Joe's Ancient Orange Mead

[chef201atc]

I apologize in advance if this question has already been asked in this thread, but I didn’t have time to go back and read through 30+ pages. I’m curious about scaling up the recipe. The recipe calls for 3 1/2 lbs of honey for a gallon batch. If I want to make 5 gallons, it’s not hard to figure out that I’m going to need 17 1/2 lbs of honey (give or take). What I’m not sure about is the spices, fruit, and yeast. Surely I don’t want to put 5 -10 whole cloves in there, or 5 sticks of cinnamon – that seems excessive. What about the oranges and raisins? Do I use five cut up oranges and 125 raisins? Again, that seems like an awful lot. Yeast – do I use 5 teaspoons?

 

[funkadelicturkey]

scale up as indicated in the thread is all ingredients EXCEPT YEAST times what ever your batch size is. 1 teaspoon of yeast should be enough.

 

[jscholtes]

scale up as indicated in the thread is all ingredients EXCEPT YEAST times what ever your batch size is. 1 teaspoon of yeast should be enough.

You may also consider using using a mead or wine yeast like D-47 or EC-1118 instead of the bread yeast.

 

[KoedBrew]

I agree, if you are going to do 5 gallons of this make sure you have tried it with 1 gallon and know you like it. It was too sweet for me and I have been trying to push it off on people, also the spices are a bit much for my tastes I would scale them back a bit.

 

[chef201atc]

Thanks for the replies guys. As for having tried it before, I have. I have made one 1-gallon batch. It was a touch sweet, but then I like sweet meads. The only issue I had with it was the pithiness that some people mention that is caused by the white part of the orange rind. The reason I want to scale it up is that by the time it's all said and done, I only got about 10 12-oz bottles out of the gallon batch. The bread yeast is a bitch as some have mentioned and that make it difficult to do a clean siphon out of the gallon carboy. I figure that with a larger batch, it will be easier to rack to a secondary, let it settle out again, and then bottle. I just want to get more than 10 bottles for my efforts.

 

[commonsenseman]

I just made my first batch tonight. It had been fermenting for 45 minutes when I took this picture:

 

[michael88n]

Got my batch going tonight. It looks good to me. I've only had mead once, and I can't really remember what it tasted like. I'm looking forward to this one. It's got some of my favorite things in it.

I. Can't. Help. Myself...

Here's a recipie with a few of my favorite things...

1ea Whiskers on kittens;
1ea Warm woolen mittens;
1ea Brown paper packages tied up with strings

1ea Crisp apple strudels;
1ea Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles;
1ea Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings;

Somebody, please help meeee!

 

[Brewmiser]

I. Can't. Help. Myself...

Here's a recipie with a few of my favorite things...

1ea Whiskers on kittens;
1ea Warm woolen mittens;
1ea Brown paper packages tied up with strings

1ea Crisp apple strudels;
1ea Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles;
1ea Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings;

Somebody, please help meeee!

What no Strippers on a pole? I know that's in the song somewhere?

 

[michael88n]

What no Strippers on a pole? I know that's in the song somewhere?

YES! Thanks! I just found my man-card.

 

[funkadelicturkey]

JAOM is 1 month in and still bubbling away. only 8-11 months away from the first tasting. Mead seems to be a lot like fishing... times a thousand, it requires lots of patience.

About time to start another batch! Maybe something like Commonsenseman's strawberry mead, looks delicious!

 

[Weenis]

Would it be possible to use a fining agent like sparkolloid or super-kleer to make the lees precipitate out and be less fluffy or easier to rack?

 

[sharpstick]

it probably won't hurt to try, but i think those are more useful for haze and other suspended particulates.
your problem is that baking yeast was not bred for brewing and does not floculate as well. the lees swirl up at the slightest movement, but settle down in a few days. when i plan to bottle, i move my carboy to the counter about a week ahead of time. at bottling i use an autosiphon with a carpenter clamp on the shaft to hold it just below the floatines at the top. the last bottle or too are a bit cloudy but they also settle out and i rebottle them.

 

[themax]

I just bottled 3 gallons of this. It sat in the carboy for 5 months before I got around to bottling it.

A few bottles in, I discovered that my siphon didn't fit all the way down through the mouth of the particular carboy I was using, so I bottled half with the carboy tipped at a 45 degree angle. Also, I hadn't let it settle overnight after moving it onto the counter and before bottling. The bottles have some sediment! It settles out quickly and stirs up easily. I think you have to accept that in the spirit of the recipe.

This tasted good at bottling. I'm looking forward to drinking some in a year's time.

 

[Weenis]

I saw something on a moonshine forum about using super-kleer. They were fermenting only turbo yeast, nutrient, and white table sugar so I assumed they must be using the fining agent to drop the yeast.

 

[Grasslands]

Over two months since pitching my Fleischman packets and the raisins are still hovering at the top of my meads. A few have succombed to gravity, but the majority in both batches are still lingering around. I have no need to use either vessel, so I'm just going to let em sit for as long as they need to.

Would cold crashing help expedite the process? I'm anxious to taste these bad boys.

 

[sharpstick]

what do you mean, "Fleischman packets"? you're supposed to open them and pour the yeast in.
the fruit will never all sink to the bottom. some will always remain at the top. clarity in the middle is the important thing to look for. two months may be a bit soon. i've always waited at least 4 to 6.
it may look clear, but you may still end up with sediment in the bottles and they will have to be carefully decanted to drink or rebottle.

 

[Grasslands]

what do you mean, "Fleischman packets"? you're supposed to open them and pour the yeast in.
the fruit will never all sink to the bottom. some will always remain at the top. clarity in the middle is the important thing to look for. two months may be a bit soon. i've always waited at least 4 to 6.
it may look clear, but you may still end up with sediment in the bottles and they will have to be carefully decanted to drink or rebottle.

I'd like to think that homebrewers at least give each other the benefit of the doubt - you don't think I actually just dropped the entire Flesichman packaging into the mead, do you?

Regardless, it's been about 2 1/2 months since I pitched. Somewhat clear in the middle, but nothing to make me confident in a clarity just yet.

 

[sharpstick]

I'd like to think that homebrewers at least give each other the benefit of the doubt - you don't think I actually just dropped the entire Flesichman packaging into the mead, do you?

I don't know what you meant. That's why I asked.
How many yeast packets did you use? Usually one is plenty for up to five gallons.
Hang in there a while yet if you can be patient. That's easier after you get a few batches made and aren't in a rush to try it. Joe's meads are good in months, but they get even better after some aging. I have some 3 or 4 years old now and they keep getting better.

 

[Rahahb]

I'd like to think that homebrewers at least give each other the benefit of the doubt - you don't think I actually just dropped the entire Flesichman packaging into the mead, do you?

This made me laugh.

 

[Grasslands]

I don't know what you meant. That's why I asked.
How many yeast packets did you use? Usually one is plenty for up to five gallons.
Hang in there a while yet if you can be patient. That's easier after you get a few batches made and aren't in a rush to try it. Joe's meads are good in months, but they get even better after some aging. I have some 3 or 4 years old now and they keep getting better.

No problem...

Publix had a set of three packets attached to one another. I used one for my JOAM w/agave nectar (1g) and 2 for the JOAM w/honey (3g). I figured 2 wouldn't hurt and/or cause off flavors. My thought is to give them a while after bottling and try only 2 against each other...then have my wife hide them somewhere.

 

[sharpstick]

You haven't said how big your batches are. More than one probably won't hurt.
I do suggest prehydrating in warm water first, though.

 

[Grasslands]

Sorry...1g and 3g means 1 gallon and 3 gallons respectively.

 

[DeadNutsBrewing]

This sounds like a great first batch of mead to make! Im gonna make this tonight.

 

[blynes]

Started my 1st ever batch of mead in an old 1.5gallon Mr. Beer last night. I have a few questions/concerns. After combining all the ingredients and shaking the mixture, everything looked ok. A few minutes later, all the honey separated out and I have an inch of honey on the bottom of the fermenter. Is this bad? Also, since I used a 1.5 gallon Mr. Beer for this one gallon recipe, is the extra room in the fermenter bad?

 

[jbrookeiv]

Well, my JAOM is ready to bottle. It's been in primary for a little over two months, and it's already is beginning to taste good.

My JAOM started at 1.080 and finished around 0.990, making it right around 12-13%. It's dry, almost like a white wine. I did make a few changes, using Safale S33 instead of bread yeast, and peeling and zesting a few blood oranges, adding the fruit and zest without the rind. I'm glad I went with a lower alcohol, as I think it will be ready to drink faster. I'm debating whether or not I want to try and carbonate it, we'll see.

 

[commonsenseman]

Bottled my batch last night. I have to say, it was completely undrinkable. Way too sweet & way too bitter at the same time. It'll be sitting in the basement for at least a few months before I try it again. I'm not giving up on this recipe yet, but it may be a while before I try it again.

 

[funkapottomous]

The batch I made last year for christmas went over well enough. I think I might have ruined it with all the cloves though. Other people seemed to like it, but I wasn't a fan. I'll have to actually make it without tweaking the recipe. :/

 

[suicidal]

I made a batch of this earlier today. I scaled it up to 3 gal. I have some separation in the water, and honey, but from what i have read that is not too big of a deal. 30 minutes after i pitched the yeast, there is airlock activity...now i guess i just have to watch it to make sure the airlock doesn't blow. LOL.

 

[Kokopuff829]

I have never ventured to the Mead Forum before but when I did and saw how easy this was I just had to give it a try. Thanks to Joe and Yoop!

All the ingredients

Less than 10 minutes later

How did you make that bottle fermenter it looms sweet. Did you just cut a hole and put airlock in??? It looks awesome I want one

 

[jbrookeiv]

Well, I just made my own version of JAOM, can't wait for it to finish. This is my first mead, and I'm pretty excited. Here's what I did.

I had 12 lbs of honey that a co-worker gave me. It was in a gallon plastic milk jug, and just said "Honey" on the outside, so no clue what kind it is. I'm guessing maybe Orange Blossom, since the honey was from his father's farm, and we're in Florida? Who knows...

Anyway, I dissolved the honey in to enough water to bring the total volume to 5.5 gallons. I wanted a lower alcohol mead, and am hoping it might be drinkable a little quicker because of it. The OG turned out to be 1.080. If it finishes around 1.020, it should end up at ~7.5% ABV.

I used blood oranges instead of regular oranges, mainly because they're in season and I've been wanting to brew something using blood oranges. Hopefully they will add a cool pinkish color to the mead.

I peeled, zested, and split up the blood oranges, and used 4 total. I didn't want to get that pithy taste that has been described in this thread in my mead. I added 3 handfuls of raisins, 2 cinnamon sticks, 2 whole cloves, a dash of allspice, a dash of nutmeg, and mixed it all together. I aerated for a few minutes by shaking my Ale Pail, and pitched my yeast.

I decided to use Safale S-33, since I had it sitting in my fridge. Malkore described using this yeast on a few meads with success, so I figured I'd use it since I already had it. I'm still planning on leaving it in primary for two months, and then bottling. I'm also planning on carbonating the mead, and really hope it will be ready over the summer. It should turn out to be a great, light summer beverage, great for drinking on the beach.

I'll keep you guys posted!

Well, I bottled this on Monday. It fermented down to 0.993 with the S-33. It already tastes good after a little over 2 months, I can't wait to see how it progresses. Very dry, but not particularly "hot", even though it ended up around 13%. It tastes like a nice white wine with some honey character.