Fruit + Carboy = ?

kireiname · 10-18-2009, 03:30 PM

I'm looking at trying this recipe for "ancient mead" (link below) and I'm wondering how I'm going to get the fruit out of the carboy once I've racked the mead into bottles. I'm pretty new at this, so I could be way off base, but when using raisins in the past, I cut them into small pieces so that they didn't swell and become difficult to get out of the carboy. How on earth are you supposed to remove a quarter of an orange from the narrow opening on a carboy after it's sat in the must for 2 months?

http://www.foodcrypt.com/2009/09/joes-ancient-orange-mead/

**Revvy** · 10-18-2009, 04:01 PM

If you read the link, he says ;

Quote:

1 Large orange (later cut in eights or smaller rind and all)

And,

Quote:

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)

After two months of being eaten by yeast most of the pulpy part is going to be mush, which leaves the rinds, which like he says in the instructions, if you cut them into eighths or smaller you have cut them small enough for the rind to pass through the mouth of whatever carboy you use...

likwidbliss · 10-18-2009, 10:43 PM

I have made Joe's Ancient Orange (JAO) and like it. Follow the recipes, put every thing in the carboy and let the yeast work their magic. Those little guys are efficient! There will be fruit to remove, but I got all mine out of a 3 gallon carboy no problem. The raisins will rehydrate and plump up, but they won't plug the opening.

I did drink some JAO soon after bottling, it was ok, drinkable. I let some sit 6 months a little better, some more a year later even better. Some are going 2 years, prediction really good. I like mead and I am willing to wait for this experiment to complete. Hey wait a a minute, I need to open bottle of JAO when I make my brew tonight. I love brewing in the evening, wife calls me whacked.

WIP · 10-19-2009, 12:00 AM

I am following the instructions, although I cut my orange into 16ths just for that reason. No big deal I think, more surface area just means easier fermentation. (That is my thought at least).