Joe's Ancient Orange Mead

[RPh_Guy]

Anyone recall which post had the "final" recipe for JAOM? I recall some tweaks to the original first post or something like that. I have been casually following this thread but it's gotten quite huge and can't find the last tweak...

The very first post has the recipe. No tweaks needed

 

[Ghostrider513]

Hello Everyone! New to the Group but a long time home brewer and recent mead maker! Just made my First Batch of JAOM waiting for it to cool down some before i pitch my Yeast

I used 3Lbs of wildflower Honey, 1lb of which i Caramelized for 20 mins on Medium High Heat so we'll see how it turns out

How'd it turn out?

 

[Ghostrider513]

You're breaking the JAOM rules. I'd suggest you don't deviate from protocol unless you know what you're doing (sulfite, degas, top-up). The recipe is not well suited for tinkering.

@ethics_gradient ~53 wine bottles of JAOM, nice!

How'd your Blackberry Cider turnout? I've never done cider but would like to try. And love blackberry.

 

[RPh_Guy]

How'd your Blackberry Cider turnout? I've never done cider but would like to try. And love blackberry.

See PM

 

[Jtuarus]

Ok so I made two separate gallons in the same way with same honeys and yeast yet one has slowed down immensely and the other is still going strong. The yeasts were from the same pack aswell. Is this normal or am I reading g to much into it?

 

[atlervetok]

hey guys question, i followed this recipe with a few conversion errors and substitutes i could get my hands on (like yeast) who knew american gallon isnt the same as a british one.
started it in april was at gravity 0.990 in july. tried it tasted burney. bottled it to let it age. now today i opend a bottle and it is carbonated. it wasnt when i tried it the first time.
is it meant to be carbonated or did something go wrong? thanks in advance

 

[RPh_Guy]

It is meant to finish sweet, and not be carbonated. You needed more honey.

 

[atlervetok]

It is meant to finish sweet, and not be carbonated. You needed more honey.

yeah i know i needed more honey like i said conversion errors, american gallon is about 3.7liters uk gallon is 4.9 liters (from the top of my head)
is that why it turned sparkling tho? cause i thought anything under 1 meant there were no more sugars to ferment therefore fermentation ended?

 

[RPh_Guy]

yeah i know i needed more honey like i said conversion errors, american gallon is about 3.7liters uk gallon is 4.9 liters (from the top of my head)
is that why it turned sparkling tho? cause i thought anything under 1 meant there were no more sugars to ferment therefore fermentation ended?

The carbonation is from bottling too soon.

SG is a measure of density.
Pure water is about 1.000.
Sugar solution is more dense.
Alcohol is less dense, so an alcohol solution has SG below 1.000.
Therefore an alcohol solution at 1.000 definitely also has sugar.

Ideally, you want to make sure FG is stable before bottling. JAOM should be finished at 2 months when closely following the instructions. Visually it should be pretty clear toward the end and have minimal or no airlock activity.

The volume mix-up is unfortunate. FYI pretty much all "gallons" on HBT are U.S. gallons (3.785L).

 

[atlervetok]

The carbonation is from bottling too soon.

SG is a measure of density.
Pure water is about 1.000.
Sugar solution is more dense.
Alcohol is less dense, so an alcohol solution has SG below 1.000.
Therefore an alcohol solution at 1.000 definitely also has sugar.

Ideally, you want to make sure FG is stable before bottling. JAOM should be finished at 2 months when closely following the instructions. Visually it should be pretty clear toward the end and have minimal or no airlock activity.

The volume mix-up is unfortunate. FYI pretty much all "gallons" on HBT are U.S. gallons (3.785L).

ah fair enough, the mead was paper clear as in i could read through it, had nomore bubbling as far as i could tell. i am using a diffrent yeast tho just tesco's own breadyeast. ah well it is all a learning process

 

[Scientific hippie]

I just set up a batch yesterday using local wildflower honey and a purloined tsp of yeast from the packet in my bread mix (I never use all the yeast in the packet because I like to put the machine on at least a 12 hour delay). It began bubbling immediately; this morning I notice that it has backed up into the airlock but is still bubbling gently, so I'm leaving it alone. I'm excited to see that if it goes according to schedule, it'll be drinkable by Thanksgiving.

 

[Scientific hippie]

OK! I touched it! It was backing up into the second (a three-piece) airlock I had used to replace the double bubble, so I poured about an ounce off (delicious) and am now leaving it alone for sure.

 

[Scientific hippie]

It is bubbling less now. I topped it up with a little water to cover the orange wedges. It's covered with a black towel in the warm basement and is being totally left alone. I am bottling my 3-day mead later today, so that will distract me.

 

[Satokad]

And away we go....

 

[Satokad]

I was reading through the thread and saw Ananimity's post about forgetting to get an OG reading. I forgot, too. I just took one and it seems high (although I guess I'm not sure what high is). My Hydrometer only goes to 1.07 and it was floating higher than that. If the lines were any indication and I assume that the line gradient remains the same, I would guess about 1.085 or more.
Is that a normal reading? I used 3# of honey instead of 3.5# because that was all I had.
On the bright side, looks like another trip to the LHBS is in order.
Thanks.

 

[rlmiller10]

I was reading through the thread and saw Ananimity's post about forgetting to get an OG reading. I forgot, too. I just took one and it seems high (although I guess I'm not sure what high is). My Hydrometer only goes to 1.07 and it was floating higher than that. If the lines were any indication and I assume that the line gradient remains the same, I would guess about 1.085 or more.
Is that a normal reading? I used 3# of honey instead of 3.5# because that was all I had.
On the bright side, looks like another trip to the LHBS is in order.
Thanks.

1.085 actually might be a little low. Depending on the honey you should get 32 to 34 points per lb of honey. So three lb per gallon would give about 1.096. I have found it is very hard to get a good gravity reading for mead. Unless the mixture is hot the honey does not totally mix and will settle toward the bottom causing the mixture at the top to have a lower gravity than the overall average.

 

[Satokad]

1.085 actually might be a little low. Depending on the honey you should get 32 to 34 points per lb of honey. So three lb per gallon would give about 1.096. I have found it is very hard to get a good gravity reading for mead. Unless the mixture is hot the honey does not totally mix and will settle toward the bottom causing the mixture at the top to have a lower gravity than the overall average.

Thanks for the info. I was guessing at the gravity so my number could be (and probably is) very wrong.

 

[Scientific hippie]

I almost racked mine yesterday, but it isn't completely clear so I'm giving it more time.

 

[JAReeves]

I should look this up on this thread of a million posts, but:

My hydrometer floated above its calculable range. Brewers Friend suggests an OG of 1.126, though. 3# honey and 1qt H2O.

I am assuming the bakers yeast will poop out at 10%, so to dry it out I may need a secondary yeast, probably an ale yeast. Any ideas?

I left out the spices as my spouse isn’t a fan-added hibiscus tea instead. All other things are equal with OP recipe.

Thank you!

J

 

[RPh_Guy]

One US gallon, right?

My most recent batch (with raw honey) went to 15-16% ABV.

 

[Scientific hippie]

I had a busy weekend! Friday I decided to filter my elderberry wines. I used a Buon Vino; what a mess! Sunday AM I bottled my JAOM and the BOMM. Both were good! The JAOM seems to have a higher alcohol content. Hubs likes it; asked me to skip the cinnamon next time. While we're waiting for the cider batches to finish, he's getting to like mead. We both definitely favor darker honeys. My impression of the BOMM is that it's a lot like the three-day mead, only instead of conditioning in the bottle, it conditions in the primary fermentor. I definitely want to start making 3-day mead on a regular basis; I may experiment with leaving out the honeybush tea (I already leave out the vanilla beans). I know we enjoyed the batch that was one-third buckwheat, one-third Target, and one-third wildflower honey; that's a winning combination!

 

[JAReeves]

One US gallon, right?

My most recent batch (with raw honey) went to 15-16% ABV.

Wow! That's what I got from the Brewer's Friend worksheet, so this'll be a fun experiment!

Peace,

J

 

[Scientific hippie]

I decided to make 2 gal of JAOM yesterday; I bought two of those wide-mouth carboys made of plastic with red lids and thin black o-rings (I think they go into the lids, am I correct?). I pitched the yeast but didn't see any bubbling after a couple of hours. I pitched more (it was cake yeast); no dice. I finally sprinkled in a teaspoon of dry yeast per gallon. I am seeing no bubbles, but I can smell alcohol coming from the airlocks. The carboys were a bit leaky when I shook them. Are those plastic carboys just leaky to CO2? Is the recipe (or Joe) mad at me because I used clementines instead of oranges and added rose hips from my garden to one?

 

[RPh_Guy]

I decided to make 2 gal of JAOM yesterday; I bought two of those wide-mouth carboys made of plastic with red lids and thin black o-rings (I think they go into the lids, am I correct?). I pitched the yeast but didn't see any bubbling after a couple of hours. I pitched more (it was cake yeast); no dice. I finally sprinkled in a teaspoon of dry yeast per gallon. I am seeing no bubbles, but I can smell alcohol coming from the airlocks. The carboys were a bit leaky when I shook them. Are those plastic carboys just leaky to CO2? Is the recipe (or Joe) mad at me because I used clementines instead of oranges and added rose hips from my garden to one?

My Fermonsters don't leak.
Make sure: the washer/o-ring is properly inserted, lid is tightened, and the stopper seals well.

 

[Scientific hippie]

Check, check, check (o-ring is inside cap). No bubbles.

 

[jiMithing83]

If you over tighten the lid the fermonster will also leak. I've had that happen a few times.

 

[rlmiller10]

I decided to make 2 gal of JAOM yesterday; I bought two of those wide-mouth carboys made of plastic with red lids and thin black o-rings (I think they go into the lids, am I correct?). I pitched the yeast but didn't see any bubbling after a couple of hours. I pitched more (it was cake yeast); no dice. I finally sprinkled in a teaspoon of dry yeast per gallon. I am seeing no bubbles, but I can smell alcohol coming from the airlocks. The carboys were a bit leaky when I shook them. Are those plastic carboys just leaky to CO2? Is the recipe (or Joe) mad at me because I used clementines instead of oranges and added rose hips from my garden to one?

check the stopper. I just bought a couple of those last month as I ended up with more cider than carboys. Had the same worries with no bubbles but figured both can't have bad yeast. Anyhow, the stoppers looked tight, but twisting them as I pushed down put them in a bit more and I started getting bubbles.

 

[JAReeves]

I am having a similar problem. I have a Red Rye bubbling like mad, a wild yeast apple cider going crazy, and yet the mead just has some oranges and raisins floating on top with no visible bubbling or activity at all. Does it sometimes take a while for the JAOM to kick into gear?

 

[Tonttu]

I've followed this website for many years. And Joe's Ancient is one of my favorite recipes so far. First post, so here's two more Joe's, one double the ingredients (as a test), my own take on what might make a Black Fang mead, and some jugs of zucchini ginger hanging out in the background. Hopefully all be ready for the Yule. Happy drinking!!

 

[Scientific hippie]

I am having a similar problem. I have a Red Rye bubbling like mad, a wild yeast apple cider going crazy, and yet the mead just has some oranges and raisins floating on top with no visible bubbling or activity at all. Does it sometimes take a while for the JAOM to kick into gear?

I seem to remember my first JOAM taking off right away, but I am not 100% sure. Also, the basement temp is now cooler, around 68-70, so that might be the reason. I'm not going to mess with it; as log as it doesn't start to smell putrid, I think it's OK.

Zucchini ginger; that sounds interesting! Maybe I should use my leftover dried elderberries for another batch of JAOM! I can't wait to see how the rose hips taste.