I was wondering, With all the different types of mead & recipes,
Has anyone ever come up with a No Fail Mead recipe?
Has anyone ever come up with a No Fail Mead recipe?
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No Fail Mead
- Thread starter MJJ
- Start date
The closest thing to foolproof is probably Joe's Ancient Orange (JAO). It comes the closest to no-fail because the directions are basic - just mix it up, airlock it, and let it be until the yeast give up and the mead clears. Hard to get much simpler than that.
+1 on JAO, it really is pretty idiot-proof. Unless you mess with it and don't follow all the instructions (I'm an idiot, I admit it).
Your not a long term typical mead maker unless you've made JOA and not followed the directions at least once ... ;-)
Like what everyone's said, you can't get it any easier than JAOM. Otherwise the next best thing would simply be buying yourself a bottle of mead.
The peel taste comes from the pith, or white part of the orange.
Several things that can do this.
#1 if you adjusted the recipe and didn't add enough honey it will come out too dry and the pith will be overpowering.
#2 If you used a wine yeast instead of bread yeast it will pump up the ABV as well as making it drier, and will cause the same problem (but take even longer to age out)
#3 Not so much a cause but effect. The pith taste will eventually age out. Give it some time sitting in a dark closet. Start with at least 6 months from pitch date. If that isn't enough try 1 year from pitch date. It just keeps getting better!
#4 If you want it to still be ready sooner and not worry about aging so much, try zesting and peeling half the orange(s) you use. If still not up to taste try a little more aging, or simply zest and peel all the orange(s).
#5 If you want to get really technical with a JAO, take a starting gravity reading and a finishing gravity reading. Sample some, if not up to your standards, back-sweeten some. Keep back-sweetening until it matches what you want. Take an SG reading.
The first set of readings tell you about what you can expect your bread yeast to do in terms of point drop in SG. This will allow you to calculate where your OG should be in future batches to achieve your preferred FG.
Per gallon I used 3.5 lbs of clover honey & 1 packet of fleshmens yeast.
Added correct spices & wrapped jug in bath towel & tucked away in closet for 6 months, Undisturbed!
Well, if you just don't like orange very much it might be a little overpowering, even once the bitterness is gone. +1 on the suggestion to just use the zest and the fruit, I don't make JAO with the pith anymore since it gives me heartburn, but if you skip the zest, you get almost no orange flavour... I think there's a whole thread on JAO variations, some good suggestions on there. My favourite is using 12 ounces of crushed blackberries instead of the orange, I also either skip the spices or substitute some allspice berries in for the clove. Your mileage may vary, but that's my "always do" recipe.
