Joe's Ancient Orange Mead

[MidTNJasonF]

Just took another medal with JAOM in competition, a third this time. It was the very last of my last batch. really need to make some more of this.

 

[st1nky]

Hello, im a little new to this, would like to make a 5 gal batch of JAOM but was wondering if i needed to use 5 packets of yeast as well or would just 2-3 do? i read somewhere that since the yeast would multiple that you didnt have to do a 1 to 1 modification of the recipe when it came to the yeast.
any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

thanks

 

[CreamyGoodness]

believe it or not, stinky, you still only need 1 packet.

 

[st1nky]

thanks for the info, C.G. .. time to make some mead

 

[Thomas007]

Okay, my question might have been covered before in this monster thread, but I don't know the right search terms. I started a batch of JAOM in November, everything went fine. A few weeks ago, the fruit even dropped. It was clear, so I was all ready to bottle it, but I didn't have an autosiphon so I waited.

Before I had a chance to get to the LHBS we had some warmer weather (not warm, but it had been below 20F). Now, the fruit is floating again (!).
What do I do? Is it still okay to bottle, or is the fruit going to drop again permanently (it's been over 4 months)?

 

[CreamyGoodness]

I'm sure its ok to bottle. I would give it the smell test. If it smells like oranges or has very little aroma, you are good. If it smells like rotten eggs, amonia, horrors... something went awry. My money is on it being a-ok.

 

[casesensative]

Well i tried this recipe today and everything went smoothly except for one stupid mistake when I wasn't paying attention.

I had re-hydrated the tsp. of bread yeast (despite the recipe, cause it couldn't hurt) and had it sitting there while my wort was cooling for a bit. The wort had gotten down to about 110F and I thought, what the hell I'll go ahead and get the wort all set up in the fermenter. Tossed it in with the fruit and cinnamon and everything and then without thinking went ahead and tossed in my yeast.

Stupid.

So I waited for about an hour to see if I'd killed it and nothing was happening. I looked at the bottom and it looked like all the yeast had settled at the bottom so I figured I had immediately killed it pretty much. I gave it another hour for kicks to see if anything was gonna happen and still nothing.

At that point I went ahead and just pitched a dry teaspoon of yeast figuring that it couldn't really hurt anyways and in under an hour I was getting bubbles off of it.

So here's my question. I know you aren't supposed to rack to a secondary with this recipe, but since I killed my initial yeast (or atleast most of it), after a week or so won't it begin to break down and start to affect the flavor a lot? (autolysis)

Should I rack to a secondary to avoid this or will it still probably be ok?

Also, this has really nothing to do with the question, but just thought I would add that I altered the recipe a touch and added 2.8 lbs clover honey and half a can of white grape concentrate. Could be interesting. Measured OG was 1.101

I'm a beer brewer, and this is a first mead attempt.

 

[MidTNJasonF]

First off why was the honey at 110 degrees to start with? You are supposed to dissolve the honey in some warm water not boil it. Then you are supposed to add cool top off water. That should have brought things down to barely above room temp.

I would not rack it or touch it until it is done as the instructions said. That small amount of yeast is not going to hurt a thing, autolysis is over hyped. It can sit on the lees and such for an extended period of time with no ill effects. I think mine sat untouched for about a year before I transferred it out of the original carboy.

 

[casesensative]

Well i had brought the water to a boil originally to drive off chlorine as our water around here is like a friggin swimming pool...then once the heat had gone down some and it was just 'warm' i added in the honey to help it dissolve a little better.

I will leave it be then, thanks for the input. Cheers.

 

[sielm]

I don't really know anything about autolysis, but I also had several 5 liter mead batches going for more than 1 year (on primary) and then bottled them with great results. Maybe mead is more tolerant to these conditions than beer. I had no strange flavours and every batch became crystal clear.

casesensative: maybe the initial yeast was not completely dead, and if you waited without adding more yeast it might start bubbling. But anyway, I think that if the initial yeast really died then it will make great yeast nutrient for the living yeast. AFAIK the nutrient is largely composed of yeast hulls (or was it the energizer? I can't remember )

Best regards!

 

[CreamyGoodness]

I changed my signature just for this thread.

 

[Goofynewfie]

creamy you just ruined all my hopes and dreams

 

[liquiditynerd]

just about outta money - perfect bottling day!

 

[Thomas007]

Okay, I didn't get a chance to bottle the mead yet (did some cider instead). But I did try a bit, extracted from the jug with a turkey baster.
It was not all that great. Not awful, but not very good. Now, I don't know what mead is supposed to taste like, so it might just be that I don't like mead. It was fairly sweet - I was expecting this, but I don't really like sweet wines (with a few exceptions, but this was not one of them). It also had a weird yeasty aftertaste (I guess from the bread yeast?). And, there were bits floating in it (I guess this was to be expected, with the fruit not having dropped, but I'd rather not have this in the finished product).

On the other hand, it was quite mellow, without too much alcohol flavor. I guess that's something.

I don't regret trying this, but I don't think I will do it again.

(I started a cyser a few weeks ago, because I had most of a gallon of cloudy apple juice, and a Montrachet yeast cake left from a previous cider. I hope that one goes completely dry and tastes better than this, but now I don't have much hope.)

 

[HowlerMonkey]

Thomas007, certainly everyone will have different tastes, and you may find that you just don't like mead. I'm not an expert, but from what I've been reading on the forums (the two sticky posts in the mead forum are quite good https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f30/ ), young JAOM may be a pretty poor choice for judging all meads by.

What I've learned recently is that pretty much all meads improve with aging, and I mean aging in terms of a year or more, not a just a couple of months. Also, expert mazers say (in the second sticky post in the mead forum but also this thread is very interesting: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f30/its-time-dispell-myths-through-testing-379019/ ) that you can significantly improve the starting nose and taste of a mead after fermentation if you create a very favorable environment for your yeast (degas often in primary to remove CO2, oxygenate, maintain a good temperature, staggered nutrient addition, pH balance, and so on).

All of those fiddly activities are antithetical to the JAOM recipe. The whole point is that it is brain-dead simple, but the price we pay for that simplicity is mead that doesn't taste as good as possible when young, and might require some aging. Some people only enjoyed their JAOM after a year or more.

I would suggest trying mead from a retail store or pub, if you can find some, to get an idea of what a traditional mead is supposed to taste like. I found a bottle of Chaucer's mead for $13 at a local liquor store, and even though I've seen people on this forums trash that brand, I enjoyed it. It wasn't the tastiest beverage I've ever had, but I would drink more of a mead like that, and I hope to make better. (I happen to prefer my white wines sweet, so that may help me.) I can also get mead at a local pub. None of the mead I can get locally is very adventurous though, so I'm looking forward to tasting the mead I'm working on (blueberry is my first, but I have some JAOM going too).

Hopefully your JAOM improves, but even if it doesn't, you haven't invested much time, money or effort into it, and that is probably the best thing about this recipe.

Cheers!

 

[Trenchfoot]

I am thinking of making JAOM for the first time, but one thing puzzles me - how do you get the orange and all the other crap out of carboy afterwards?! Is it easier than I think?

 

[Oak_Brook_Brewing_Company]

I had the same question a week or two ago. I asked it here in the forum. Lots of suggestions about hooks and fish hook removers, but I found shaking the jug upside help remove two pieces of orange and the I was able to reach my short fingers in and get the rest out without problem. A quick rinse and the bottle was cleaned out! No fear.

 

[cwdrake]

A pair of needle nose pliers works really well.

 

[PastorofMuppets]

Hello All,
60 days ago I made up a batch of mead exactly as described on the first page of this thread.
I have a few questions.

1. The flavor is not at all what I expected. Its hard to describe, but not good seems to fit. Its dry but with a weird sort after taste flavor. Will this improve with age? Can it be back sweetened and if so how? If this is what mead is supposed to be like then, I wont be making more.

2. How do I bottle this without disturbing the settlement layer. Its clear and seems ready to bottle but it is dang tough to not bring up the dregs.

3. Can I bottle this in clear bottles without much risk? I have empty 8 oz coke bottles that I want to use.

 

[Goofynewfie]

Judging by the pic it is not done clearing. Give it some more time , it will clear and the taste does improve with age

 

[PastorofMuppets]

Judging by the pic it is not done clearing. Give it some more time , it will clear and the taste does improve with age

Well I just picked up the jug to take the pic. It swirled up some junk from the bottom. Its really clear when its fully settled. Knowing that do you still think it needs to clear?

Can I just leave it another few months in the 1 gal bottle and hope it improves?

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Well I just picked up the jug to take the pic. It swirled up some junk from the bottom. Its really clear when its fully settled. Knowing that do you still think it needs to clear?

Can I just leave it another few months in the 1 gal bottle and hope it improves?

You stirred the junk up so it needs a little time. Thats if you want it to be at its best. If you cant wait... go ahead and hit that right now. It'll be delicious on 7... not on 10.

 

[PastorofMuppets]

That post was hard to interpret. You mean it will be great in another 5 months but sucky in 8?

 

[CreamyGoodness]

I mean give it 3-4 weeks and it will be lovely... or dont and it will be pretty ok too

 

[bottlebomber]

Yes James, what exactly did you mean?

 

[BigKahuna]

- how do you get the orange and all the other crap out of carboy afterwards?! Is it easier than I think?

Hmmm! We call this a #FirstWorldProblem!


Rdwhahb! You'll get it!

 

[Oak_Brook_Brewing_Company]

Nice jugs! Where does one find jugs like that? I looked all over for some gallon glass jugs but I had to buy them empty.

 

[PastorofMuppets]

Nice jugs! Where does one find jugs like that? I looked all over for some gallon glass jugs but I had to buy them empty.

I have them for carlo rossi wine cheap
same price filled with wine as empty.

 

[Oak_Brook_Brewing_Company]

I gotta find that! Love the name by the way. Are you going to Orion in Michigan this year to see Metallica? Saw them in Atlantic city last year. Awesome experience

 

[timcadieux]

Nice jugs! Where does one find jugs like that? I looked all over for some gallon glass jugs but I had to buy them empty.

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