# Ancient orange mead results?



## fireweed farm (Dec 31, 2010)

Has anyone tried the recipe, and if so how'd it turn out for you?

I did two separate gallons exactly as recipe called for, and two separate gallons using juiced oranges plus added zest.
The juiced oranges are WAY better at 3 months.

Will the 2 gallons that had the chopped oranges attached to peel ever get nice? I racked at just over 2 months. What a pain getting the orange chunks out.

And I'd like to try this recipe with actual wine or mead yeast instead of the bread yeast the recipe called for. Any idea how to choose which, and quantity?

Interested in others results too.


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

I've had good luck with JOE. It's one of the wifes favorites and I make it in 5 and 6 gallon batches.

As for not clearing, did you wait for the chunks to drop to the bottom before racking? If not then very likely you stopped the fermentation process before it was complete. Racking early can take away the nutrients that yeast needs to do it's work. It may never clear out if it was stopped before completion.

For wine yeast D-47 has about the same alcohol tolerance as bread yeast so it's about the same, maybe just slightly dryer. Other yeasts like EC-1118 make it alot dryer and the pithyness of the peel comes forward and ruins the taste. Juicing would help, but then it's nolonger Joe's Ancient Orange.

WWW


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## snettrecker (Jan 27, 2006)

I started a batch last week. It's my first time making mead. Sorry I can't contribute to how it turns out, but hopefully in a couple months I'll be able to have some pertinent input.


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## Nyxchik (Aug 14, 2012)

Joe's is how we got started making mead (like a lot of folks I guess). We like it, always turns out rather sweet but that's our preference vs dry. Now we use D47 in 5-6 gal but we are using a totally different process. I agree with www, make sure it's clear (all the fruit has dropped) before you rack it- it's easy to get impatient and rack it too early. Not saying that's what you did, but it has happened to lots of us...:bored:
~nyx


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## TXWildcat (Mar 26, 2014)

i started my first batch last month. followed the recipe to a "t". i checked it last night and it is close. the brew is just slightly cloudy. i hope its ready in a few weeks. i will post the results when i sample it. 

my next batch will be with real brew yeast. no fleishmans 


Live life in such a way that the preacher won't have to lie at your funeral.


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

TXWildcat said:


> i started my first batch last month. followed the recipe to a "t". i checked it last night and it is close. the brew is just slightly cloudy. i hope its ready in a few weeks. i will post the results when i sample it.
> 
> my next batch will be with real brew yeast. no fleishmans
> 
> ...


So the fruits started to drop? When the oranges hit the bottom is how you tell it's done.

One note on using a wine yeast. That will increase the alcohol content and make it dryer. The sweetness of this recipe helps hide its flaws. The biggest one being pithy/bitter taste from the orange pith. So if you try a wine yeast also increase the honey to at least 4 lbs per gallon to help offset that. It still may end up with a bitter taste and have a kick that comes on all at once.

WWW


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## TXWildcat (Mar 26, 2014)

so next batch take the rinds off the orange? some of the oranges have settled but most are still floating. 


Live life in such a way that the preacher won't have to lie at your funeral.


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## snettrecker (Jan 27, 2006)

my batch is doing funny stuff. It's really clear, but the oranges are still floating at the top. Well, sometimes they are on the top and then a few of them will fall, stay down for a few hours or days, then they will go back up to the top. I've got another week before the 2 months is up and I'm anxious to taste this. I'm trying to be patient however. Not planning on racking until the fruit all settles.


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## TXWildcat (Mar 26, 2014)

i racked mine tonight. all the fruit except for a few raisans sank to the bottom over a week ago. 

it is sweet with a bit of cough syrup taste. it burns all the way down like whiskey.


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## Xplorer (Sep 23, 2010)

Now your scaring me. When we racked ours the oranges were still floating. I hope we get good results because it's tough when you wait as long as you do just to find you don't like the results. Been 2 months and can't hardly wait to try it. Ours was clear though.


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

snettrecker said:


> my batch is doing funny stuff. It's really clear, but the oranges are still floating at the top. Well, sometimes they are on the top and then a few of them will fall, stay down for a few hours or days, then they will go back up to the top. I've got another week before the 2 months is up and I'm anxious to taste this. I'm trying to be patient however. Not planning on racking until the fruit all settles.


It'll do that at times. All is OK.

What's happening is that the alcohol level is rising allow the fruit to drop. Some of the yeast though is eating the sugars in the fruit. This creates CO2 that is being trapped in the skins and then making it rise. Once the CO2 is able to exscape it drops again and repeats until the sugar is gone or yeast dies out.

WWW


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

TXWildcat said:


> i racked mine tonight. all the fruit except for a few raisans sank to the bottom over a week ago.
> 
> it is sweet with a bit of cough syrup taste. it burns all the way down like whiskey.


Let it age a couple months and the burn will die down. Did you sulfite and sorbate that before bottling? Hope so or you could have bombs on your hands.

WWW


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## TXWildcat (Mar 26, 2014)

i forgot to add the sorbate. i have some. the bottles are in the fridge so they shouldn't blow.


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