Hi there, I'm new to the forum and this is my first post and I'm looking for some advice. I've been making beer, wine, and cider for a couple of years now with good results. As you might have guessed from the thread title I live in Saudi so my set-up is very basic, no flash equipment, no funky yeasts. I just use a big plastic water bottle and bread yeast. I want to give mead a go so does anyone have any tips? I have some 100% honey, bread yeast and a water bottle. Anybody done it in a similar way? Everything else I've brewed has turned out very well.
Mead in Saudi?
- Thread starter Bigdurian
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Search for Joe's Ancient Orange Mead (JAOM) it uses bread yeast and everything else you need can be obtained from a local market, eg. Orange, nutmeg, cinnamon, raisins. Follow the recipe and you will have a drinkable beverage in 8-9 weeks and if you leave it longer it gets better. Now I don't particularly like fermented orange and there are many variations that use other fruits but most suggest to make the JAOM first strictly according to the recipe and they are for the most part very pleased with the results.
JAO is your best bet.
Warning, it packs a punch, not the sort of drink if you plan on going out after.
The bread yeast will serve you well, and the water bottle will be fine.
I assume you crack it just a little to allow the gas out? Or maybe use a ballon?
The process is similar to wine, so following the recipe, it will be pretty simple for you.
Good luck.
Warning, it packs a punch, not the sort of drink if you plan on going out after.
The bread yeast will serve you well, and the water bottle will be fine.
I assume you crack it just a little to allow the gas out? Or maybe use a ballon?
The process is similar to wine, so following the recipe, it will be pretty simple for you.
Good luck.
I normally leave the cap a third of a screw undone, a lot of people here just put a condom over the top. I prefer the cap because when I shake I really do shake and with the condom you would have to take it off and put a cap on. With me, the cap never comes off completely till I rack it off. Don't know what difference it makes but I've never had a bad batch yet apart from my first two.
I had a look at the JAOM recipe and it looks fairly straightforward, I'm not sure about the orange flavour though, don't know if that's what I want. Does it really mess it up if you change things around that much? I would like to try an unflavoured mead first to see what it tastes like on it's own, seeing how this is my first time and all. I'll probably try 3 or four different ways, and play around with the honey water ratio to see what I like.
Don't think I'll be going out after anyway. Saudi Arabia isn't exactly known for its wild nightlife, it does have a very strong brewing community though for obvious reasons!;D
Thanks for your suggestions and help.
I had a look at the JAOM recipe and it looks fairly straightforward, I'm not sure about the orange flavour though, don't know if that's what I want. Does it really mess it up if you change things around that much? I would like to try an unflavoured mead first to see what it tastes like on it's own, seeing how this is my first time and all. I'll probably try 3 or four different ways, and play around with the honey water ratio to see what I like.
Don't think I'll be going out after anyway. Saudi Arabia isn't exactly known for its wild nightlife, it does have a very strong brewing community though for obvious reasons!;D
Thanks for your suggestions and help.
It can. It depends upon WHAT you change. See, it's designed as a beginner's mead. Something to give you confidence.
It is a simple recipe, but it's designed to be foolproof... quite a task, since we fools can be so ingenious. If you use less honey, it can ferment dry, and the bitterness of the orange pith takes over. If you use just the orange zest and not the pith, it comes out with nothing to balance the sweetness. So, yeah, it can effect the outcome.
You've made mead before, so you probably dont need the 'confidence' part. What you NEED is the nutrients and a couple of pieces of equipment...
I'd recommend, at a minimum, that you get a couple of glass 1 gallon or 4L jugs, an airlock and drilled stopper (or you an use a balloon with a pinhole in it), a hydrometer and maybe a pH meter. Bread yeast is not optimum, but it will work if you want a 12% alch brew maximum. Raisins and boiled bread yeast will replace nutrients, and above all, patience should be added in liberal doses all along the way.
Good luck,
Joe
If you can get frozen raspberries I think it would be a good substitute. The seeds in the raspberries will give you the tannins that will replace the bitterness of the orange pith to balance out the sweetness. I think on this site Chevette Girl has done the most extensive variety of JAOM variations and I'm sure she'll have a raspberry recipe around here somewhere. I was checking over my notes and I did a raspberry melomel that ended up at 1.002 and it was wickedly tart, and I don't mind that, but it would have been better at JAOM levels of sweetness of 1.020 or so.
The orange flavor in JAOM isn't overpowering. Since it finishes sweet, you're really getting the flavor of whatever varietal honey you use, not to mention the cinnamon and cloves. I made mine with ornage blossom honey and even then, the flavor wasn't "orange."
Would strawberries work? they're coming into season soon. Don't really get raspberries here and if you do they cost an absolute fortune, more than the honey!
First time meader but a lot of experience with other things. Working on lychee wine at the moment.
Hmm, lychee wine you say?? I LOVE lychee, but never thought of making a wine out of them. OK you convinced me to add that to my to-brew list (drags out a tome the size of an entire encyclopedia set and makes notes using a feather quill from a Roc). But seriously that sounds so yummy!
So I started on the mead about 3 weeks ago, maybe a bit more. I decided to go my own way and just make it the same way that I would make wine, beer, or cider. Remember I'm in Saudi so my starting base is low. Anyway, I normally shake vigorously every day until there is no more gas released and then put it back down to brew. I was doing this until I went to the beach on the Persian Gulf for a few days. I got back late last night and didn't have a look till today. I had two lots on the go, one at a 1:2 ratio and one at a 1:3 ratio. While I was away they had both totally cleared so I racked it off and had a tester. The 1:3 was a bit dry but still tasted good but the 1:2 was lovely. So on the whole I'm pretty pleased. I know a bit more now about how to approach doing larger quantities, and I know I can get something drinkable in a month. I'll probably put them away for a while and see how they improve with age. No idea about alcohol content but there was a warm glow inside so I'm guessing at 12%. So if anyone reading this, is as lacking in facilities as I am then there is hope.
Congratulations. I really think that if you try the JAOM you will be very happy with the result. It does not need any special ingredients (honey, water, raisins, oranges, clove and cinnamon) and it uses regular bread yeast. It finishes in about 10 weeks and you don't have to shake it or move it or even touch it until it's done. Just keep it dark and cool.
Sent from my galafreyan transdimensional communicator 100 years from now.
Sent from my galafreyan transdimensional communicator 100 years from now.
Meh... with all the silver plated Audi's running around I bet there's a fridge or two in operation.
