eating within an hour.

image-3277216294.jpg
 
Just checked on mine. Almost a month and it's started clearing. All of the raisins are at the top now. It's fun to watch it progress and I'm looking forward to other parts of the process. Especially the drinking part. :) I hope I can save some for Christmas!

IMAG0043.jpg
 
IMAG0168.jpg


Had a taste last night. Already good and hasn't even been 2 full months. Stopped activity a few days ago. Hope to make some more soon as I'm sure this won't last long.

Btw, anyone know the approximate abv of this? I didn't take a gravity reading...
 
You'd only really get a guesstimate result. There are sugars in the orange and the sultana's/raisins which won't come out initially. So you only get a reading from the honey/water, though that's probably close enough....

Have a look at gotmead, they've got a mead calculator that should give you some idea (or take a reading now and then just add the original numbers in the mead calculator and it should give you an approximate starting gravity - one minus the other to give you the drop and then it's basic to work out the % ABV)

regards

fatbloke
 
I just made this in an old cheap Sangria bottle I had which is slightly under 1 gal. I just didn't scrape out the honey bottles when I added them, everything went great. Blew it out with O2 before pitching yeast, already a few bubbles minutes into it.
 
Hello, I just started this recipe a few days ago, 11-11-14. This is my second mead making venture. My first mead was plain ole honey wine with orange and lemon peels. Turned out pretty good. Still drinking it.

My question is about the sliced oranges. On the first day, the yeast started working pretty good. I got foam that went nearly to the top of my carboy, about an inch from my air lock. After the foam settle, it left a orange brownish residue inside the glass of my carboy above the floating oranges. Is this something I need to worry about? If I had water, will the mixture cause the residue to fall to the bottom or should I leave it alone?

Thanks for your help.
 
Just leave her alone for now (you can top off post ferment if you want). That goo is just what I like to call "yeast schmutz". Nothing to worry about. Later, when you bottle it, you are going to want to rack from underneath the schmutz.
 
Thanks creamygoodness and bender. First time I tried with fruit. I was a little concerned. Next year, ill have mulberries, blueberries, and raspberries to try in place of oranges.
 
Thanks creamygoodness and bender. First time I tried with fruit. I was a little concerned. Next year, ill have mulberries, blueberries, and raspberries to try in place of oranges.

Always a lot of fun. I like to experiment with different fruits etc... more often than not it comes out. See my JA?M thread for details on what I've tried and how it went.

It really is difficult to botch this recipe up too badly.
 
Started my batch Nov. 1st, and aside from zesting and juicing the orange, instead of throwing it in entire, and using a Lalvin yeast with a bit of nutrient on the advice of the brewstore owner, it's pretty much to the recipe.

It peaked at about a bubble a second a few days after being started, hummed along at one every 3-4 seconds for about a week, and then started slowing down. It's now down to a bubble every 10 seconds or so.

I'm guessing this is not a "stuck" fermentation, but instead just naturally slowing down? So I could plan on racking it to secondary next weekend? How slow should it be perking before I do that?

Also, loved the orange smell coming out of the airlock early on, but now it's kind of subdued. Would it be excessive to rack it onto some more orange zest?
 
Started my batch Nov. 1st, and aside from zesting and juicing the orange, instead of throwing it in entire, and using a Lalvin yeast with a bit of nutrient on the advice of the brewstore owner, it's pretty much to the recipe.

It peaked at about a bubble a second a few days after being started, hummed along at one every 3-4 seconds for about a week, and then started slowing down. It's now down to a bubble every 10 seconds or so.

I'm guessing this is not a "stuck" fermentation, but instead just naturally slowing down? So I could plan on racking it to secondary next weekend? How slow should it be perking before I do that?

Also, loved the orange smell coming out of the airlock early on, but now it's kind of subdued. Would it be excessive to rack it onto some more orange zest?

Right. Think of it this way... when youve been doing manual labor all day and come to a dinner table full of food, you eat a lot fast at first, but as dinner goes on you are able to slow down and take your time more. Plus, there's now less food to gorge yourself on. Kind of sort of the same theory.

I wouldnt rack it (big no no) nor would I add more citrus. Part of why this stuff tastes better the longer it ages is that the citrus is sharp and in your face at first but mellows over time.
 
Well, its been two months since I started this batch. I am going to rack this into three 1 gallon wine jugs. When I lifted up the 3 gallon carboy, all the oranges started shedding lots of small bits of oranges everywhere. So I am going to let it settle again for a few hours before I siphon the mead into my jugs. Looks like I am going to have to come up with a filter to separate the bits of oranges.

Do coffee filters work well as wine filters?
 
Coffee filters a no go. I switched to a soft white cheese clothe and a metal sifter. I removed all the orange bits. Its about 2 1/2 gallons of mead from a 3 gallon carboy. I have my 3 one gallon jugs sitting in a dark cabinet and will open them up in 4 to 6 months. Its already pretty tasty just from 2 months. I joked to my wife i think i am gonna get drunk siphoning the stuff.

I am definitely gonna make more. Yummy!
 

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