Joe's Ancient Orange Mead

[TrustyOlJohnson]

couple of noob questions.i plan on doing 2 versions of this using bread yeast and wine yeast just to compare them.when adding the wine yeast do i still only add 1 tsp of yeast just like with the bread yeast or should i use the whole packet

also,when transferring into secondary,should i strain off the fruit so its just the liquor in it

I did the same thing, and made a 3rd batch with champagne yeast. And I missed the part about 1 tsp of yeast per batch. I used the whole package So about 3x more than the recipe. After 3 months, all have clarified nicely and the fruit is dropping. Smells amazing but I havnt tasted it yet. But Im not worried.


"Sometimes Im right half of the time ...."

 

[madwilliamflint]

Tried this in fall 2012 and mostly forgot about it (a first effort, sitting in a closet.)

It sure surprised me, though it could have used a bit more diligence.

I've got a 5-gal going with this now.

 

[TrustyOlJohnson]

Tried this in fall 2012 and mostly forgot about it (a first effort, sitting in a closet.)

It sure surprised me, though it could have used a bit more diligence.

I've got a 5-gal going with this now.

What was it like? What could you improve on?


"Sometimes Im right half of the time ...."

 

[hunter_le five]

My last bottle of JAOM, sad day. This one is a bit over 9 months old.

I guess I'll have to make more now.


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[TrustyOlJohnson]

View attachment 205804

My last bottle of JAOM, sad day. This one is a bit over 9 months old.

I guess I'll have to make more now.


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Jus wondering... What size bottles di you use an what did you prefer? Im considering using 750 ml wine bottles for all


"Sometimes Im right half of the time ...."

 

[hunter_le five]

I just used 12oz beer bottles. I generally only want that much at a time.


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[TrustyOlJohnson]

Does mead require colored glass bottles? Or is clear ok?


"Sometimes Im right half of the time ...."

 

[hunter_le five]

No. Clear is fine.


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[brewski09]

I used 12oz and liked that too. It's not too much and you can just bring out 2 bottles if you feel you need more of it.


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[fuzzy2133]

I have been using 8.5oz and 17oz bottles from the container store. No other place could beat the price, sadly the local shop is gone since the mall is getting remodeled. Hope they return.

 

[madwilliamflint]

What was it like? What could you improve on?


"Sometimes Im right half of the time ...."

I hate to say it, but I don't know enough to know what I could have improved. It was my first serious attempt.

It had no carbonation, which I don't mind. the orange flavor was far more subtle than I expected, and the spices came out nicely, but weren't dominating.

I poured a couple room-temperature ounces to a few people at the table where we were trying things and everyone stopped, put it down and nodded with various vocalizations of "yeah...this...yeah." So I immediately resolved to make the big batch, which looks like it's about to need racking.

As for complaints: It tasted a little yeasty. But I expect the fact that I let it go for the better part of a year with no filtering of any kind to be the likely culprit.

 

[scottdmichael]

how much bluberries did you use per gallon of water?

 

[Goolsbymd]

Been going for about 5 hours or so now. Had to install blowoff valve. If this turns out well I'll be making a 5 gal batch (maybe another flavor) and bottling 22 bottles to enjoy one a year till new born is 21.

 

[Cheesy_Goodness]

I'm looking to start my 4th batch of this stuff sometime soon. We just moved into a new house and have a garage now, which gets pretty toasty during the day. Normally I wouldn't even consider it, but since this is bread yeast, would it do well in high heat (probably upwards of 90F most days)? Otherwise it'll be in the house (roughly 75F).
Leaning towards sticking with what I know and keep it in the house.
Thoughts?

 

[TheDarkChemist]

Just Made my first 5 gallon batch.

OG: 1.1
FG: .995

ABV: 13.78

Not sweet oops.... I thought the fleischmanns would kick the bucket at 10-11% but apparently it kept chugging away (5-6 weeks before it stopped bubbling)

It dropped and is very clear... wondering if it is worth tossing in some more honey , or will my mutant yeast keep going

 

[jak1010]

I'm looking to start my 4th batch of this stuff sometime soon. We just moved into a new house and have a garage now, which gets pretty toasty during the day. Normally I wouldn't even consider it, but since this is bread yeast, would it do well in high heat (probably upwards of 90F most days)? Otherwise it'll be in the house (roughly 75F).
Leaning towards sticking with what I know and keep it in the house.
Thoughts?

I'd stay away from high temps. Even with bread yeast. The house at 75 is much better.

 

[jak1010]

Just Made my first 5 gallon batch.

OG: 1.1
FG: .995

ABV: 13.78

Not sweet oops.... I thought the fleischmanns would kick the bucket at 10-11% but apparently it kept chugging away (5-6 weeks before it stopped bubbling)

It dropped and is very clear... wondering if it is worth tossing in some more honey , or will my mutant yeast keep going

Don't underestimate the Fleischmann yeast! This stuff can handle 12% with ease. If you're already at 13%, I'd stabilize before adding more honey.

 

[TheDarkChemist]

Is there any input on leaving this batch dry, and aging for a year? I don't mind the wait, and since I now have a dry one, I can use it for comparison down the road?

I think I messed up with too much water probably, since I had a 6 gallon carboy and topped it up.

Ive read some bad things about turning JAOM dry, but I think its mostly in comparison to how fast it is drinkable at a young age? or I could rack to secondary, and consider blending it if I get a 5 gallon JAOM that is too sweet?

Thanks for the reply!

 

[brewski09]

Anyone use a wine yeast on this? Good, bad, other? Strains to stay away from? I did it with Nottingham once but am curious about other strains like a white wine or fruit wine strain. We shall see.


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[jak1010]

Anyone use a wine yeast on this? Good, bad, other? Strains to stay away from? I did it with Nottingham once but am curious about other strains like a white wine or fruit wine strain. We shall see.


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Yep, if you follow the recipe and use a wine yeast, you get a dry wine that takes forever to get rid of the bitter taste of the pith and rind. If using a wine yeast, I'd go with Malkore's Ancient Orange Mead. Much better.

 

[brewski09]

Yep, if you follow the recipe and use a wine yeast, you get a dry wine that takes forever to get rid of the bitter taste of the pith and rind. If using a wine yeast, I'd go with Malkore's Ancient Orange Mead. Much better.

I was planning on stabilizing and back sweetening to make a semi dry or even use the stove top pasteurizing method and shoot for 1.5 volumes co2 which is nice in the JAOM recipe.

 

[jak1010]

I was planning on stabilizing and back sweetening to make a semi dry or even use the stove top pasteurizing method and shoot for 1.5 volumes co2 which is nice in the JAOM recipe.

That works!

 

[tg123]

My last batch came out super sweet

 

[brue]

Do the spices calm down after a while? I just bottled a gallon that I started in January. It tastes like a sweet Christmas candle.

 

[tellyho]

Spices always calm down after a while. How long did you let it sit before bottling?


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[brue]

Roughly 6 months.

 

[tellyho]

Oh right, I could have read your post more carefully and seen. Spices should mellow with time, so it may just be something you warehouse in the basement for a couple years. I once made an apricot ginger strong ale for my father that was not super tasty for a year and a half. Unfortunately, there were only two bottles left at that time.


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[2drunk2]

I started a batch last night. I feel like a prisoner making toilet wine lol.

 

[2drunk2]

Well, it smells good and is bubbling like crazy. Now...we wait.

 

[rlmiller10]

And wait and wait and wait