Joe's Ancient Orange Recipe
Ok couple of things of this recipe..
The yeast I cannot get this exact
one.
Clover Honey is hard to get unless I can find a bee keeper in UK that
sells it.
Any one help and advise as I want to keep close to the recipe
as possible.
Maikiro
Please see below:
Here is a full
repost of the Joe's Ancient Orange recipe for those who like to have something
for their brew archives.
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. Wikdwaze, you might like this one better than your Chaucer’s since 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.
Enjoy, Joe
