Joe's Ancient Orange Mead

[sloanfamilydsm]

I don't see why not, but the cranberries would probably be more of a substitute for the raisins, rather than the oranges. They provide nutrients for the yeast, and some mouthfeel.

I think you should try it with cranberries and report back

Thanks for the feedback.
I went ahead n subbed 1 package of dried cranberries for both the orange n raisins.
Time will tell if its worth trying again. I will post the results.

 

[Agate]

Cranberries are on my list of things to try, but I'd like to keep the orange zest in there. Cranberries and orange are fantastic together! Interested in knowing how this one works for you...

 

[hausbrauer]

Hi all, I was pointed to this recipe by someone else on the internet and plan to start brewing it today after a lot of thought.

Here is my expected plan... I have a container that takes about 2 gallons, so I'm going to go with doubling the recipe.

1. Boiled water to make 2 gallons
2. Zest and juice of two oranges
3. One stick of cinnamon (about 2-3 inches)
4. 2 KG honey
5. 2 packets of bread yeast, along with half a packet of ale yeast US-05 (tell me if this is a bad idea)

I plan to boil the water, cool it down to about 150F and add the honey, then pitch the rehydrated yeast. Would it be bad to have two different strains of yeast in the must? Would they fight each other somehow? I'd like to add a bit of the ale yeast so the end product is not quite as sweet and so the fermentation goes quicker. US-05 alcohol tolerance is about 12%.

 

[brewski09]

Hi all, I was pointed to this recipe by someone else on the internet and plan to start brewing it today after a lot of thought.

Here is my expected plan... I have a container that takes about 2 gallons, so I'm going to go with doubling the recipe.

1. Boiled water to make 2 gallons
2. Zest and juice of two oranges
3. One stick of cinnamon (about 2-3 inches)
4. 2 KG honey
5. 2 packets of bread yeast, along with half a packet of ale yeast US-05 (tell me if this is a bad idea)

I plan to boil the water, cool it down to about 150F and add the honey, then pitch the rehydrated yeast. Would it be bad to have two different strains of yeast in the must? Would they fight each other somehow? I'd like to add a bit of the ale yeast so the end product is not quite as sweet and so the fermentation goes quicker. US-05 alcohol tolerance is about 12%.

Make sure the pulp is in the orange juice. You may want more cinnamon than that. Bread yeast and standard ale yeasts are really no different, Saccharomyces cerevisiae selected for different attributes. Either sub it out our use it. I know the us-05 is a great yeast, but temp control can be an issue, so be careful on that point. If I were going to sub a yeast, I would use the K1-1116 wine yeast. It actually finished quite quickly and accentuated the fruits in the peach and blueberry meads I did well. The reason you bulk age this and other meads is not really fermentation time as much as its about drinkability. On blending yeasts, you most certainly can do that. It's done in beer all the time and some yeasts are sold in prepackaged blends. One last note. 150 is to hot for the yeast, bread yeast is commonly proofed between about 90-105 and beer yeast is happiest just below 70F.

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[hausbrauer]

Thanks for the tips. I'm going to just go with the bread yeast this time and see how it comes out, since I'd have to order the other yeast (or a sweet mead yeast) and not only can't I find it at the usual online home-brew stores here in Germany, I'd also like to brew today.

Do people generally put the cinnamon in the must for the whole duration of fermentation?

 

[Cheesy_Goodness]

You'll be happy with the bread yeast, but you really don't even need two packets. If I recall, each packet has about 2.5 teaspoons in it, so if you're doubling a recipe you should be find with one packet. There's nothing wrong with two packets though.

People usually keep the stick in there the whole time. The end result (for me at least) was fairly subtle.

Hope that helps

 

[brewski09]

You'll be happy with the bread yeast, but you really don't even need two packets. If I recall, each packet has about 2.5 teaspoons in it, so if you're doubling a recipe you should be find with one packet. There's nothing wrong with two packets though.

People usually keep the stick in there the whole time. The end result (for me at least) was fairly subtle.

Hope that helps

Yes, 2.5 teaspoons. Alternatively 7 grams. The us-05 is 11.5 grams and is good for 5 gallons.

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[revjester]

Hi all, I was pointed to this recipe by someone else on the internet and plan to start brewing it today after a lot of thought.

Here is my expected plan... I have a container that takes about 2 gallons, so I'm going to go with doubling the recipe.

1. Boiled water to make 2 gallons
2. Zest and juice of two oranges
3. One stick of cinnamon (about 2-3 inches)
4. 2 KG honey
5. 2 packets of bread yeast, along with half a packet of ale yeast US-05 (tell me if this is a bad idea)

I plan to boil the water, cool it down to about 150F and add the honey, then pitch the rehydrated yeast. Would it be bad to have two different strains of yeast in the must? Would they fight each other somehow? I'd like to add a bit of the ale yeast so the end product is not quite as sweet and so the fermentation goes quicker. US-05 alcohol tolerance is about 12%.

Set your container of honey in a sink and fill it with hot water. Let it soak and it will pour a lot easier. Let the water you boil cool down closer to room temp before pitching the yeast and really it's better to keep the honey under 110 F too.
You are making 2 gallons but only using 2 Kg of honey? Recipe should be just over 3 Kg, but it will still ferment, just won't be as sweet.
2 packets of bread yeast, yep bad idea. One packet will do a 5 gallon batch. You see yeast starts off by eating up all the sugar and using up all the oxygen and making more yeast. When it runs out of oxygen it starts making alcohol. So don't worry a half teaspoon is enough. But if you already pitched it, don't worry either yeast is cheep, you didn't waste much money.
One thing I don't see on your list is nutrients for the yeast (raisins)

 

[Misti]

but if you use the sweet mead yeast does it eat it as fast so its ready in 2 months still?

 

[revjester]

but if you use the sweet mead yeast does it eat it as fast so its ready in 2 months still?

You should be done fermenting before the two months and still have to wait for it to clear.
Two months is more of a guideline. Several things will affect how long it takes to ferment. The temperature, the type of flower the bees gathered the honey from, type of yeast, etc. Remember you are waiting for it to clear and the bubbles to stop, not just timing it with a calendar. Some people have used sweet mead yeast with success and none of them complained about it taking longer.

 

[hausbrauer]

Thanks for the tips all, I miscalculated a bit and ended up with more must than I planned, so I split the batch up into two "carboys". Each of them contains about 5.5L and I have, in total, 2.5KG honey in there.

I admit that I made a couple of mistakes, mostly related to temperature - I had boiled the water beforehand but it didn't cool down enough, even with the addition of the honey and OJ, and I had proofed the yeast with a bit of the must and it was going crazy, so I decided to pitch it and keep it outside for the time being.

Anyway, that's all over and I am going to buy a thermometer today and a hydrometer soon, here comes my question - there's only a thin layer of bubbles/krausen on top, maybe 1/8" (1cm). Is this normal? Should I expect more krausen? Keep in mind that the surface area of the water is pretty large since I have big jugs I'm fermenting in.

Another question - I had seen multiple times that the raisins were optional and/or not needed. Are they yeast nutrients after all? I have some yeast nutrients coming in next week, can I add them in then?

 

[Cheesy_Goodness]

Two months is more of a guideline. Several things will affect how long it takes to ferment. The temperature, the type of flower the bees gathered the honey from, type of yeast, etc. Remember you are waiting for it to clear and the bubbles to stop, not just timing it with a calendar. .

+1
Hard lesson for new brewers to learn, but the wine/mead/cider/beer doesn't care at all what the calendar says. This is the exact reason why I suspect my first two wines were almost undrinkable.

Thanks for the tips all, I miscalculated a bit and ended up with more must than I planned, so I split the batch up into two "carboys". Each of them contains about 5.5L and I have, in total, 2.5KG honey in there.

I admit that I made a couple of mistakes, mostly related to temperature - I had boiled the water beforehand but it didn't cool down enough, even with the addition of the honey and OJ, and I had proofed the yeast with a bit of the must and it was going crazy, so I decided to pitch it and keep it outside for the time being.

Anyway, that's all over and I am going to buy a thermometer today and a hydrometer soon, here comes my question - there's only a thin layer of bubbles/krausen on top, maybe 1/8" (1cm). Is this normal? Should I expect more krausen? Keep in mind that the surface area of the water is pretty large since I have big jugs I'm fermenting in.

Another question - I had seen multiple times that the raisins were optional and/or not needed. Are they yeast nutrients after all? I have some yeast nutrients coming in next week, can I add them in then?

Your process sounds pretty good. My only concern is adding the yeast when the water was still pretty hot, but if you've got some activity it's probably OK. Bread yeast can take more heat than ale yeast.

I wouldn't worry about there being minimal activity either. There are a lot of people who posted here that have an insane amount of foaming/airlock activity after only a few hours, but I've never been so lucky either. And I've still gotten great mead

Someone else can probably answer better but I think you should be able to add your nutrient when it comes in, since it won't be anywhere near done in a week.
My understanding was raisins helped to add body more than anything else, but if you're going for a thinner (?) drink you'll probably be fine.

 

[Jupapabear]

Ok, someone tell me I'm lazy for not scrolling through 100+ pages for this, I know. But I'm planning on making a 5gallon batch of this and was wondering on scaling issues for the clove and cinnamon sticks. Any advice wwould be appreciated.

And has anyone dry hopped this recipe?


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[RhodySeth]

Ok, someone tell me I'm lazy for not scrolling through 100+ pages for this, I know. But I'm planning on making a 5gallon batch of this and was wondering on scaling issues for the clove and cinnamon sticks. Any advice wwould be appreciated.

From what I remember reading, people recommend maybe 2 cloves and 2 cinnamon sticks for a 5 gallon batch. But you don't want to multiply these ingredients by five just because it's 5 gallons - they'll be way too potent.

 

[Jupapabear]

Thanks. I assume the honey and raisins sound be proportionate.

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[Jupapabear]

Bulk aging or bottle aging?

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[hausbrauer]

One more question - it's been a few days, and I've been reading about some people aerating their must regularly, at least in the beginning stages. What's the verdict on that? How do you prevent infections when you aerate the wort and expose it to the outside air? And should I only aerate if I am adding yeast nutrients?

 

[revjester]

JAOM, leave it alone because this mead is about how simple and easy it is to make and how the important thing is to ignore it and leave it alone. You prevent infections by sterilizing anything you will be stirring with. You should not be adding yeast nutrients to JAOM.
Ya, people do aerate but more to get the CO2 out than to put the oxygen in. The verdict is that CO2 is bad for both us and yeast and it is better to remove it during the fermenting. If you were making some other mead you could aerate several times a day and make sure to before adding the nutrients, if you are doing a staggered nutrient addition.

 

[hausbrauer]

Well, I opened up my fermenters today and saw that there was absolutely no krausen on the surface. What I had thought was krausen was just bits of orange (i feel so foolish).

Now, I did put my ear to it and heard some carbonation-type noise, like bubbles escaping, so the yeast may still be working. Luckily, it isn't infected in any case. I won't have my hydrometer until next week so I can't take SG readings until then.

My question - should I re-pitch, either with US-05 or bread yeast, to be on the safe side?

 

[jak1010]

From reading the posts, you're only a few days in right? I'd let it ride and watch the airlock. If you have activity and then wait till it clears, you'll be fine.

 

[jonmohno]

I thought raisons were like nutrient giving nitrogen for the yeast. Also you just need to aerate in the beginning. the bread yeast-as long as its fairly fresh will take care of the job the rest of the way. And the raisons are suppose to help supply the yeasts nutrients from what I know.

 

[brewski09]

Bread yeast=Saccharomyces cerevisiae, beer yeast=Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Basically different strains selected for different characteristics like an American ale yeast strain and a British ale yeast strain are selected. They have the ability to do the job of the other, they just aren't as good at it as the other.

Personally, I would aerate and add more nutrients. Also you can use any ale strain you want to if it floats your boat.

 

[hausbrauer]

Ok, I'm going to pitch more baking yeast instead of the US-05, and add crushed raisins. If that doesn't get it going, nothing will.

 

[scottdmichael]

I started 2 batches this past friday, one orange and one blackberry. the blackberry is going full blast and the the orange is picking up steam. i can't wait.

 

[achnaw]

Now, if you want to just let it ride and wait for the fruit to fall, you're certainly within your rights to do so.

Just checked again, and the orange slices have fallen. Just a few raisins still floating (and a lot of yeast rubbish around the top -- stuck to the glass I think).

So that probably happened sometime in the last week or so, so 3 months or thereabouts for mine to fall.

I will keep waiting for the final raisins.

 

[zhubbell]

Picked up a new 1 gallon fermenter yesterday, getting ready to try this one as my intro to meads!

Is kirklands Pure Honey from Costco ok Or will I be disappointed by this shortcut vs the orange blossom honey?

 

[sbrann]

I used Walmart Honey and was not disappointed in the least bit. Just follow the instructions to the letter; and you will be thrilled with the results.

doing a second batch this weekend, with Raspberries and other spices

 

[zhubbell]

Awesome! Costco has 5# containers of honey for $13.77, can't beat that. Also - one last question - in the instructions, when you combine the honey with "warm water" - like warm water from the faucet, or boiling water or what? I know, I know, this is a recipe that probably shouldn't be over thought, but I can't help myself from asking...

 

[Misti]

ok great, thank you!

 

[Cheesy_Goodness]

Awesome! Costco has 5# containers of honey for $13.77, can't beat that. Also - one last question - in the instructions, when you combine the honey with "warm water" - like warm water from the faucet, or boiling water or what? I know, I know, this is a recipe that probably shouldn't be over thought, but I can't help myself from asking...

Just warm enough to incorporate the honey. If you added cold water there would be a huge honey cake at the bottom of the fermenter (it'll work well enough that way though). You could probably use boiling water, but make sure to hold off on adding the other ingredients (especially the yeast) until it cools down a bit.