Joe's Ancient Orange Mead

[Scientific hippie]

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.

Thank you! I'll try it.

 

[Scientific hippie]

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.

You're right! I twisted and pushed them very hard. I also noticed that one of the lids was loose, so I tightened it. Now I see bubbles! Thanks!

 

[Tonttu]

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.[/QUOTE]

I would try it. The batch of Black Fang is partially Joe's recipe. With some changes to make it match what me and the wife tried at a brew house a few weeks ago. She doesn't care for most alcohols, but she really liked this one. So its time to experiment. The zucchini ginger has turned out good enough in the past to never make it to bottling, but whilst searching through one of the freezers here on the farm, searching for ideas to brew, I ran across some 2 year old questionable bags of shredded zucchini. I'm making them along side some fresh ones to see if it really matters.

 

[Deb]

Just started a batch now. Followed the recipe. Very excited to see how it works out. Anyone think it will be drinkable by Christmas?

 

[Satokad]

Just started a batch now. Followed the recipe. Very excited to see how it works out. Anyone think it will be drinkable by Christmas?

It'll be close. A lot of what I read is that it's better if you wait longer, but you're right at the time frame given so you should be able to sample it by then. When you taste it, you'll know if it is ready for drinking or not. I started my first batch a few weeks back and I'm hoping for a Christmas toddy.

 

[Scientific hippie]

I started mine in late August/early Sept and we're enjoying it now; clear and delicious! I think it helps if the temp is relatively warm, at least at the beginning.

 

[Tonttu]

Temp is a big part of it. I've had great success after 9 weeks, and once it took 4 months. But that was fermented over winter and I'm really stingy with the heat. Seems like its best when all the oranges an such hit the bottom of the jug and get a good coating over them.

 

[Scientific hippie]

Temp is a big part of it. I've had great success after 9 weeks, and once it took 4 months. But that was fermented over winter and I'm really stingy with the heat. Seems like its best when all the oranges an such hit the bottom of the jug and get a good coating over them.

Yes; it's been two months and it's not clear yet. This time I used clementines and added rose hips to one; can't wait till it clears!

 

[jemez]

I put mine in 10 weeks ago. It's been clear & activity free for a few weeks now, but no fruit has fallen. Bottle or wait?

 

[Scientific hippie]

I put mine in 10 weeks ago. It's been clear & activity free for a few weeks now, but no fruit has fallen. Bottle or wait?

As the instructions say "When it's clear, it's done," I would bottle it. It can still mature in the bottle. What do you think, Tonttu?

 

[rlmiller10]

I put mine in 10 weeks ago. It's been clear & activity free for a few weeks now, but no fruit has fallen. Bottle or wait?

Cold crash it and the fruit will fall.

 

[Scientific hippie]

Cold crash it and the fruit will fall.

Cool! As soon as it clears, I'll do that.

 

[Deb]

All my fruit except for the raisins have fallen. I’m getting closer. It’s terribly fun to watch the progress. I have mine sitting in a warm interior closet. It stays between 72 and 80 degrees in there due to the water heater. I’m roughly 5 weeks in.

 

[Scientific hippie]

My two one-gallon Fermonsters have been going for about six weeks; I thought I'd check the SG of one of them; I know I added too much yeast and it wasn't clearing. To my horror, one was covered with fruit flies! I can't tell how many might have gone under the lid (which was somewhat loose), but there were some when I finally opened it, so I think I'm going to throw it out. The SG was 1.03 something; I tasted a drop and it tasted OK. I don't like these Fermonsters; I think I prefer a glass gallon jug with a stopper and airlock; I can always cut the fruit up a little finer. For the other one, somebody was mentioning using a clarifying agent; is that a good idea?

 

[Farmside]

Fermonsters

I had to look up what a “fermonster” was, I use these from Amazon “Mr Beer 1 Gallon Heavy Duty Glass Fermenter with spigot” never had a problem with fruit flies getting in.

 

[RPh_Guy]

The Fermonster lid is as easy to seal as any lid that twists. They even make a tool to help twist it (helpful for getting it off since it sometimes seals too well with the gasket), or a strap wrench.
Nothing wrong with glass either. Whatever works. I'm wary of the larger glass carboys though because they're heavy and dangerous.

The fruit flies don't ruin the batch. Remember the honey was made by flying insects!

JAOM should clear after it finishes fermenting; there's typically no reason to use fining.

 

[Scientific hippie]

The Fermonster lid is as easy to seal as any lid that twists. They even make a tool to help twist it (helpful for getting it off since it sometimes seals too well with the gasket), or a strap wrench.
Nothing wrong with glass either. Whatever works. I'm wary of the larger glass carboys though because they're heavy and dangerous.

The fruit flies don't ruin the batch. Remember the honey was made by flying insects!

JAOM should clear after it finishes fermenting; there's typically no reason to use fining.

Ok, I'll try to be uncharacteristically patient!

 

[Farmside]

The fruit flies don't ruin the batch. Remember the honey was made by flying insects!

This made me laugh! Reminded me of when I was a kid working on a farm. Mom and dad moved from the city to a small farm in Northern Illinois and I worked for a local farmer, one day mom made supper for us, farmer sat down and exclaimed “creamed corn, great we need the extra protein” confused mom questioned this. Farmer replied creamed corn has more protein than whole corn cause of all the worms the get ground up. Mom checks 2 cans, sure enough creamed corn has more protein.
Mom never had creamed corn again LOL

 

[Hankhill11]

I made my fourth batch of mead in this style, but used a mead yeast instead of the bread yeast. To keep all of you purest happy, I'm not exactly calling this one JOAM on the forum but I am out here in the world.

I did a three gallon ferment, exactly multiplying everything. Primary lasted for 6 months, after a few months the fruit dropped, and it cleared perfectly. No secondary. I was hoping for a higher alcohol by using the mead yeast, and I achieved it, however, I did not record the OG so can't give an exact number. I know it was 1.1xx since thats all i wrote down. I also didn't write down the brand and type of yeast, I just know it was 'mead yeast'.

I can definitely taste more fermented honey in the finish than you can in 100% proper JOAM. It is slightly less sweet for obvious reasons, but still very sweet. Final Gravity is around 1.024. My impression is that it is a little 'cleaner' and less hot and less bite than the three other JOAMs I made.

It turns out I didn't write down any gravity measures with my previous JOAMs so i have nothing to compare with, numbers-wise. It has all been very good so far. I put some in little 5 oz bottles that i'll give to coworkers for xmas.

 

[bernardsmith]

If you know the total volume and you know the weight of the honey you used then you can guesstimate the starting gravity. One pound of honey dissolved in water to make one gallon increases the gravity of the water by about 35 points (1.035). You calculate the total amount of honey and divide that by the total volume in gallons and multiply that by .035. That was your starting gravity. If you know the final gravity you subtract that from the starting gravity and multiply that by 131.25 to get a good approximation to the ABV.

 

[pullapint]

This made me laugh! Reminded me of when I was a kid working on a farm. Mom and dad moved from the city to a small farm in Northern Illinois and I worked for a local farmer, one day mom made supper for us, farmer sat down and exclaimed “creamed corn, great we need the extra protein” confused mom questioned this. Farmer replied creamed corn has more protein than whole corn cause of all the worms the get ground up. Mom checks 2 cans, sure enough creamed corn has more protein.
Mom never had creamed corn again LOL

That's just the tip of the iceberg...
https://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRe...tion/SanitationTransportation/ucm056174.htm#r

 

[Satokad]

Well, I took a peek at my batch yesterday and it had cleared up considerably. Most of the fruit was still floating, but it's been 2 months plus a few days. I went to bottle it today and noticed that there are tiny bubbles floating up from the bottom and creating a small ring around the fruit. Should I let it continue to sit until that all stops, or is it ready to go? There aren't any bubbles coming through the airlock.
Thanks.

 

[rdback]

I wait for the fruit to sink, but that's just me. My advice is let specific gravity be your guide. If SG is above 1.000 and it stays steady for 7 days, I'd proceed. If it's 1.000 or lower, I'd go for it - sugar's gone - no need to wait.

 

[Blasphemy168]

So I made it to page 55 and haven't found an answer to my question yet, so I thought I would jump ahead and post it. I put 3.5 lbs of honey into a 1 gallon plastic jug of spring water, and topped it off to just under 2 inches form the top, after adding the fruit, cinnamon, raisins, and clove. My hydrometer reading seemed low at 1.05. Is this because the honey wasn't fully dissolved in the jug? I've read posts on how the yeast will bottom feed so it doesn't have to be full mixed. If this is the case, how do I get an accurate OG? Thanks in advance for your answers.

 

[RPh_Guy]

So I made it to page 55 and haven't found an answer to my question yet, so I thought I would jump ahead and post it. I put 3.5 lbs of honey into a 1 gallon plastic jug of spring water, and topped it off to just under 2 inches form the top, after adding the fruit, cinnamon, raisins, and clove. My hydrometer reading seemed low at 1.05. Is this because the honey wasn't fully dissolved in the jug? I've read posts on how the yeast will bottom feed so it doesn't have to be full mixed. If this is the case, how do I get an accurate OG? Thanks in advance for your answers.

Hey, welcome to HBT.
You just need to mix it better if you want an accurate OG. It should be around 1.126

 

[Blasphemy168]

Hey, welcome to HBT.
You just need to mix it better if you want an accurate OG. It should be around 1.126

Thank you. I shook it for about 5 minutes. Seems hard to mix. Hesitant about heating the honey due to flavor break down.

 

[RPh_Guy]

You're right, it's not easy! If you shake it long enough it will dissolve.
That's why I use a drill-powered stirring tool for mead.

 

[Farmside]

So I made it to page 55 and haven't found an answer to my question yet, so I thought I would jump ahead and post it. I put 3.5 lbs of honey into a 1 gallon plastic jug of spring water, and topped it off to just under 2 inches form the top, after adding the fruit, cinnamon, raisins, and clove. My hydrometer reading seemed low at 1.05. Is this because the honey wasn't fully dissolved in the jug? I've read posts on how the yeast will bottom feed so it doesn't have to be full mixed. If this is the case, how do I get an accurate OG? Thanks in advance for your answers.

I warmed the water up first before adding the honey. Not sure where I saw that advise at, but it worked out great. Heat water in a pan, remove from heat and let stand for a few minutes (don’t want a hot spot on pan) then add honey. I’m using a 1.5 gallon wide mouth fermenter OG 1.110.

 

[rlmiller10]

So I made it to page 55 and haven't found an answer to my question yet, so I thought I would jump ahead and post it. I put 3.5 lbs of honey into a 1 gallon plastic jug of spring water, and topped it off to just under 2 inches form the top, after adding the fruit, cinnamon, raisins, and clove. My hydrometer reading seemed low at 1.05. Is this because the honey wasn't fully dissolved in the jug? I've read posts on how the yeast will bottom feed so it doesn't have to be full mixed. If this is the case, how do I get an accurate OG? Thanks in advance for your answers.

As reported above it is hard to get the honey to really mix. The yeast will eat it regardless. So I just use a calculated OG. I don't really care if the final alcohol level is 13 or 12 or 12.5 so an accurate OG is not necessary. I am finding more and more situations where I have to ask, is it really worth it to put in that effort?

 

[Blasphemy168]

As reported above it is hard to get the honey to really mix. The yeast will eat it regardless. So I just use a calculated OG. I don't really care if the final alcohol level is 13 or 12 or 12.5 so an accurate OG is not necessary. I am finding more and more situations where I have to ask, is it really worth it to put in that effort?

Valid point. Especially with 1 gallon batches, I feel like I'm losing a lot of fluid just for each hydrometer reading. Perhaps an estimated OG based on 35 points per gallon and a final reading just to get an adequate approximation...