Ancient Orange and Spice Mead

[llannige]

I found this recipe knocking about various mead websites.It was described as an easy one to make.It was too, my one and only attempt at Mead.It turned out good.Early turn around.3-4 months.You could even drink it earlier if you can't wait.

1.6kg T**co Honey(I kept it cheap in case it went down the sink)
Large Orange
28 Raisins (crush or cut in half)
1 Stick of Cinnamon
1 Whole Clove
Pinch of Nutmeg
Pinch of Allspice
1 tsp bread yeast
1 tsp yeast nutrient

To make 1 gallon.

This success will encourage me to try other recipes.

 

[Wez]

You'll have to excuse my ignorance, but do you just bottle mead in the same way that you do wine?

 

[llannige]

After 7 weeks I racked to a clean demi-john with a little Bentonite.
1 week later I syphoned into a stainless steel pot first,to remove the sediment.(3/4 inch deep)It was quite clear by this time, and then into bottles which were crown capped.
Crystal clear by the time it was drunk after 4 months.

 

[Wez]

Is it a still drink, with no carbonation?

 

[llannige]

Most meads as far as I know don't take to carbonation,unless its a particular "sparkling or champagne type".
This one certainly does not.

I never added any sugar to mine and it turned out O.K.
If you find it needs sweetening a little in the demi-john (try a little tasting) add a little sugar.But make sure you stabilize it before bottling as it will only kick off fermentation again in the bottle.Leading to bottle bombs.
I am by no means an expert on mead or wine making,but I am sure I am correct on this.

 

[Wez]

Nice one, I know nothing about it but this is enlightening :thumb:

 

[percival]

yum yum looks like lots of nice flavours here that go well together traditionally.

i have a couple of questions .....

Did you use the zest and juice of the orange?
At what stage did you add and then remove the whole spices?

 

[BrewStew]

that looks excellent. i'll be brewing this very soon! :thumb:

 

[llannige]

Hi Perci
I just gave the Orange a good scrub then cut into 8 pieces and popped into demi-john.
As for the spices.I don't know if this was correct,but I just left them in.
Here's the plot.

Treat water with a cambden tab the night before.
1L water in d.j
Dissolve honey in warm water and add
Wash and slice Oranges and add
Add raisins,clove,cinnamon,nutmeg and allspice
Add crushed Cambden tab to sanitize must and fill with cold water to about 3 inches from top.(top up after initial fermentation has ceased)
Now give the d.j a bloody good shake.
When at room temp,add 1 tsp bread yeast plus 1tsp nutrient and give it a gentle stir.
Fit air lock and leave in dark place at room temp.

Hope this is clear enough to follow.

 

[percival]

thanks llannige, i never imagined it would be that simple, very nice, and grats on the results!
:drunk:

 

[Jonnyv]

I've made mead once. I would make it again, but all that honey gives you one hell of a hangover if you have a few glasses of it :twisted:

I used orange blossom honey which gave the mead a nice twang. I still have a bottle which I'm leaving longer - it did ferment a little too dry though so I may sweeten it a bit.

Definitely worth giving a go :thumb:

 

[llannige]

Johnnyv

Go for it.
Certainly won't do it any harm sweetening it up with a little sugar. :thumb:

 

[senorjoeyo]

Want to try this, how strong did it come out (only need a ballpark figure)?
Also do you reackon I could skip the pinch of nutmeg?

 

[llannige]

It came out at 17%
I not sure about the nutmeg to be honest,can't see it making a lot of difference :hmm:

I,m sure you won't be disappointed with this recipe.

Let us know how you get on.

 

[percival]

i'm a stranger to mead (except as a very occasional drinker), but far from a stranger to spices. Leaving out the nutmeg shouldn't be a problem at all. You could try other spices like star anise, mace (tho you are unlikely to like this if you don't like nutmeg), ginger, even green cardamon if you are feeling adventurous (works very well in coffee, ice-cream, tea - think chai. Whole spices are way better than powders as they still have all their delicate more aromatic flavours rather than the dusty old flavours from powders.

 

[senorjoeyo]

Have started my brew, and it is bubbling away as I type, its a bit of a bastardisation of the recipe posted as I could not get hold of the right ingrediants, and was too eagre to wait. Used the honey and orange as specified but then added lemon, assorted winter herbs and all spice. Can't wait til its ready just loving brewing something weird and hopefully wonderful.

 

[llannige]

Sounds like its going well.

Keep up the good work :thumb:

 

[smoothlager]

good

 

[oldbloke]

I'm wondering how important the bread yeast is in this recipe - I did it with a champagne yeast, took longer to clear than yours and is taking longer to mature into something really nice. I mean, it's drinkable, and some people tell me they actively like it, but I find it a bit thin.

 

[Moley]

I should perhaps point out that this topic is two and a half years old, and has been bumped for no apparent reason. :wha:

Although llannige does still visit the forum from time to time, unfortunately he very seldom posts nowadays, and unless he has used this recipe on a regular basis he might not recall how it turned out.