Joe's Ancient Orange Mead

[Andrew Hodgson]

Hey Everyone,

So... quick question.

I followed the recipe on page 1 for JAOM (about 7 months ago) and have 2-5 gallon jugs sitting under a sink. The fermentation bubbles stopped a while ago (of course) and I was thinking that leaving it to sit there would help it continue to get flavor or taste better or I don't know what... It seemed like a good idea, but was that a stupid move on my part? Should I have moved the mead into a separate container away from the stuff that has settled at the bottom? Does it matter? I know very little about what I'm doing and I'm hoping I didn't ruin the whole batch... But if I need to do it again, so be it.

Thanks

I think the wisdom is here is smell it and if it smells good taste it. I certainly didn't let mine age that long but I don't see why it would have ruined it. Was the airlock dry or did you keep up on the liquid level?

 

[Blacksmith1]

Part of the recipe is let it sit, DON'T TOUCH IT, for at least 6 months. After that I'd rack it, taste it, and probably drink it. I have a gallon waiting for that point....

 

[First-Time-Brewer]

I think the wisdom is here is smell it and if it smells good taste it. I certainly didn't let mine age that long but I don't see why it would have ruined it. Was the airlock dry or did you keep up on the liquid level?

I didn't add any liquid to it after the initial prep and the airlock seems dry now... I am so dumb, how could I not have thought to keep that filled up?! So now I am realizing it has been exposed to air... this seems bad, no?

Part of the recipe is let it sit, DON'T TOUCH IT, for at least 6 months. After that I'd rack it, taste it, and probably drink it. I have a gallon waiting for that point....

OK, I have been good about not touching it. My procrastination has been a big help in that department, except for not keeping the darn airlock in working order.

 

[Andrew Hodgson]

Even with the airlock being dry if it doesn't look nasty and tastes OK you're probably fine. But I'm not the paranoid type.

 

[First-Time-Brewer]

Even with the airlock being dry if it doesn't look nasty and tastes OK you're probably fine. But I'm not the paranoid type.

OK, good to know. As blacksmith1 pointed out, I should rack it now. I will smell it and taste it and let you know how it went. Fingers crossed.

 

[NeverDie]

I have 5 separate gallons of this fermenting, and before I started even more, I decided to crack one open at the 2 week mark just to taste it. Pretty good! Even aleady has considerable alcohol in it. The taste will obviously improve with some more fermentation time, as per the recipe, but it seems to be well on track. I'm pleased enough that I'll initiate some additional, new fermentations of it.

 

[NeverDie]

This guy did a split batch to compare JAOM done with baker's yeast versus K1V yeast:



Spoiler: he ended up liking the bread yeast better.

 

[NeverDie]

I'm not surprised the above "comparison" failed in favor of the bread yeast, because the K1V yeast undoubtedly fermented dryer than the bread yeast did. So, #1 it's ABV would have been higher, affecting the flavor, and #2 he didn't backsweeten.

Question: what ABV does JAOM typically have? Is it 12%?

As far as modern methods goes, none of the posts on this thread have mentioned trying to make JAOM using a BOMM type approach. i.e. that would entail reducing the amount of honey so that the JAOM ferments dry at the same 12% ABV (?) it normally would, then gets stabilized and finally gets backsweetened. Only under those conditions could a proper yeast-to-yeast JAOM comparison be done.

Has anyone tried making JAOM using this more "modern" method? I'm not saying it should be done that way, or that it would be better if it were done that way, but I am curious what the results are if it were done that way. And yes, I've heard the mantra of don't mess with the recipe. And if it's messed with in a thoughtless way, as in the above youtube video, then I can see why. So, all that being said, has anyone tried making JAOM using a BOMM like approach?

 

[First-Time-Brewer]

While I can't answer the above post because it's far past my knowledge level, I can update on how things turned out for myself...

So I followed the recipe, I then let it sit for 7 months "fermenting" (I'm sure it had stopped at some point), didn't touch it or bother it. Airlock had dried out at some point, but after racking it and tasting it... AMAZING! I'm very happy with my nearly finished product. This is a great recipe and easy to make!

Question: If the mead becomes infected, is this dangerous to consume? Or will it just mess with the flavor? Luckily it didn't happen to me, but I was worrying about it for a bit there.

 

[rlmiller10]

While I can't answer the above post because it's far past my knowledge level, I can update on how things turned out for myself...

So I followed the recipe, I then let it sit for 7 months "fermenting" (I'm sure it had stopped at some point), didn't touch it or bother it. Airlock had dried out at some point, but after racking it and tasting it... AMAZING! I'm very happy with my nearly finished product. This is a great recipe and easy to make!

Question: If the mead becomes infected, is this dangerous to consume? Or will it just mess with the flavor? Luckily it didn't happen to me, but I was worrying about it for a bit there.

Assuming it fermented so there is over 5% alcohol there are no pathogens that will be present. So then it is all based on flavor.

 

[toolboxdiver]

Has anyone ever tried to force carb and keg this? It may be worth a try

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Since my last post in April of 2018, I had been keeping my mead safe in a dark corner, intending to check on it again around Christmastime. Unfortunately, I forgot about it even then, and didn't remember it until mid-February!

In any case, we cracked one open. In the bottle, it looked really good:

I poured a little into my glass, and was immediately impressed with the blend of orange and spice that wafted up from inside; it seemed to me to be a really nice combination; not too much of anything, and just enough of everything:

When I tasted it, my impressions were the same - it was great! A very nice, well-balanced combination that didn't seem too "hot," too "sweet," too "spicy" or too "orange-y." I honestly couldn't think of a thing wrong with it, and was very happy with it, and hope that I can make it as well, next time.

The mead made for nice sipping while I was playing cribbage with my dad, and may have even brought me some good luck:

As has been said many times, trust the recipe. It may break a lot of "proper" rules, but for this application, every step is there for a reason, and contributes to a marvelous end.

Give it a shot - you will not be disappointed!

Ron

 

[NeverDie]

After having pitched JAOM about 6 weeks ago, it has gone clear, so I gave it a taste: it tastes very much like a mulled, or glint, wine that one might typically have in the winter or possibly around Christmas when it's cold out. Given the ingredients, I guess it's not surprising. If allowed to age, is that still what it tastes like?

 

[Maylar]

You get a lot of orange and clove at first. The flavors are not focused. But it changes a lot as it ages. I remember the one I made started in July, finished in August and by Thanksgiving it was excellent.

 

[NeverDie]

You get a lot of orange and clove at first. The flavors are not focused. But it changes a lot as it ages. I remember the one I made started in July, finished in August and by Thanksgiving it was excellent.

OK, so it improves with age. That much I get. But does it still taste like a glint wine after it has aged?

 

[Maylar]

OK, so it improves with age. That much I get. But does it still taste like a glint wine after it has aged?

Whazzat?

It tastes like honey, orange and spices.

 

[NeverDie]

Whazzat?

A glint wine is just a hot, spiced mulled wine. If you travel to, say, Paris or Vienna in the late December, most of the local pubs and such are serving it. Or Gluhwein in Germany or Glogg in Sweden. At 6 weeks old, that's what tasting JAOM reminds me of the most.

And all that is fine. It's just not something people usually want to drink during, say, the summer. So, it has me wondering whether JAOM is more of a winter drink, even if it isn't served warm or hot.

 

[Maylar]

You could say the same about any mead, or wine for that matter. I imagine that chilled it'd be fine in the summer.

 

[MTtoAZ]

The jug I made will hit 10 years old this November. Every few years I'll take a sample and it has evolved from near turpentine to something that is pretty amazing. Same with the Cherry Vanilla mead I did that same week.

 

[NeverDie]

The jug I made will hit 10 years old this November. Every few years I'll take a sample and it has evolved from near turpentine to something that is pretty amazing. Same with the Cherry Vanilla mead I did that same week.

That's impressive on many levels. #1 that you seem to have unlimited patience. #2 that you can track how the taste of something has evolved over a 10 year timespan.

 

[MTtoAZ]

That's impressive on many levels. #1 that you seem to have unlimited patience. #2 that you can track how the taste of something has evolved over a 10 year timespan.

The patience came from it being in the back of cabinet and forgotten for about 5 years after it finished. Very much an out of sight out of mind issue. The taste recollection comes from it being so ridiculously bad tasting that I should have dumped it but this is how it ended up in the back of the cabinet. Perhaps the impression of it improving is all in our heads but it certainly seems to be the case.

 

[toolboxdiver]

The Last of the Mohicians. Started March 2006, Bottled Jan 2007. WOW THIS IS SMOOTH. I put about 3/4 of the Big Bottle in a Mini Keg Growler and I am Force Carbing it to see if it is better with bubbles.

 

[toolboxdiver]

View attachment 624790 The Last of the Mohicians. Started March 2006, Bottled Jan 2007. WOW THIS IS SMOOTH. I put about 3/4 of the Big Bottle in a Mini Keg Growler and I am Force Carbing it to see if it is better with bubbles.

See how it goes

 

[Satokad]

View attachment 624790 The Last of the Mohicians. Started March 2006, Bottled Jan 2007. WOW THIS IS SMOOTH. I put about 3/4 of the Big Bottle in a Mini Keg Growler and I am Force Carbing it to see if it is better with bubbles.

That label is awesome!

 

[hoikon]

Hello everybody. I have already brewed this recipe once and the result was excellent. However I seem to be having trouble with my second attempt. I have put everything in the fermenter about 3 weeks ago (17 of April). Starting gravity was 1.118. today I got a reading at 1.008. To my little experience this seems to soon. I didn't use the same honey but I don't think this makes any serious difference to the sg readings. On the other hand, my batch is still cloudy. Maybe it is because of the great amount of pollen in the honey, I don't know. I want to make half of it semi sweet and let the other half ferment till the end. My batch is 24 liters. I am planning on pouring some metabisoulphite after siphoning half to another bucket. Any suggestions on the amount of meta? I hope it will clear in the fridge after a few days. We will see. Any advice is highly valued!

 

[Crazy Chemist]

I got hooked on mead with the Nordic Viking Blod mead which has hibiscus and hops in it. So for my first time at making mead I decided on trying JAOM, problem is that I'm not getting all the foaming action and such as people have said. I went with a 5 gallon batch and followed the directions to a T except for the yeast part. I did go buy brand new yeast and used three of the packets for the 5 gallon batch. That should have been 6.25 tsp of yeast but I didn't get every little yeast cell out of the package. I'm wondering if the fruit have made a cap on top and if I should swirl or prod it around a bit? Any advice would be great!!!

 

[toolboxdiver]

I really like it with Bubbles

 

[Crazy Chemist]

Well it has been in the carboy almost a week now and I have yet to see more than just minimal foaming and have not seen any action on the airlock.

So the fruit has formed a "cover" layer and i'm wondering if that might be the issue or is it just that slow or did I muck it up somehow?

 

[amber-ale]

I got hooked on mead with the Nordic Viking Blod mead which has hibiscus and hops in it. So for my first time at making mead I decided on trying JAOM, problem is that I'm not getting all the foaming action and such as people have said. I went with a 5 gallon batch and followed the directions to a T except for the yeast part. I did go buy brand new yeast and used three of the packets for the 5 gallon batch. That should have been 6.25 tsp of yeast but I didn't get every little yeast cell out of the package. I'm wondering if the fruit have made a cap on top and if I should swirl or prod it around a bit? Any advice would be great!!!

mead just doesn't foam the way beer does. can you see teeny little bubbles along the inside edge? if you sniff the air lock does it smell alcoholic? how long has it been fermenting? swirl if you want to, or stir the fruit down. or leave it alone to get to work by it self

 

[Crazy Chemist]

I can see tiny bubbles inside. I gave it a little swirl and the airlock came to life so I think the fruit is just acting as a cover. Once I saw that it was working I left it be. I put it in the car boy on 5/5/19.