Joe's Ancient Orange Mead

[timdsmith72]

After reading about 50 pages of this thread, I couldn't resist putting this together. I put together 2 batches. One exactly as described in the first post. The second I substituted Lalvin EC-1118 for the bread yeast. I just wanted to see the difference. I put the yeast in about an hour and a half ago and both batches are already bubbling. (Picture was taken before the bubbling started.)

 

[evolcoms]

Just made this recipe tonight. My first mead. Looking forward to see how it tastes. Thanks Yooper and Joe! I used some local honey from a local bee keeper. He said it was really high quality honey. I did the optional all spice and nutmeg. I've used these spices in a cider I made and it turned out delicious.

 

[evolcoms]

My first mead.

View attachment 1477192647367.jpg

 

[chuck78]

Made it last night!!!
Need to clean out the airlock!!!

 

[Maylar]

After reading about 50 pages of this thread, I couldn't resist putting this together. I put together 2 batches. One exactly as described in the first post. The second I substituted Lalvin EC-1118 for the bread yeast. I just wanted to see the difference. I put the yeast in about an hour and a half ago and both batches are already bubbling. (Picture was taken before the bubbling started.)

Likely the EC1118 batch will be higher alcohol, very dry, and bitter.

 

[timdsmith72]

Likely the EC1118 batch will be higher alcohol, very dry, and bitter.

Thanks. Dry I don't mind so much and hopefully the bitter will age out.

 

[evolcoms]

Did you remove the rind from the oranges? Looks like it in the picture

 

[chuck78]

Did you remove the rind from the oranges? Looks like it in the picture

Nope they stay on

 

[rlmiller10]

Did you remove the rind from the oranges? Looks like it in the picture

I remove the pith when I do mine. I zest the orange and add the zest, then remove as much pith as possible before adding the meat of the orange in.

 

[howamidriving]

I think this was one of the first five or so things I ever brewed...think I might throw together another batch and add some leftover hibiscus, rise hips, an chamomile I have left over from a Saison I did a while back. Should be pretty good

 

[brewski09]

Blasphemy alert:

Anyone ever zest & juice the orange? What better way to concentrate the flavors, right? Thinking about doing this for my next batch. The original is quite drinkable but I want more orange character.

 

[rlmiller10]

Opened a bottle from 2013 tonight. It is so smooth and easy to drink. Could be dangerous.

 

[WTFOMGBBQ]

My bottle of JOAM after 2 months

 

[beernbourbon]

Nice! Bottle that shtuff, get it ready to mellow for next Christmas.

 

[treacheroustexan]

I started a blueberry-vanilla variant in May, and I'm (impatiently) waiting for it to clear. Just a few more months, right?

Can you post the recipe for your blueberry vanilla variant?

 

[NeilGordon]

Wow mine has been in the fermentator for over 4 months and still has yet to clear like that.

 

[BILTIT]

Just mixed up 5 gal of JAOM, first mead for me.

 

[TrekMedic]

Blasphemy alert:

Anyone ever zest & juice the orange? What better way to concentrate the flavors, right? Thinking about doing this for my next batch. The original is quite drinkable but I want more orange character.

My first gallon of JAOM, I zested a navel orange, then peeled it and put the zest and orange sections into the mix.

I just started bottling it at the one-year mark and the orange flavor is subtly making its presence known.

Maybe put the zest into some cheesecloth and add it to the secondary and let the alcohol extract the orange oils?

 

[RoadKing]

I made this recipe a few weeks ago and it's now at FG. I fermented at 75 degrees, and
was wondering if I should lower the temperature a bit, or let it ride at 75?

 

[timdsmith72]

Holy smokes this stuff is good. The bread yeast and the lalvin EC-1118 both finished/cleared up within a week or so of each other. The two batches were started mid-October. Tried samples of them both last weekend. In my opinion, I like the batch with Lalvin EC-1118 slightly better. Both versions are absolutely delicious, though
Sorry the picture is sideways. Can't get it to stop doing that.

 

[Bjornelkpounder]

Ive never made mead before but thought this would be a great one to start with. So i started my brew on 3 Jan 17. I made a 5g batch using..

11 lbs of honey
4 blood oranges

Basically made 4x recipe requirements except for the honey and orange type. The yeast was Lalvin EC 1115 or 16. Dont remember exactly but it was recommended by the local brew shop. It is fermenting very slow but study, belching every 20 sec or so. Temp stays at about 72 and its in a home brew bucket set up. I cant see inside so its just the waiting game. Should i agitate it a little or just let it sit? Any other recommendations?

 

[BILTIT]

Just let it sit.

 

[rlmiller10]

Ive never made mead before but thought this would be a great one to start with. So i started my brew on 3 Jan 17. I made a 5g batch using..

11 lbs of honey
4 blood oranges

Basically made 4x recipe requirements except for the honey and orange type. The yeast was Lalvin EC 1115 or 16. Dont remember exactly but it was recommended by the local brew shop. It is fermenting very slow but study, belching every 20 sec or so. Temp stays at about 72 and its in a home brew bucket set up. I cant see inside so its just the waiting game. Should i agitate it a little or just let it sit? Any other recommendations?

Leave it be. You didn't make JAOM though. It should be a nice orange mead and lighter on the alcohol. But with EC 1115 it will be totally dry if it doesn't stall. A possibility though, if you didn't use any nutrient, it may stall. Then it gets tricky. Do you bottle and risk fermentation restarting and blowing corks? Kegging is a good option if you can.

The reason JAOM uses the bread yeast is to it will kill itself with alcohol before the mead goes dry. They you get some residual sweetness without the worry of blowing out corks.

 

[Bjornelkpounder]

I will check it again tonight. The local home brewer said to swap buckets in about a week or so after the bubbling stops, then add more fruit and let it sit for the remaining 2 or more.months I want to let it go. Will that make any difference if I do it that way or will that just screw my entire batch?

 

[Bjornelkpounder]

So its actually belching every 7ish seconds. The siphon I have also has a screen on it so I am assuming the guy at the home brew supply was expecting me to have to filter the yeast out

 

[rlmiller10]

So its actually belching every 7ish seconds. The siphon I have also has a screen on it so I am assuming the guy at the home brew supply was expecting me to have to filter the yeast out

I would not bother it for 6 weeks or so. Then, if you have a glass carboy, I would rack it off the lees into glass and let it sit for another 8 months. If I misread and it is already in glass then I would leave it alone for 3 months and then either rack to another or bottle.

My experience is that mead is fine with being left alone.

 

[abv101]

My JAOM tastes like a raunchy bitter Old English. It's terrible! Followed the recipe to the letter and no matter how I make it(3 batches so far) it tastes exactly the same every time.

 

[BILTIT]

How long have you let it age? What honey are you using?

I will be sample tasting mine tonight, its about 6 weeks since yeast pitching.

 

[abv101]

I used local clove and it's sat for 11 weeks. The oranges managed to drop on one of the batches but not the other two.

I used distilled water in one and spring in the other two. In the two with spring water I took the peel off the oranges and in one I substituted cinnamon stick for ground cinnamon. But they all taste identical; really, really tart and bitter. Just like Old English malt liquor and I would make a wager that an OE drinker would have a seriously hard time telling the difference. Terrible!

I'm starting to wonder if I screwed something up when cleaning and sanitizing my gear. I clean with One Step then sanitize with Star San.

I dunno.

 

[TrekMedic]

My JAOM tastes like a raunchy bitter Old English. It's terrible! Followed the recipe to the letter and no matter how I make it(3 batches so far) it tastes exactly the same every time.

Are you using the pith from the oranges? That could be a cause. Also, just throwing it out there: are you COMPLETELY sterilizing everything?