Joe Mattioli's Ancient Orange and spice Mead recipe

[Her Lushness]

Talking of being patient... I started a Lemon and Lime and an orange mead on the 16th May.

The fruit in both DJs have dropped, but neither are showing any signs of starting to clear.

Is this usual for it to take so long to clear, and shall I just be a bit more patient, or shall I rack them off and use finings?
I'm a bit worried about leavings the lees in there for so long.

(I think I know what Bob'll say here, but I had to check anyway!)

[sb44]

I knew patience would come to you, you just had to wait.....

Tased it today and even though the other one was nice there is a big difference between the two.

I only started this second batch on the 30th May but it does taste quite smooth.

Think I will have to bottle it tomorrow and start a new batch.

Does anyone think it's worth trying with a lime instead of the orange?

[lockwood1956]

dont worry too much, I have had it look really skanky and the end product has been fine


However if you are worried about it, rack off the debris and top it up

(you will sleep easier of a nightime )

[goldseal]

Well, I'm amazed.

After fretting about my slow fermentation I finally learning a bit of patience, and chucked it in the back of the cupboard and forgot about it.

At 7am this morning, a month after starting, I remembered I hadn't topped it up (approx 4.5L in a 5L container), so I headed for the garage, expecting to find some black fruit in some manky liquid.

Wrong. Fruit still looks healthy somehow - must be the CO2.

SG is 1.006, which I think is fantastic considering the earlier lethary (the yeast, not me ).

Taste: Well, I have no idea what mead is supposed to taste like, but I do like this. Citrussy, warm, smooth, just sweet enough to be palatable.

Overall, I'm chuffed

Now, I think I'd better top it up, then throw it back in the cupboard for another month. Hopefully it will clear in that time.

[BennyBoy]

What happens when you want to make 5 gallons of this stuff?













haha 16 tesco's own brand and 7 bottles of another honey in total, worked out how much i needed in my head so i may be out bit.

they are 340g each
i need 1587.573 g per gallon, thats 7937.9g in total.
I have 7820g, that keaves me short by 117.9g
Wooohooo not bad really concidering it was a guestamate

[fatbloke]

That's why it's best to keep an eye out Bennyboy.

Tesco's "value" honey is indeed in 340g jars, but Tesco's normal honey is in 454g jars.

Or if you keep an eye out elsewhere, you can find good prices like I've seen on more than one occasion - the local Somerfield keep having 2 for £250 so £1.25 a jar (454g/1lb) isn't bad at all.

If you were making "traditional" mead then I'd say find a local supplier as it'll usually work out cheaper than a supermarket for varietal honey's (my local bloke does buckets - 1.3kg i.e. 3lb which is about right for a gallon of "Trad").

Though if it's gonna be like JAO or cyser/pyment/metheglin/melomel then the heavily processed/blended/whatever type cheap stuff is fine - the honey isn't gonna be the main flavour.

Good on yer though! To be short of what? less than 5oz's ? Not bad going.

Are you gonna use bread yeast as per the original recipe ? Or wine yeast ?

I just find that bread yeast leaves it far too sweet, wine yeast will ferment it dry but you can always back sweeten is to taste.

regards

JtFB

[rjb222]

Well I finally tasted my mead the other evening. I have to say I am impressed I waited until the fruit sank the only thing I may change next time is using only the zest of the orange and the pulp of the orange instead of the whole orange I found the result a tad bitter. I assume this is from the pith.

[BennyBoy]

I am gonna make mine with bread yeast as i have a sweet tooth
I have around 15 DJ's not doing much so i was thnking of making it all out in them instead of my plastic fermentation bin.
Then i could do like 3 with Bread yeast and 2 with General purpose.

FB i have been looking everywere for a farm shop or soemthing that sell's it in my area.
Just can't find any place, i live in weybride in surrey and if anyone knows something close please let me know.

Tesco's own brand 340g is 61p a jar
Tesco's own brand 450 is over a pound

i usually make my meads with quite expensive organic honey importated from new zealand and sold in Tesco's.
It tastes fantastic, but i was wondering what the taste difference would be wth Tesco's cheap stuff .

Gonna start it on monday after i have been to the pick your own so i plan to make around 7-8 gallons of mead/wine over this weekend

[Mamgiowl]

Lidl's honey was well under a £ for 500grms, (over a lb ). I have made about 6 batches with it and it is scrummy. I'd highly recommend it.

[BennyBoy]

Lidl's honey was well under a £ for 500grms, (over a lb ). I have made about 6 batches with it and it is scrummy. I'd highly recommend it.

No Lidl were i live - but i am gonna look for a honey farmer quite proactively

[Richard S]

Benny

Have you made this before? If not, make a gallon with bread yeast and another gallon with a good winemaking yeast. I wouldn't like to see you stuck with 5 gallons of something you don't like.

[BennyBoy]

Benny

Have you made this before? If not, make a gallon with bread yeast and another gallon with a good winemaking yeast. I wouldn't like to see you stuck with 5 gallons of something you don't like.

Yeah good idea, then i can just make the other 3 into what i prefer (or maybe some diferent fruit)

2 gallons it is, i'll post a blog of it

[fatbloke]

I am gonna make mine with bread yeast as i have a sweet tooth
I have around 15 DJ's not doing much so i was thnking of making it all out in them instead of my plastic fermentation bin.
Then i could do like 3 with Bread yeast and 2 with General purpose.

FB i have been looking everywere for a farm shop or soemthing that sell's it in my area.
Just can't find any place, i live in weybride in surrey and if anyone knows something close please let me know.

Tesco's own brand 340g is 61p a jar
Tesco's own brand 450 is over a pound

i usually make my meads with quite expensive organic honey importated from new zealand and sold in Tesco's.
It tastes fantastic, but i was wondering what the taste difference would be wth Tesco's cheap stuff .

Gonna start it on monday after i have been to the pick your own so i plan to make around 7-8 gallons of mead/wine over this weekend

My local tescos doesn't always have the 340g "value" honey, but they always seem to have the "normal" own brand stuff - I get that as it's easier to calculate for recipes.

I've posted a link to the bloke I get my varietal honey from in your "I need honey" thread. I'm gonna start getting it in buckets as it works out cheaper than 1lb jars and the varietal stuff is usually cheaper than the Rowse stuff that tescos seem to stock!

Lidl's honey was well under a £ for 500grms, (over a lb ). I have made about 6 batches with it and it is scrummy. I'd highly recommend it.

I got some of that before, it was Greek honey, unfortunately my local Lidl doesn't always have it in stock - only a small branch.

No Lidl were i live - but i am gonna look for a honey farmer quite proactively

The BBKA links in your "I need honey" thread might lead you to a producer direct. Obviously it's probably just gonna be "wild flower" honey, but if you can get some that hasn't been processed i.e. just spun out of the comb, don't forget it might need heating, to remove any "bee debris".

Yeah good idea, then i can just make the other 3 into what i prefer (or maybe some diferent fruit)

2 gallons it is, i'll post a blog of it

Shame you aren't a bit closer to the coast (you're an hour up the road from me), because I've got "standard" JAO, one gallon with orange, one gallon with lemon and one gallon with lime, all ageing now (made with bread yeast), plus 2 gallons of "lemon and lime", one gallon with bread yeast and one with 71B - I'm waiting for the fruit to drop (actually I'm now reminded to check it to see ).

regards

JtFB

[BennyBoy]

i made the first batch last night, i'll post pics later on

[BennyBoy]

Pics as promised





Isn't this pic beatuiful? BennyBoys Entourage holding mead - now thats a good idea for a calender lol, women holding mead HAHA