Author Topic: MEAD!!!! (Read 5700 times)

Sean Kelly · « **on:** April 28, 2008, 06:14:47 pm »

Well, after my first batch of mead went bad last Feburary, I've finally decided to get it a go again!
I was reading on a home brewer's forum about this mead that's been really popular and extremely simple called "Joe's Ancient Orange". Everything you need to make this can be bought at your local grocery store (besides an airlock which are only $1, but I figure you can find something that will work for one like a balloon and just release the air pressure often).

Here's the recepie:

Things you'll need -
1 gallon carboy (you can use a one gallon glass jug that apple cider comes in, just wash it really good)
Airlock & Bung (or a large balloon over the top, just remember to release the gas often)
1 large orange (washed really good to remove pesticides and particals - cut into 8ths)
1 vanilla bean (some people left this out)
1 whole clove
1 whole cinnamon stick
Handful of raisins
3 1/2 lbs honey
1 Teaspoon Flieschmans or Red Star dry Bread Yeast (yes, I said bread yeast! Seriously! No Joke!)

Remember to sanatize everything (I use One-Step sanatizer) before you start. Mix honey with warm water to dilute. Put water in carboy or glass jug. Cut the orange into 8 slices and stuff down into carboy (orange peel and all). Put in the vanilla bean (probably the most expensive item), clove, cinnamon stick, and raisins. Top off the jug with more water until it's 3 inches from the top. Cap the top (thats the nice about the apple juice jugs, just keep the cap and remember to sanatize it too) and just shake the heck out of it to aerate. Add the bread yeast, give it a swirl, put on the airlock, and stick in a dark place for 2 months! That's it! Don't touch it until then! When you rack it over to a bottling bucket you can filter it through cheese cloth to catch all the chunks of orange, raisins, and clove.

Just started mine 30 minutes ago and it's already bubbling away! Can't wait to try this sweet melomel mead!!!!!

Sean Kelly

poka-bee · « **Reply #1 on:** April 28, 2008, 08:17:16 pm »

Sean, that sounds nummy! Can I taste some?? Never had mead before!! Got my 1st sting today!! I'm so proud, just like a real beekeeper now! You'll have to bring the girls over to see my bees, chix & feed the koi! Jody

Kimbrell · « **Reply #2 on:** April 28, 2008, 08:41:47 pm »

Sean,
That sounds like a simple enough recipe to try. I'm writing it down to try when my honey comes in. I'm all out of honey from last season. Let us know how yours turns out.

Sean Kelly · « **Reply #3 on:** April 28, 2008, 10:41:03 pm »

Kimbrell, you should try it now! I just picked up 5lbs of honey for $10 from the Kroger's west coast chain called Fred Meyers (kind of like a Walmart but smaller and better quality stuff). You only use 3 1/2 lbs, so it's a simple + easy + cheap recepie. Not like my last batch from Northern Brewer where I had to use 15 lbs of honey. lol

Jody, you're in for a treat if you've never had mead before!!!!! There's actually a pretty famous mead maker here in Washington called Sky River Mead. It's a little drive to the brewery out in Sultan, but their mead is something else! Their sweet mead is okay, the dry is great, and their semi-sweet is incredible. I've been having a real hard time finding their stuff though. None of the grocery stores carry it. I'm sure if you and I keep bugging the Bonney Lake Safeway they might break down and start stocking it. lol
Yeah, you can totally taste some when it's finished! Should be ready to drink by Brian Bray's party at the end of summer. :)
Congrats on your 1st sting! Feels awesome doesn't it! It's a totally different experience when the bees belong to you. lol Grace and I went to Wally's today for fish and chips and on the way back we tried to find your house (looked for the only beehive on the Old Buckley Hwy) but didnt see it. My mom said she saw it when she went into town the other day. Must have been looking on the wrong side of the road. You guys just built a new barn, right?

Back to the mead... Just checked on it (6 hours after the start) and it's at a rolling boil now with a heavy yeast head on top. I had my doubts about using bread yeast but it's doing the trick! It activated just as fast as champaign and desert wine yeasts I've tried in the past. Should be really interesting to see how it turns out! Looks great and smells awesome! I've got it stashed under the sink in our bathroom which now smells like cloves, vanilla, and cinnamon (almost smells like christmas in there!).

Sean Kelly

Brian D. Bray · « **Reply #4 on:** April 29, 2008, 01:57:58 am »

If you prick a balloon before it's inflated it will self regulate the out gas pressure. My brother, I, and some friends forgot the prick the balloon and drove a 2 inch cork through a ceiling. The gallon jug was a total loss.

danno · « **Reply #5 on:** April 29, 2008, 09:05:25 am »

I have made this before and it does turn out very nice. Its very sweet!!!! To sweet for my taste but many freinds really enjoy it. I have never had the oranges fall to the bottom so they need to be pulled before racking so cut them in small slices. I use a clean set of those machanical fingers. The thing you can buy at auto stores that consist of a plunger and 18" cable with a set of four metal fingers that come out and spead when depressed. Grab a orange slice and pull it up through the bottle neck

Sean Kelly · « **Reply #6 on:** April 29, 2008, 02:01:30 pm »

Danno,
I also heard it's really sweet. Should be interesting to try. At such a small batch, it's not big deal if it doesn't turn out right.
As for the oranges, I was told to just run the wine through a cheese cloth to filter the chunks, let that settle, and rack it once more before bottling. I cut my oranges into large slices and it will be pretty much impossible to get mine out without disturbing the wine.

Sean Kelly

danno · « **Reply #7 on:** April 29, 2008, 02:30:52 pm »

what i do is remove the oranges. this will stir things up abit let it all settle out and bottle. I would be afraid of oxidation trying to strain it

here is a link to one that I am making now. this has been racked once and has been clearing for the best part of a year. It is now ready to bottle and is REALLY good!!! Crystal clear

http://www.ladybridget.com/m/chocmead.html

BMAC · « **Reply #8 on:** April 29, 2008, 03:21:48 pm »

One of my favorite topics.

I just sampled some of our Apple Butter Cyser I started back in November when the local Apple Cider was pouring off the presses. It has clarified and although it is still a bit on the sweet side, it is wonderful. You can pick up the delicate honey flavor along with the Apple Butter and cinnamon. My wife didn't like that I spent 100 bucks to make this stuff but made the comment that we will be doubling the batch this coming fall.

Woohoo.... I knew she would come around.

If you want to check out the recipe goto http://www.applebuttercyser.com

Follow the recipe to include the specialty sugar. Yummy....... Oh yeah. This stuff will knock your socks off when it is done. It is like 20% ABV.

Kimbrell · « **Reply #9 on:** April 30, 2008, 12:22:23 am »

Danno,
Chocolate Mead?!!!! Now why didn't I think of that? Too bad it takes a year to make. I could go for a taste right now!

Cindi · « **Reply #10 on:** April 30, 2008, 10:40:13 am »

Scott, I have heard of Joe's Ancient Orange Mead before, I heard it is really wonderful. EXCEPT, I can't stand sweet things. I have to wonder if all meads are sweet, that would not be a good thing for me. I have four gallons of honey left over from last year's harvest and I want to get some mead going.

So, anyone got a mead recipe that is not sweet, if you do, please put it on the forum. I don't think that chocolate mead would suit my fancy, but it sounds beautiful for those that like chocolate. Looking forward to some mead recipes.

I read that site called "got mead" and there is really some interesting educating going on there about all the aspects of making mead. I have forgotten most of it by now though, hee, hee, but mead making is truly a most beautiful form of art. Have that beautiful and most wonderful day, our sun is shinin' today, haven't had much of that lately. Cindi

danno · « **Reply #11 on:** April 30, 2008, 11:01:04 am »

Cindi
To make a wine dry you need a hydrometer to measure the fermentables. All yeast will die at a known alcohol level or the point that it runs out of food. You would want to add just enough sugar or honey in this case that all sugar is converted when the mead reaches this level. This is a link to another forum on mead making. You can get alot of recipes and proceedures from this site
http://www.finevinewines.com//Wiz/forum/forum_topics.asp?FID=15

Cindi · « **Reply #12 on:** May 01, 2008, 12:53:56 am »

Danno, I have a hydrometer, thank you for that link, I will check it out, best of this wonderful day, Cindi

Nate · « **Reply #13 on:** May 01, 2008, 12:05:21 pm »

I want to suggest a mead making website to you all.
gotmead.com
Great site, has the most mead info of any website out there (self-acclaimed anyways)
Take a look, tons of forums, instructions, beginner info, etc etc etc

Just saw that Cindi already mentioned that site.
You can make meads dry without any sugar. Any yeast that will consume all the sugars won't be as sweet.

ooptec · « **Reply #14 on:** May 14, 2008, 08:12:03 pm »

Hey,

IMHO bread yeast makes wonderful bread, but booze, not so much. There are specific mead yeasts, one for dry and one for sweet.

BTW mead making got me started in bees not the other way around lol

cheers

peter

danno · « **Reply #15 on:** May 15, 2008, 09:02:54 am »

ooptec
Anyone that has any experience making wine or beer know that yeasts are different but the author of this orange recipe makes it clear that you need to forget what you know and follow this recipe to the T. I have made this a couple of time for my VERY SWEET wine loving friends and it turns out great everytime.

Vetch · « **Reply #16 on:** May 21, 2008, 01:39:57 pm »

Don't even need a hydrometer to make dry meads. Just use less honey and make sure it is thoroughly fermented before bottling - plenty of recipes for the amount. The real trick is going for something not too dry, not too sweet, not too strong. That takes a bit of skill (or sorbate).

danno · « **Reply #17 on:** May 21, 2008, 03:33:35 pm »

make it dry, sorbate it and back sweeten to taste

MrILoveTheAnts · « **Reply #18 on:** June 21, 2008, 12:15:13 am »

Hi, I'd like to make up 2 wine sized bottles of mead. Can someone tell me what am I doing? No one seems to say how to make it other than add honey, water, and yeast (and others stuff if you like).

Now Do I want to boil the water first?
Do I want the Must mixed so it's a wine like liquid or can it still be mostly honey and glob around as honey mostly does?
Basically step by step can someone tell me what I should be doing and what to look for. I'm interested in a simple mead that doesn't take vary long to become drinkable, and also tastes good.

Thank you in advance.

Cindi · « **Reply #19 on:** June 23, 2008, 10:36:38 am »

MILTA, I think the word is "bump", hee, hee. You will get answers, now this post has come to the forefront again so it won't be overlooked. Good luck.....Beautiful and most wonderful day in this life. Cindi