Vanilla Orange Mead

[manortc]

I'm looking to make a batch of mead for my wife. I mostly brew beer and haven't tried a mead yet. She tends to like a sweeter mead, so I'm thinking about steeping some honey malt to make it sweeter. This is for a 3 gallon batch.

5 lbs honey
1 lbs honey malt
3 oranges (thinly sliced)
3 vanilla beans
I'm open to suggestions on yeast. Would prefer dry, but open to liquid.

 

[Bigbeavk]

Why not try this recipe and add some vanilla. Mine was ready in 11 weeks and is so far a real nice flavor for being so young. It's quick and easy.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f80/joes-ancient-orange-mead-49106/

 

[Matrix4b]

I have always had good luck with Lavin D47 or Lavin 71B. I would hold back on 2 pounds of your honey and use it to backsweeten it. Also, I don't see that you are oaking the mead. I would recomend 1 oz of lightly toasted cubes or chips of american oak put in when it starts to become clear. Leave in for a month, the take it out and wait for it to clear.

Your time on theses yeasts will be longer as I would not recomend anything less than 8 months aging time, a year would be best and it would be drinkable at 6 months aging. I consider the aging to have started at the point where it is clear enough to read through.

I would also recomend using about a tablespoon of orange zest in the secondary.

Matrix

 

[Taise]

I have to agree with BigBeavk. Start with a Joe's Ancient Orange Mead and simply add a split vanilla bean. Once it clears in about 3 months you can drink it, but I always put about 1/2 - 2/3 of the batch up in bottles because it just keeps getting better with age.

 

[Matrix4b]

Doing a JAOM style mead would be a sort of spiced orange vanilla. I think what makes the JAOM drinkable so quickly is not the spices but the orange up front in the primary. It contributes to a higher acid content or rather a lower pH if you will. Certianly the spices to some to hide the harshness of the mead but I have come to expect ANY mead to take at least 6 months of aging and getting better with age from there.

I would rather do with out the spices, short the honey a bit more to produce a lower ABV% and then backsweeten it after I stabalize it. But that's just me.

Matrix