This is my first ever try at brewing anthing...I've always wanted to try mead, so why not just make some! After hours ( and hours ) of reading and YouTube, i started my 1st batch.
I'm doing a gal...i used 3# of honey, 1 med orange, 25 smashed raisins and Lalvin 71B.
Its day 5 and everything seems to be going well. i was pleasantly surprised by the sweet aroma coming out of the airlock. don't really know what i was expecting, but surprised none the less! i don't own a hydrometer, yet!
Wish me luck
Welcome to the forums.........
For your further reading enjoyment, the NewBee guide is linked in the left hand side yellow dialogue box.
Also, with your first batch on the go and ingredients listed, I'll highlight the basic JAO recipe in chapter 6 of the guide, because you seem to have used similar ingredients but varying a little.
Now the JAO recipe is very specific and easy to mix/make so it gives consistent and repeatable results......I think you'd find the JAO thread is the longest one here but its likely worth a read if you can plough through it.
Why ? Because you have used a wine yeast with the similar ingredients. This will likely take it dry with that honey/water ratio, which isn't a problem per se, but what that often does, is focus the flavour on the pith of the orange and resulting bitterness.
JAO uses bread yeast because that generally dies off at a lower alcohol level, leaving residual sugars that balance the bitterness. Hence given that you've used a bit less honey, this increases that possibility.
Don't worry unduly, let it finish and clear. It can usually be tweaked to help modify the taste.
Above all, remember patience as that's usually the hardest thing to learn, especially when just starting out......
