Jao The Ultimate Beginners Mead Recipe

[pdilley]

Going to make this today, was going to double the recipe as it looks as if everyone loves this mead. I have my hands on a few kilo's of North Queensland 100% Natural Honey, its as hard as a brick so going to leave it in the sun to soften out. Was also thinking of doing a Sparkling version along side it, would anyone suggest a good yeast for this? Sorry i glanced but didnt find.

As an alternative you can add some hot water to the cold honey to melt it while stirring slowly and then add the warm slurry to the fermentation vessel.

Then add cold water until your SG is reached.

Then check temperature for safe range to pitch in the bread yeast and then you mass pass go

EDIT: For sparkling, your only option is to measure the ongoing fermentation and bottle before FG is reached. Your only safe option for sparkling is to just keg the finished still mead and gas it up.

Cheers,
Brewer Pete

 

[TmC]

Thanks pete, have two 7.2L batches in their FV now, just waiting for them to cool down. Was going to make one with Bakers yeast and maybe the other with brewers yeast, the ones that come under the kit lids. Would that still work? followed your recipe down to the dot except might have been a few grams under honeywise, my honey came in 3kg bottles and for 7.2L was meant to be 3.2 but oh well.

 

[pdilley]

would be worth mentioning that SWMBO took a small bottle to a work quiz night and everyone loved it!

so much so that I'm kicking myself for not making more.. to rectify the situation I put down another batch at the weekend!

Did she win the quiz?


Cheers,
Brewer Pete

 

[pdilley]

Thanks pete, have two 7.2L batches in their FV now, just waiting for them to cool down. Was going to make one with Bakers yeast and maybe the other with brewers yeast, the ones that come under the kit lids. Would that still work? followed your recipe down to the dot except might have been a few grams under honeywise, my honey came in 3kg bottles and for 7.2L was meant to be 3.2 but oh well.

Only sticking point is can you look up the fermentation parameters of the under-the-lid kit yeast? (You are looking for the ABV range the yeast is capable of before giving up [Alcohol Tolerance]).

If not, then you can not safely say yes or no to the question.

Cheers,
Brewer Pete

 

[TmC]

Right, i might just use bakers yeast on both of them and then play around with the brewers yeast in my 5L demi i have coming. Thanks again.

 

[JulieRush]

Did she win the quiz?


Cheers,
Brewer Pete

absolutely not... but by that point her and her team were well away so didn't care too much for the results

 

[Jesco]

G'day,

Just a quick question-

I've used this recipe, seems to be working well except I'm not seeing any bubbling throught the air lock. Is this a concern or not a problem when making mead? I've made 2 batches, one 4L batch using the original recipe, and another 12L batch - same recipe apart from using a 'proper' mead yeast. Both have no bubbling through the airlock.

Any advice appreciated, cheers!

regards,

Jesco

 

[Golani51]

G'day,

Just a quick question-

I've used this recipe, seems to be working well except I'm not seeing any bubbling throught the air lock. Is this a concern or not a problem when making mead? I've made 2 batches, one 4L batch using the original recipe, and another 12L batch - same recipe apart from using a 'proper' mead yeast. Both have no bubbling through the airlock.

Any advice appreciated, cheers!

regards,

Jesco

Let me jump in and say NO. Even wih some beers you don't get the bubbling through the airlock, even though you can see that there was a kreusen of a couple inches. I don't think anyone has given a valid reason for this but it does happy quite often. If you see bubbling (and it does for a couple months), then there is a conversion to alcohol which is what we want. The bubbling is of course the carbon dioxide form the reaction. Where it goes when there is no bubbling, I do not know. Some say it is a leak, but if using a carboy, it is highly unlikely. The eigth wonder of the world!! The only issue I have with no bubbling is the lack of relaxing bubbly music.

 

[Jesco]

Let me jump in and say NO. Even wih some beers you don't get the bubbling through the airlock, even though you can see that there was a kreusen of a couple inches. I don't think anyone has given a valid reason for this but it does happy quite often. If you see bubbling (and it does for a couple months), then there is a conversion to alcohol which is what we want. The bubbling is of course the carbon dioxide form the reaction. Where it goes when there is no bubbling, I do not know. Some say it is a leak, but if using a carboy, it is highly unlikely. The eigth wonder of the world!! The only issue I have with no bubbling is the lack of relaxing bubbly music.

Hi Golani,

Thanks for the advice, good to know it's not a real concern.

I know the 4L batch is bubbling away as you describe, so yes the yeast is doing it's thing. I'll have to check on the 15L batch, which was only started yesterday. I was just perplexed (like you) on where does all the gas go, if not through the airlocks... I'm very sure theres no leaks and very little headroom in both containers.

... and I fully agree on the bubbly music, I love it!

Thanks

 

[Spork]

About a week ago I looked at mine - and it had all cleared. No lunger a pale straw opaque fluid in the bottle, it had transformed to a beautiful pale gold colour with amazing clarity! A few days later the fruit all dropped. that also happened "overnight". Just waiting for my silicon syphon tube (and other goodies) to arrive and I'll bottle it. Can't wait to get another one going. This time will put in my ferment fridge and keep at 18c for the duration.

 

[Spork]

All bottled.
Now I just have to get the big lumps of orange out of my fermenting bottle...
Didn't take an OG reading, so NFI what % alcohol this batch is, but you can smell it and taste it - and it tastes good!
Will do another batch, prob 11.4 litres (3x size of 1st one) in a 15 litre cube. Will use more fridge space than the 4.5 litre bottle, but will a) be easier to get the orange out of, B) be easier to bottle the final product (has a tap, won't need to syphon) and c) give me > 3 x as much finished product! (There was quite a bit of waste left in the bottom of the bottle from the 3.8 litre batch).

 

[TmC]

All bottled.
Now I just have to get the big lumps of orange out of my fermenting bottle...
Didn't take an OG reading, so NFI what % alcohol this batch is, but you can smell it and taste it - and it tastes good!
Will do another batch, prob 11.4 litres (3x size of 1st one) in a 15 litre cube. Will use more fridge space than the 4.5 litre bottle, but will a) be easier to get the orange out of, B) be easier to bottle the final product (has a tap, won't need to syphon) and c) give me > 3 x as much finished product! (There was quite a bit of waste left in the bottom of the bottle from the 3.8 litre batch).

I got 2x 10L containers from bunnings, they are pretty much a mini version of the 20L but white and bought a tap. They were on sale for 6$ so i got two and have 7.2L of mead in each and have experimented with a 5L container from woolies that was holding water, doest have a tap but will see how it turns out. After 2 weeks my hydro read 1.080 which has dropped from 1.100+ (only went up to 100). Only problem is that its hard to see the clarity of the mead through the 10L fermenters but thats not such a big deal.

 

[brettprevans]

All bottled.
Now I just have to get the big lumps of orange out of my fermenting bottle...
Didn't take an OG reading, so NFI what % alcohol this batch is, but you can smell it and taste it - and it tastes good!
Will do another batch, prob 11.4 litres (3x size of 1st one) in a 15 litre cube. Will use more fridge space than the 4.5 litre bottle, but will a) be easier to get the orange out of, B) be easier to bottle the final product (has a tap, won't need to syphon) and c) give me > 3 x as much finished product! (There was quite a bit of waste left in the bottom of the bottle from the 3.8 litre batch).

not to be a stickler, but I really hope you CANT taste the alc. thats a fault not a good thing. now most 'beers' etc once they start to get high in alc % will have some alc taste, but its better for their not to be a distinguishable alc taste. esp hot solvently alc casued by fusel alc.

Im sure thats not what you meant.

Also you shouldnt have had to waste too much. you could have tipped most of into a second fermentor or container leaving behing mmost of the 'trub' and then let it all settle and then pour off more of the mead. takes a little time but its worth it to get another 3L worth. I just bottled the last few litres of mine and am careful to pour slowly so as not to disturb the 'trub'. nice and easy and minimal waste.

hope you enjoy your JAO.

 

[Dave70]

Hey Pete, check this out.

Only a few hours old:

At six months: (you can just see my copy of Brew Like A Monk through it)

As you can see, the fruit hasn't dropped but for a couple of rasions and a wedge of orange. What do you reckon, ready to crash chill and bottle?


While we're at it, is it possible to do a lightly carbed version? I was thinking it might be interesting to set a couple of bottles aside and maby just give them a stubbies worth of priming sugar to see how it goes. What do you think?

 

[brando]

Hey Pete, check this out.

Only a few hours old:

At six months: (you can just see my copy of Brew Like A Monk through it)

As you can see, the fruit hasn't dropped but for a couple of rasions and a wedge of orange. What do you reckon, ready to crash chill and bottle?


While we're at it, is it possible to do a lightly carbed version? I was thinking it might be interesting to set a couple of bottles aside and maby just give them a stubbies worth of priming sugar to see how it goes. What do you think?

Dave70,

Yep, I'll be priming a couple of stubbies of JAO when I bottle mine.

BTW, I thought this stuff only needed about 3 mths ferment time??

 

[Dave70]

Dave70,

Yep, I'll be priming a couple of stubbies of JAO when I bottle mine.

BTW, I thought this stuff only needed about 3 mths ferment time??

I dunno. Mine really only started to clear about a month ago, then one morning it was like *ping*. After having less than stellar results with my last batch (see 'rubbish') I wanted to give this one time to do its thing.

Hell of a yeast cake, eh?

Actually come to think of it, it started at the end of January and started clearing mid May or there abouts.

*note to self - *make notes to self..

 

[pdilley]

Six months is well and truly done. Bottle that bad boy right away. 3 months is plenty to start thinking of bottling at an average 18 C temp fermentation.

JAO ferments out completely to yeast alcohol tolerance so their is no oomph left in it to carb up a bottle. At this point in the fermentation keg and gas are the only recomendable approach to a sparkling. Good news is its bloody good as a still wine.

Cheers,
Brewer Pete

 

[brettprevans]

At this point in the fermentation keg and gas are the only recomendable approach to a sparkling. Good news is its bloody good as a still wine.

Cheers,
Brewer Pete

im with pete here. ive got several bottles still and a keg carbed. im leaning towards still being better. you can certainly drink it faster/easier with some carbonation but its not really the kind of drink where you want to be able to do that, so I wouldnt worry about having it carbed. I dont think ill bother carbing my next straight mead

 

[TmC]

I had no idea how hard it would be to leave my mead for 2 months. Its only been 4 weeks and i have already taken two gravity readings! Luckily i have 3 batches going incase it turns out how it should (heard good things about it). I thought i might ease the pain a bit by putting down another recipe i found on the interwebs for just a normal mead.

Chubby Bat Mead

3kg Honey
1 heaped teaspoon of tea leaves
1 cinnamon stick
10 cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice

Made to 15L.

Going to put this one down soon.

 

[Tanga]

Sounds good. I can tell you from experience that those spices work wonderfully with a heavy mead.