Jao Attempt 2

[watchUburn]

1.5Kg Beechworth honey
0.1Kg Redgum honey (dark)
1.25 Tangelo orange (smallish orange with thin skin. Extra 0.25 added to make up the large orange specified by recipe, peeled)
26 raisins
1 cinnamon stick flaked
1 clove
good pinch nutmeg
i tsp tandaco bread yeast
3.8L spring water

Shaken to buggery as specified
Put in 15 degree controlled environment

 

[dj1984]

A bit off topic here, How do you store mead after you have opend the bottle and how long can you keep it?

 

[watchUburn]

I assume you do the same you would for any other type of wine...
One of the more experienced mead makers might be able to answer that one. I haven't made a mead worth drinking yet.

 

[pdilley]

15 is a bit low you want a range 18-25 to carry out primary fermentation. 15 is fine if you are bulk aging and not worrying about the time. I've got mine now in the brew fridge after 5 months at 25C (originally 20 earlier on in the week) they've cleared to where you can see the fruit but the honey is still rather semi-transparent as with your first batch. But I've been rather naughty with them as people have come around and asked for at taste and so we have Then back into the brew fridge. Everyone likes it so far but serves are liquer glass size serves so we have not put a huge dent in the fermenters.

Once fermented you bottle and cap/cork. It is still mead so no need to worry about carbonation in the bottle. Then clean the fermenter (easy since its such a small size) and you are ready to put it right back into action making the next batch.

It has enough alcohol in it to keep well which usually is until you finish it off. If you like it the problem is keeping it around long enough.


Cheers,
Brewer Pete

 

[watchUburn]

Got a strange white foam in the JAO when I checked today. There are patches of a more orange coloured foam, but this stuff really stands out...
Not sure if it's normal or if I have an infection

 

[pdilley]

Foam on top of Mead in the fermenter is normal. You suffer from my bad photo taking luck where the camera doesnt focus through the glass on the top layer so its hard to see detail. Oranges are sometimes rolled in a vat of orange dye to colour up the green patches on their skin and make them look more appealing to consumers on the shelf so I'd keep an eye on it with that in mind. The whites you see are initial fermentation foaming, longer term milky coating afterwards on glass surfaces and what looks like small bubbly used up dish wash soap layer which is collection of CO2 bubbles.

A clearer photo will help but save that if its only around the oranges and not growing throughout everything or getting fuzzy on top, you're not worried.


Cheers,
Brewer Pete

 

[watchUburn]

Ah. OK. I cleaned the oranges in mild detergent and sanitiser, so I thought they'd be fairly clean.
I was a bit worried about the fine dishwasher type soap bubbles because they haven't been present in any of my other brews.

 

[watchUburn]

The fruit has dropped! Couldn't sleep last night looking forward to tasting this brew....
Now I just need to work out how to siphon it without knocking some of the mould around the neck of the demijohn in.

 

[watchUburn]

Once again, not happy with the results.
Maybe my expectations were too high, but I found this mead to be too bitter again. I'm not sure if it's the orange rind, or if the yeast has just done something funny.
People that I've had try it have said that its nice when you sip it, but if you get a mouthful the flavour is not all that pleasant.

 

[pdilley]

Once again, not happy with the results.
Maybe my expectations were too high, but I found this mead to be too bitter again. I'm not sure if it's the orange rind, or if the yeast has just done something funny.
People that I've had try it have said that its nice when you sip it, but if you get a mouthful the flavour is not all that pleasant.

Watchburn,

Sorry for not being able to reply earlier, I've been swamped with new land purchase, solicitors, and architects designing a new house that I've been too worn out to keep in the posts much on AHB.

I do think it sounds like temperature for the most part is not favourable in Darwin or most of the sub-tropical regions without good control ability in the fermentation room/fridge.

You are correct that you cannot swallow big mouthfuls like with beer as it's more like wine which is sipping to smaller mouthfuls but this bitterness you are getting still rings to me of yeast fermentation temperatures without looking to water profile. A stock standard mead with no spices or fruit or any fermentable additions outside the standard honey should be in order as your baseline to see what your conditions do without any other ingredients getting in the way.


Cheers,
Brewer Pete

 

[watchUburn]

No worries Pete, been really busy myself the last few months. Haven't even put any new brews done since I put this JAO in.

I hope it's not temperature related as this one spent the entire period in a regulated environment (chest freezer with fridgemate set to 20C). I also used spring water as the tap water here is fairly heavily chlorinated and I didn't think that would go well with mead...

The only thing I can think of is the extra orange slices that I put in to make up for the smallish oranges. I think by peeling them I exposed a greater surface area of pith. I'm thinking of doing another one with just the honey + water + yeast, then when that's clear rack onto the fruit & spices. Then after a week or two rack off the fruit (or just bottle depending on the clarity).

What do you think?

 

[Tyred]

Is it a pithy or bitter taste. Last time I made this it was way to pithy to be able to drink. I ended up leaving it (after racking) for a few months and the pithy taste slowly faded away.

I recently found a bottle that was 3-4 years old. It didn't last long once opened as it was very nice with a faint orange taste and aroma.

 

[BennyBrewster]

I just bottled my Jao and it is so good I cant believe it. My girlfriend made me promise that I didnt buy commercial mead and pour it into the beer bottles hah

Strong sweet citrus aromas. Begins with sweet orange, honey and cinamon flavours finishing with a mild pithy bitterness that rounds off the sweetness and leaves clove and warming alcohol flavors to linger on until the next sip.

 

[pdilley]

The only thing I can think of is the extra orange slices that I put in to make up for the smallish oranges. I think by peeling them I exposed a greater surface area of pith. I'm thinking of doing another one with just the honey + water + yeast, then when that's clear rack onto the fruit & spices. Then after a week or two rack off the fruit (or just bottle depending on the clarity).

What do you think?

I think that's the go. I had not brewed in 3 months so I feel for you. With that suggested method you will still have a low alcohol sack mead and you will get to control the fruit addition. It seems getting the oranges right as the recipe is your toughest challenge and with all the others getting to try nice JAOs I really feel more each time for you that you get to experience one when everything comes together. They do fade with age and my JAOs are starting to get long in the tooth which is so strange to say when talking about meads so bottle and set this batch aside and revisit it a year from now for a taster.

And a shout out to Benny for a JAO well done


Cheers,
Brewer Pete

EDIT: If you BIAB or have some polyester Swiss voile handy you might want to try putting oranges in that and let it sit in the fermenter so you can sample and pull it out when the levels are best for you. Take notes for future brews.

 

[watchUburn]

Yeah I'm getting a little jealous of everyone else enjoying this recipe
Still its got to work ONE day right?