Trying a JAO variation...how does it sound?

[jwickham]

Well I only have half a bottle of my first batch of mead left (which was JAO of course). So, I decided to try something different this time. Since there are no Home Brew shops within a few hours from me, and I am too impatient to wait to get some wine yeast shipped to me, I decided to play around with the JAO recipe. What I ended up using was this:

12 oz Fresh Blackberries
2 lb blackberry honey
1.5 lb wildflower honey
1 cinnamon stick
.5-1 oz pure vanilla extract (only had a little bit left in the bottle so tumped it all in)
and of course the yeast

You guys think this should turn out good?

 

[GrantLee63]

Well, I'm the farthest thing from an expert that can probably be found when it comes to mead, but I do know that JAO is a very specific formulation that works because it was painstakenly developed over a long period of time with LOTS of trials and errors.

With that being said, your recipe sounds really good, and I'm sure you will get a decent finished product. I'm not certain it will come out in the same manner with regard to timing, ABV, and balance that JAO does.

Take it for what it's worth .....

Good Luck !

 

[Oskaar]

Hey JW,

Sounds like an interesting variation. You might consider some orange zest (not a whole lot, but just enough to give you a detectable citrus character) say about 1/3 or less of the orange (you can always add more if needed).

How dark are your honeys? If you have some dark blackberry (mostly amber in my experience, but I've seen some dark stuff) and dark wildflower, you might consider changing the wildflower to clover or orange blossom. That way you don't have a "clash" of strong flavors vying for dominance in the finished product. It really depends on what you're aiming at, and what honeys you have.

If you're going to use bread yeast I'd suggest the Fleishman's regular versus the quick rise.

Hope that helps,

Oskaar

 

[jwickham]

The Blackberry honey is the amber colored and not the dark stuff. The wildflower on the other hand was rather dark. I've already tossed it all in my bottle to get it started, so it is too late to switch out the wildflower for another type anyways...though I will have to consider the orange zest thing. And I am using the Fleishmann's Active Dry yeast.

I am hoping this will finish out less sweet than the JAO recipe...the friends I shared one of my bottles with could only finish one glass of it because it was so sweet. (Not that I mind...left more for me!)

 

[jwickham]

Thought I'd post an update on this since I am drinking a glass of it at the moment! At 2 months it was definately drinkable, and I felt the flavor was better than the original JAO recipe. Of course that is just personal preference I am sure. I finished out less sweet than JAO, but it is still a sweet wine. I decided not to add the orange rind, cause I didn't really dig the aftertaste of it in the original recipe. Finished with a nice floral scent form teh wildflower honey and a noticeable blackberry aftertaste. Definately gonna have to make another batch or 2 of this!