Joes ancient orange mead

[Arne]

Made a batch of JOAM early last fall. Was simple to make, but after it finished fermenting, had to taste it. Was not my favorite, but others said it was really good. Tasted it last nite and it is coming around. Think a lot of the taste was the pith on the orange rind, but it is blending in or leaving. Anyway, it has fallen clear and think it will soon go into bottles to sit for a year or two. Bet it will turn really good before it is done. Google Joes ancient orange mead for the recipe. I followed it using the whole orange slices and bread yeast like it said. It's gonna be some pretty good wine. Arne.

 

[desertwind56]

I made some last August, but I used wine yeast (forgot to write down what kind). Just bottled it a couple of weeks ago. It tastes good except for the bitter aftertaste from the pith. We broke down and opened a bottle last night, and I think this may taste pretty good over time.

I'm currently fermenting a batch of mead with just orange juice and leaving out the whole orange. Going to add orange zest and the spices when done fermenting. I'm hoping for something that tastes like JAO without the pith taste.

 

[fatbloke]

I made some last August, but I used wine yeast (forgot to write down what kind). Just bottled it a couple of weeks ago. It tastes good except for the bitter aftertaste from the pith. We broke down and opened a bottle last night, and I think this may taste pretty good over time.

I'm currently fermenting a batch of mead with just orange juice and leaving out the whole orange. Going to add orange zest and the spices when done fermenting. I'm hoping for something that tastes like JAO without the pith taste.

Sorry, tried a number of variations and they just don't come out "good" (which is relative).

Dry, it's just not nice and can take a long time to come good as the lack of sweetness tends to highlight any pithy taste.

Besides, it just takes a bit of thought and analysis. Yes, he uses bread yeast. Fine. Yes, he also uses the whole orange, fine. Yes that is quite a lot of honey for what would have been written as a 1 US gallon recipe (I make mine as 1 imp gallon and it still comes out good).

So, the nutrient seems to come from the raisins.

Because of the honey in the recipe, and the fact that bread yeast won't ferment it dry, it needs something to help reduce the potentially cloying sweetness, the orange helps and the pith gives a little bitterness, so I'm presuming that when the recipe was developed, it was intended to have a hint of orange marmalade, as there's no tannin in the recipe other than what might come from raisins.

Not forgetting that it's a recipe designed specifically with the new mead maker in mind so they can get a batch on the go, pretty much from what's in the kitchen stock cupboards etc........

 

[Arne]

Fatbloke, I think maybe it is the sweetness I didn't really care for,but as time is passing it is really getting better. Havn't decided whether to make any more or not tho. Gave my wife a taste and she said it was really good so will probably have to make another batch. Arne.

 

[fatbloke]

Fatbloke, I think maybe it is the sweetness I didn't really care for,but as time is passing it is really getting better. Havn't decided whether to make any more or not tho. Gave my wife a taste and she said it was really good so will probably have to make another batch. Arne.

Ah, well if its the sweetness that's too much then don't bother trying any commercial means that're described as "dessert" means then as you'll probably hate them........vvv sweet!

I like mine at about 1.010, maybe up to 1.015 so I usually ferment dry and then backsweeten to that level....


regards

fatbloke

 

[xanxer82]

Meade is unique. I have a btach and it's a bit hazy.. not in bottles yet... thinking about sticking it outside for a couple of hours to get cold and letting it warm up.. maybe that will help.

 

[fatbloke]

Meade is unique. I have a btach and it's a bit hazy.. not in bottles yet... thinking about sticking it outside for a couple of hours to get cold and letting it warm up.. maybe that will help.

Well, it depends on a few things, like what the haze is i.e. yeast and brewing sediment or if you back sweetened with honey, a protein haze.......

If you have got the lees racked out, then time is usually best, but if you can't wait, then cold crashing often helps, as does bentonite, then maybe sparkoloid, then chemical fining.

Filtering is worthy of consideration but can be costly on filter pads/elements...
and should really only be used to give a final polish.

Either way, if you have and can spare the container, I'd say its best to bulk age the mead as its less likely to vary from temperature difference issues while ageing...

regards

fatbloke

 

[mmadmikes1]

Most of the meads I have made are being dranks in 4 mouths by the crazies around here. They keep asking me to make more and have taken to bringing me honey. I dont backsweetin.

 

[fatbloke]

Most of the meads I have made are being drunk in 4 mouths by the crazies around here. They keep asking me to make more and have taken to bringing me honey. I don't back sweeten.

Well, as ever that's your choice as you're the maker.......

I've yet to find a dry mead that I've enjoyed, but also, I don't like the cloyingly sweet dessert meads - so I try and back sweeten with honey of the same type as originally used in the must to retain the flavouring character.....

Plus, I try to consistent in my process methods so the only variables are the honey and alcohol level

regards

fatbloke

 

[xanxer82]

It's been racked off the gross and fine less since christmas. used ec 1118 on it instead of bread yeast. Didn't need any back sweetening. The Starting SG was suffiecint to burn out the yeast and leave a nice amount of residual sugars. Taste is pretty good. Just that haze. I don't think I'm going to bother running it through my filter. Enough time will take care of that. I do think the cold stabilization may help though. Since it's just a one gallon US batch, it's not worth the chemistry.. perhaps a little bentonite if anything at all.
Thanks for the input bloke. The next batch will probably be 3 or 5 gallons.

 

[mmadmikes1]

Well, as ever that's your choice as you're the maker.......

I've yet to find a dry mead that I've enjoyed, but also, I don't like the cloyingly sweet dessert meads - so I try and back sweeten with honey of the same type as originally used in the must to retain the flavouring character.....

Plus, I try to consistent in my process methods so the only variables are the honey and alcohol level

regards

fatbloke

It never get past about 1.01 and in my opinion that's about right. I don't use bread yeast because most time I use a slurry to start and the original yeast was Premier Cuvee

 

[fatbloke]

It's been racked off the gross and fine less since christmas. used ec 1118 on it instead of bread yeast. Didn't need any back sweetening. The Starting SG was suffiecint to burn out the yeast and leave a nice amount of residual sugars. Taste is pretty good. Just that haze. I don't think I'm going to bother running it through my filter. Enough time will take care of that. I do think the cold stabilization may help though. Since it's just a one gallon US batch, it's not worth the chemistry.. perhaps a little bentonite if anything at all.
Thanks for the input bloke. The next batch will probably be 3 or 5 gallons.

Erm, no I suspect that it just ran out of nutrient. EC-1118 is good for 18% and while the amount of honey/sugar in the recipe for a JAO is enough to poop out bread yeast, I'd bet that properly managed, EC-1118 would take it dry.

Besides, if you used wine yeast then it's not JAO is it. Similar maybe, but Joes recipe is worked out like that for a reason. Mainly so that new mead makers take ingredients from their kitchen cupboards and bingo, they've got a batch of mead on the go. It's basic, because it's meant to be.

I've made about 8 or 9 slight variations on the JAO recipe and it just doesn't come out nice. Nothing compares to the original.

Either way, it's your brewing so you decide what's in it......

well done if you're happy with what you've made though.

regards

fatbloke

 

[xanxer82]

I think you're correct about the nutrient. Perhaps I will make an experiment a la Luc and do two one gallon batches one using bread yeast and another using wine yeast....

 

[Love_in_Texas]

I have some lovin on itself in my closet. I did deviate, using anise instead of clove. He's about a month old and cleared up about 75%. Im excited! I dont care what kinda yeast it uses if its yummy!!!

 

[fatbloke]

I have some lovin on itself in my closet. I did deviate, using anise instead of clove. He's about a month old and cleared up about 75%. Im excited! I dont care what kinda yeast it uses if its yummy!!!

No, that's fair enough, but with a lot of wine yeasts, it ferments dry and it doesn't make for a good dry recipe.

It's meant to be sweet (and easy to make/get the ingredients etc). Of course, the anise will make it taste a bit different due to the differences in flavour. I don't know how powerful the anise is, but cloves are definitely "less is more" because it's the alcohol that extracts the flavour from them......

so if the rest of you batch was made as per the recipe/suggestions by Joe, then I don't see why it shouldn't come out good.

don't forget, normally it's not bad at all, when first racked, but if you can age it some it should improve quite a lot....

regards

fatbloke

 

[2PUPs]

Jaom first batch

Ancient Orange Mead (by Joe Mattioli)
1 gallon batch

3 1/2 lbs Clover or your choice honey or blend (will finish sweet)
1 Large orange (later cut in eights or smaller rind and all)
1 small handful of raisins (25 if you count but more or less ok)
1 stick of cinnamon
1 whole clove ( or 2 if you like - these are potent critters)
optional (a pinch of nutmeg and allspice )( very small )
1 teaspoon of Fleishmann’s bread yeast ( now don't get holy on me--- after all this is an ancient mead and that's all we had back then)
Balance water to one gallon

This will be my first try at making mead . Well off to the kitchen I go. Will keep posted on the process .

 

[DaveM]

I was all pumped to bottle this bad boy today (it was clear)...but all of the oranges and raisins were still sitting at the top of the carboy. I stuck the racking cane in it, and that disturbed all kinds of sediment. So I just racked it, cleaned the carboy, then racked it again and am waiting for it to clear again. How long can I expect that to take? If I'm impatient, should I just add some sparkolloid?

 

[Julie]

I was all pumped to bottle this bad boy today (it was clear)...but all of the oranges and raisins were still sitting at the top of the carboy. I stuck the racking cane in it, and that disturbed all kinds of sediment. So I just racked it, cleaned the carboy, then racked it again and am waiting for it to clear again. How long can I expect that to take? If I'm impatient, should I just add some sparkolloid?

LOL, don't be impatient, when I made this I racked and it cleared by the following weekend. Also, I noticed that it really wasn't good until it was 6 months old.

 

[fatbloke]

I was all pumped to bottle this bad boy today (it was clear)...but all of the oranges and raisins were still sitting at the top of the carboy. I stuck the racking cane in it, and that disturbed all kinds of sediment. So I just racked it, cleaned the carboy, then racked it again and am waiting for it to clear again. How long can I expect that to take? If I'm impatient, should I just add some sparkolloid?

Patience young Jedi !

It's very easy to "jump the gun" with JAO. Just because its clear, it doesn't mean its ready. The whole point seems to be, that when the fruit has dropped, there's nothing to hold a little of the yeast. So you have something to rack, that's not cloudy. Bread yeast doesn't flocculate well, and comes back into suspension very easily and with the fruit still in there, it should be topped up and safe from possible spoilage organisms.

So, yes, if you've taken it off the fruit, I would suggest that you fine it, to remove the sediment sooner rather than later. Rack off as far down as you can, carefully, into the clear area, then the last bit of liquid can be racked into a separate bottle which is put into the fridge for a day or so, until its clear, and you can then remove the last of the clear liquid.

It might be ready to drink, but probably not, so age it for 6 months.

regards

fatbloke

 

[Ken914]

FB, how long does it normally take for the fruit to drop... or is that a random thing?