Joe's Ancient Orange Mead

[sablesurfer]

Just picked up some 5l glass jugs with bung and airlocks. Would like to try this soon. I tried to skim thru and see if there were any other suggestions for a substitute for the bread yeast. Is that what most of you are doing? Are there any other readily available dry yeasts that would help make this a little less sweet? I'm not sure I want to make a trip back to the brew store for $7 Wyeast/White Labs.

Next, I want to know where you got 5l glass bottles?!?!?

 

[heckofagator]

Less sweet? There is this and there is full blown 3yr with back sweetening mead. I love this. It isn't "sweet" as in honey at all. It is very nice. Try it at least once and taste it in about 3-4 months in bottle.

And...NO...there is NO other yeast for a JOAM. Just saying.

Bread yeast it is then...I thought I remembered reading that the bread yeast wasn't perhaps as strong as it needed to be to get the mead a little dryer and less sweet. I'm just paraphrasing and could be totally wrong. I'll try as is for my first time.

Next, I want to know where you got 5l glass bottles?!?!?

They're from a local brew supply store Avid Brewing. I originally came home with the 1g amber jugs, but really wanted that extra space, so I gave up the darker glass. I do like the swing top, though!

 

[Cheesy_Goodness]

This recipe is probably about the only time you'll want to use bread yeast outside of bread. Don't feel like you can't experiment with others, but Joe really got it right with this thing.

 

[Requiemm]

Just bottled my first JAOM. Starting gravity of 1.133, final gravity of 1.030.

Very sweet, but it will mellow a bit with age, right?

 

[sablesurfer]

Just bottled my first JAOM. Starting gravity of 1.133, final gravity of 1.030.

Very sweet, but it will mellow a bit with age, right?

This will be a sweet mead. This is not going to make a sessionable mowing mead. It will be big on alcohol heat and it should have bit/bitterness from the oranges. There is a lot more sugar left in this version compared to a mead with a regularly accepted yeast.

Not sure I would say the sweetness is going to mellow. The flavors will blend better, but I expect my JOAM's to always stay very big on mouth feel and stay as sippers.

 

[brewski09]

Just picked up some 5l glass jugs with bung and airlocks. Would like to try this soon. I tried to skim thru and see if there were any other suggestions for a substitute for the bread yeast. Is that what most of you are doing? Are there any other readily available dry yeasts that would help make this a little less sweet? I'm not sure I want to make a trip back to the brew store for $7 Wyeast/White Labs.

I know it's blasphemy here, but I like Nottingham dry yeast in this. Just keep the ferm temps in the high 60sF.

 

[sablesurfer]

I know it's blasphemy here, but I like Nottingham dry yeast in this. Just keep the ferm temps in the high 60sF.

GASP! <swoon>

 

[organ]

Going on three months(on October 4th...) and still hasn't cleared... still a few raisins floating, no activity in air lock.

 

[fuzzy2133]

What has the temp been? I keep mine in the low 70's and never had an issue with it clearing.

 

[Summers]

Okay I have had my JAMO for about 5 weeks now in the ferm chamber at 66 and I am wonder if I should raise the temp to the low 70's thinking of placing it inside the cabinet inside the house I have been monitoring the temp in the ideal cabinet and its about 72-74. Do you think that its to warm, or should I just let it ride in the ferm chamber for a little longer. Oh and none of the fruit has dropped but the airlock is still active.

 

[brewski09]

It's likely at this point your airlock activity is just CO2 coming out of solution or small amounts of fruit continuing to ferment. Sometimes the fruit never drops. I say move it and get that ferm chamber back in action.

 

[yuval12321]

hanks for the recipe. But shouldn't I bring water to boil and add the yeast and the spices while it is boil so the mead won't get infected?

 

[rlmiller10]

hanks for the recipe. But shouldn't I bring water to boil and add the yeast and the spices while it is boil so the mead won't get infected?

I assume you miss spoke but do not boil yeast, it kills the little buggers and their screams are horrible.

Cloves being dry and having anti-bacterial properties, the chance of infection is very low if just pitched directly.

 

[yuval12321]

I assume you miss spoke but do not boil yeast, it kills the little buggers and their screams are horrible.

Cloves being dry and having anti-bacterial properties, the chance of infection is very low if just pitched directly.

I especially aimed for the orange and raisins when I wrote "spices". (accidently I wrote also yeast)
Orange spoils in 4 days, so won't it spoil the mead if you don't boil it? (I want a secondary fermentation of 4 months, 6 months in total)
and in what temperature should I dissolve the honey so all the aromas will keep?
Oh, and I don't have yeast nutrient, is it important? (I'm going to use some cider/wine yeast I got from the brewing store, they recommended that for mead)

 

[beernbourbon]

Trust the process. Others have done this for many years without issue. I recommend going back to the original post, and do it that way the first time if you want JAOM, which your LHBS may or may not be aware of. Tweak what you want from there, but then it is no longer JAOM, then it's your mead. :rockin:

 

[sablesurfer]

I especially aimed for the orange and raisins when I wrote "spices". (accidently I wrote also yeast)
Orange spoils in 4 days, so won't it spoil the mead if you don't boil it? (I want a secondary fermentation of 4 months, 6 months in total)
and in what temperature should I dissolve the honey so all the aromas will keep?
Oh, and I don't have yeast nutrient, is it important? (I'm going to use some cider/wine yeast I got from the brewing store, they recommended that for mead)

You are not following the recipe. This is not something brand new, it works now just follow it and don't complicate it.

 

[Gavin C]

The oranges won't spoil.

Just follow the recipe and you'll get yourself a mead. This one takes a long time to mellow. Second batch in the bottles this past 9+ months. Going to wait till December to taste one.

 

[yuval12321]

Ok, I'll follow the recipe. I bought all the ingredients, but there are no good oranges in the market, it's not the season yet. I have 2 options - use green orange (it should become more yellow in few days) which is not a tasty one, or use an orange orange that was stored in freezer from last winter, which is usually used for making orange juice, but it's zest doesn't look nice, so I think it would be better to boil it before using. What do you think is better?

 

[Gavin C]

Ok, I'll follow the recipe. I bought all the ingredients, but there are no good oranges in the market, it's not the season yet. I have 2 options - use green orange (it should become more yellow in few days) which is not a tasty one, or use an orange orange that was stored in freezer from last winter, which is usually used for making orange juice, but it's zest doesn't look nice, so I think it would be better to boil it before using. What do you think is better?

No boiling involved in JAOM making. I'd use an orange exactly as the recipe describes.

Never heard of anyone freezing an orange before. They are common as muck in the stores here. Where are you located that you have to freeze your fruits. Must be somewhere interesting.

 

[yuval12321]

No boiling involved in JAOM making. I'd use an orange exactly as the recipe describes.

Never heard of anyone freezing an orange before. They are common as muck in the stores here. Where are you located that you have to freeze your fruits. Must be somewhere interesting.

I'm from Israel, it wasn't me who stored the oranges in freezer, I got it from a orange juice seller in a market, he bought lots of oranges in the end of the last winter and stored it in freezer to keep selling orange juice during the summer. But it looks like the oranges he has were thawed before some days, so I afraid more bacteria populate it, so couldn't it infect the mead? I suppose that usually people use fresh oranges so it doesn't infect it. I still have the option to use a green orange (it should become yellow in few days), it is fresh but isn't tasty, the farmers produce it artificially somehow because it's not the season yet.
I'm a homebrewer of beer, and I would never add orange or any fruit to the fermentation without sanitizing it by boiling. isn't it likewise in mead brewing?

 

[Gavin C]

isn't it likewise in mead brewing?

nope. Mead is assembled rather than brewed. Like wine

boil it needlessly if you want. This (mead making) is a tried and true process been around for millennia. Honey has inbuilt antimicrobial properties that render it almost immune to spoilage.

Why do you you think this recipe has uber 1000's views. Answer it works.

Just had 1/2 gallon of 11 month old JAOM with friends tonight. Delicious.

If you feel the need to over complicate a proven recipe have at it.

Your concerns are groundless.

the recipe is a winner. Follow it. Chop that orange into 1/8ths and shove it in the carboy. Job done. Give it a rinse before you chop it up. (that's in the recipe too)

This is one of the simplest unfeckupable recipes out there. You are seriously overthinking it.

 

[brewski09]

I'm from Israel, it wasn't me who stored the oranges in freezer, I got it from a orange juice seller in a market, he bought lots of oranges in the end of the last winter and stored it in freezer to keep selling orange juice during the summer. But it looks like the oranges he has were thawed before some days, so I afraid more bacteria populate it, so couldn't it infect the mead? I suppose that usually people use fresh oranges so it doesn't infect it. I still have the option to use a green orange (it should become yellow in few days), it is fresh but isn't tasty, the farmers produce it artificially somehow because it's not the season yet.

I'm a homebrewer of beer, and I would never add orange or any fruit to the fermentation without sanitizing it by boiling. isn't it likewise in mead brewing?

Interesting. I'd go the route of the flesh from the frozen one and zesting the green/yellow one as it should still have the essential oils. If it doesn't smell strongly enough of orange when you dig your nail into it then let it get yellow before using it.

As for sanitizing the fruit, I do Camden tablets or star san on my fruits so the cooking doesn't alter the flavors. Forget what I actually did on this one. The alcohol level is high enough that you really only have to delay everything but your yeast unless you've got alcohol tolerant Brett. With that said, I would never throw something in that looks like it could be molding/about to rot.

 

[brewski09]

nope. Mead is assembled rather than brewed. Like wine

boil it needlessly if you want. This (mead making) is a tried and true process been around for millennia. Honey has inbuilt antimicrobial properties that render it almost immune to spoilage.

Why do you you think this recipe has uber 1000's views. Answer it works.

Just had 1/2 gallon of 11 month old JAOM with friends tonight. Delicious.

If you feel the need to over complicate a proven recipe have at it.

Your concerns are groundless.

Okay, so honey does have amazing anti microbial properties. However, they seem to be tied to low pH, high sugar content, and some honey produces hydrogen peroxide through enzymes. When you dilute the honey you lose the benefit of a low pH and high sugar content and I would seriously doubt enough hydrogen peroxide could be produced to be of assistance or we wouldn't drink mead. So yeah, sanitization is still required if you don't want to rely on luck forever.

 

[Gavin C]

sanitize the vessel and airlock of course. never suggested otherwise.

rinse the orange to remove debris/ pesticides off

again exactly as the recipe says.

this one is idiot proof

 

[yuval12321]

So finally I made it. I boiled the oranges for 2 minutes because the zest looked infectious, and the result looks nice. The starting gravity I have is 1.130, I hope the wine yeast I used will decrease it enough.
oh, I used only 2 medium sized oranges for 2.5 gallons, so should I add more in a few days when I can get more?

 

[sablesurfer]

Okay, so honey does have amazing anti microbial properties. However, they seem to be tied to low pH, high sugar content, and some honey produces hydrogen peroxide through enzymes. When you dilute the honey you lose the benefit of a low pH and high sugar content and I would seriously doubt enough hydrogen peroxide could be produced to be of assistance or we wouldn't drink mead. So yeah, sanitization is still required if you don't want to rely on luck forever.

+1 to understanding the reasons honey doesn't 'spoil'. The sugar content so high it is hydrophilic to the point of sucking water out of any organism that could spoil it.

It really bugs me when home made recipes for anything say that adding honey will add antibacterial properties...NOPE...once you mess with it now it is just like any other sweet water.

 

[sablesurfer]

I hope the wine yeast I used will decrease it enough.

Well, if you actually used wine yeast, you are going to need to worry about it dropping too far. You will end up with a super dry and probably not tasty result.

You need to be on the actual mead threads where they used higher powered yeasts. Because now you will have to sorbate and backsweeten.

 

[brewski09]

So finally I made it. I boiled the oranges for 2 minutes because the zest looked infectious, and the result looks nice. The starting gravity I have is 1.130, I hope the wine yeast I used will decrease it enough.

oh, I used only 2 medium sized oranges for 2.5 gallons, so should I add more in a few days when I can get more?

What wine yeast? (And yeah, you'll probably want to check out some threads on back sweetening with wine yeast). It depends on how much orange you like so go with your gut on how it smells. Orange flavors will drop out over time too.

 

[yuval12321]

Well, if you actually used wine yeast, you are going to need to worry about it dropping too far. You will end up with a super dry and probably not tasty result.

You need to be on the actual mead threads where they used higher powered yeasts. Because now you will have to sorbate and backsweeten.

What wine yeast? (And yeah, you'll probably want to check out some threads on back sweetening with wine yeast). It depends on how much orange you like so go with your gut on how it smells. Orange flavors will drop out over time too.

I asked the beer brewing store to give me yeast for mead, and they told me they don't really know what should I use, and gave me yeast that people buy from them for mead brewing. it is used for cider or sparkling wine, it is called Lellamand E491, and according to google it is "not recommended above 13% abv", but I don't know if it means the yeast will die or it would produce bad flavors. The original gravity is 1.130, so if the end gravity will be 1.030 it's alcohol content will be 13.12%. Is it good?

 

[CreamyGoodness]

I asked the beer brewing store to give me yeast for mead, and they told me they don't really know what should I use, and gave me yeast that people buy from them for mead brewing. it is used for cider or sparkling wine, it is called Lellamand E491, and according to google it is "not recommended above 13% abv", but I don't know if it means the yeast will die or it would produce bad flavors. The original gravity is 1.130, so if the end gravity will be 1.030 it's alcohol content will be 13.12%. Is it good?

Why on earth didnt you just follow the recipe?