Joe's Ancient Orange and SpiceMead

[uavwmn]

I saw some pictures of this mead and I may try my hand at making a gallon.


Does anyone have the recipe for this mead?
Thank you in advance~

 

[montyfox]

Here ya go. I made my first batch of this last year. Its been aging for a year now and I had my first taste last week. Just like so many who have come before me, I Wish I had made more than just one gallon.


I think this was posted by Smurf some time ago.



Joe Mattioli's Ancient <?amespace prefix = st1 ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficearttags" /><st1:City><st1lace>Orange</st1lace></st1:City> and Spice Mead

It is so simple to make and you can make it without much equipment and with a multitude of variations. This could be a first Mead for the novice as it is almost fool proof. It is a bit unorthodox but it has never failed me or the friends I have shared it with. (snip)...it will be sweet, complex and tasty.

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

Process:

Use a clean 1 gallon carboy

Dissolve honey in some warm water and put in carboy

Wash orange well to remove any pesticides and slice in eights --add orange (you can push em through opening big boy -- rinds included -- its ok for this mead -- take my word for it -- ignore the experts)

Put in raisins, clove, cinnamon stick, any optional ingredients and fill to 3 inches from the top with cold water. ( need room for some foam -- you can top off with more water after the first few day frenzy)

Shake the heck out of the jug with top on, of course. This is your sophisticated aeration process.

When at room temperature in your kitchen, put in 1 teaspoon of bread yeast. ( No you don't have to rehydrate it first-- the ancients didn't even have that word in their vocabulary-- just put it in and give it a gentle swirl or not)(The yeast can fight for their own territory)

Install water airlock. Put in dark place. It will start working immediately or in an hour. (Don't use grandma's bread yeast she bought years before she passed away in the 90's)( Wait 3 hours before you panic or call me) After major foaming stops in a few days add some water and then keep your hands off of it. (Don't shake it! Don't mess with them yeastees! Let them alone except its okay to open your cabinet to smell every once in a while.

Racking --- Don't you dare
additional feeding --- NO NO
More stirring or shaking -- Your not listening, don't touch

After 2 months and maybe a few days it will slow down to a stop and clear all by itself. (How about that) (You are not so important after all) Then you can put a hose in with a small cloth filter on the end into the clear part and siphon off the golden nectar. If you wait long enough even the oranges will sink to the bottom but I never waited that long. If it is clear it is ready. You don't need a cold basement. It does better in a kitchen in the dark. (Like in a cabinet) likes a little heat (70-80). If it didn't work out... you screwed up and didn't read my instructions (or used grandma's bread yeast she bought years before she passed away) . If it didn't work out then take up another hobby. Mead is not for you. It is too complicated.
If you were successful, which I am 99% certain you will be, then enjoy your mead. When you get ready to make different mead you will probably have to unlearn some of these practices I have taught you, but hey--- This recipe and procedure works with these ingredients so don't knock it. It was your first mead. It was my tenth. Sometimes, even the experts can forget all they know and make good ancient mead.
<?amespace prefix = o ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" />Have fun and for your own sake, make at least a 3 gallon batch. You'll thank me later.
Monty

 

[smurfe]

Yup, that's the recipe. Follow it closely and remember that more is not good always. If you add extra spices it can be over powering. Same with the oranges.If you add a lot of extra thinking to get more orange flavor the oils in the skins can make it very hot on the tongue.Also, the bread yeast works great. Don't think you need wine yeast. If you use wine yeast you chance it fermenting to dry. Ask me how I know all of this.

I have made this recipe quite a few times and the original (to the "T")recipe has always been the best other than the time I made it with Kumquats. That was the best mead I ever made and it was basically this recipe with bread yeast.

 

[uavwmn]

Monty, thank you so much for the recipe. I am on vacation all next week and I am going to start this on the weekend!!!!!!


I can use those 1 gallon glass jugs that are commercial wines, correct? And if I wanted to make 2 gallons I just double the recipe.


Is this a wine I would bottle in a small bottle? 375ml?
How long does it bulk age?


I will post pictures this weekend!!

 

[uavwmn]

Smurfe, I will follow the recipe "to the "T". Will go and get a couple gallon jugs from the store tonight. ummmmm, guess I better drink alittle of that stuff too.

 

[montyfox]

I used a glass gallon jug simular to the ones that apple cider comes in. Here is a link so you can see some pictures.


http://www.finevinewines.com//Wiz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5186

I let mine set for a couple of months until the oranges dropped to the bottom. By that time it had self cleared and rather than rack and bulk age, I bottled. I used the smaller 375ml bottles because I wasn't sure how much I would be able to drink in one setting and didn't want the wine to go bad once opened. Beleive me, this wasn't a problem. It is very good.


If you are going to bulk age, I'd rack it after the fruit drops. For me this happened after about 2 months. Also, I let mine age for about a year before I drank any. Well worth the wait. I'm definately going to be making more after the first of the year.


Have fun


Monty

 

[uavwmn]

smurfe, do you think if I used wild flower honey for the JAO it would be ok?
We have a "KillerBeeGuy" here in Bisbee, AZ who makes awesome bee butter!!
He goes around the local area and collects killer bees from hives in sheds, roofs, trees, etc.

 

[smurfe]

It should be just fine. In fact, the best batch I ever made, the Kumquat was made with the store brand generic honey from Wal Mart.

 

[Scott]

Has anyone made this receipe without the cinnnamon and clove?


This is next on my list of things to do, have an empty carboy

.


Thanks

 

[uavwmn]

Monty, I saw some yeast near the top of the jug. So, I "shook" the jug to disperse the yeast. It has been sitting in the jug for about 10 days.
Think I should start over as I strayed from your instructions.

 

[dragonmaster42]

From what I've read, the recipe is pretty forgiving so I wouldn't worry too much about it. I have 2 5gal carboys that have been bubbling away since mid December - one with navel oranges and one with blood oranges.

 

[admiral]

This recipe sounds so good! OK, add this to my list of "Must Trys."

 

[uavwmn]

dragon, oo oo the blood orange mead sounds interesting!!!!!

 

[dragonmaster42]

I'm looking forward to that one, too. I've always liked the flavor of the blood oranges and I'm curious what it'll do for the mead. Some of them wereslightly tart but the season for them in CA and FL is just starting up so these were early. It's a lightpinkishcolor right now.

 

[gaudet]

I started a 1 gallon batch as per directions back in November. Its almost clear its got 2 more days and it'll be 2 months. I started another batch of this, but used kumquats like smurfe had. I started that one on New Years Day. Batch #2 is bubbling away happily. The fruit in batch 1 has not fallen yet, but its clearing slowly. I might rack it despite warnings to leave it until clear. Cause it looks so good.

 

[smurfe]

I started a 1 gallon batch as per directions back in November. Its almost clear its got 2 more days and it'll be 2 months. I started another batch of this, but used kumquats like smurfe had. I started that one on New Years Day. Batch #2 is bubbling away happily. The fruit in batch 1 has not fallen yet, but its clearing slowly. I might rack it despite warnings to leave it until clear. Cause it looks so good.

One thing I might add here. If it is clear, rack it and bottle it or bulk age it. I found that if you wait for the fruit to fall, you loose a lot of liquid. When I did the Kumquat mead I had a lot of volume of fruit in it. I did the vacuum degas trick and the fruit all fell immediately. I then had a fairly deep layer of fruit on the bottom of the carboy as well as the gross lees bed. I lost over a gallon of wine if not closer to two gallons. If the fruit wouldn't of been on the bottom I could of racked down to the lees. I will add though that if you are doing the recipe to the "T" you only have one orange in there so you won't have the issue of a large fruit mass. If it is clear, it is done. The fruit is staying suspended in my opinion by suspended CO2 in the fruit mass. It should clear though without any fining agent fairly quick though. At least in my experience it has.

 

[gaudet]

Advice heeded. I racked it as best I could. Transferred to another car baby. Put 1 campden in to protect it. Degassed with the vacuum pump, and then topped it off with water maybe a half a cup at most. Degassed some more then placed it under airlock to clear some more. Its a little murky, but I liked the flavor. I think its going to be killer. Can't wait to try the Kumquat in 2 months.

 

[rgecaprock]

uav,


You will love the mead. It is so easy and so good!!


http://www.finevinewines.com/wiz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=6444&amp;PN=1


Here is a picture of my bottles and label, but what is inside is truly fantastic. You have to make a batch. This was from a 6 gallon recipe.


Ramona

 

[dragonmaster42]

Ramona, you are incredibly artistic and have an amazing talent with those labels!

 

[admiral]

I couldn't resist. I started my own Ancient Orange and Spice Mead today. It sure is an easy start and the starting nose is great. Thanks for the recipe!