Has anyone any experience brewing this. I made it up almost four weeks ago and its still bubbling as if it was only made four days ago.
The approximate recipe is
2 Kg wildflower honey
1 orange
25 raisins
2 short cinnamon quills
2 or 3 cloves
pinch of allspice
make up to 1 gallon
Rather old wine yeast (bbe 09 2003)
OG in excess of 1150
I unwrapped the demijohn last night and there was still small bubbles rising to the surface as a rate of knots. How long is this going to take to finish fermenting as the original recipe said this particular mead could be drunk in 2 months. Its supposed to be a quick mead if there is such a thing.
Ancient orange mead
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Duffbeer
The best tip here is to wait for the oranges and raisins to sink to the bottom of the d/j mine took a bout 6 weeks, then two weeks to clear after racking, well worth it though it took a commended at the Yorkshire Fed show two weeks after. 
But now I've re read your post again, a starting sg of 1.150 is extortionatly high and the yeast is 4 years out of date
with this in mind you can't realy expect much of anything, I do hope I'm wrong 
But now I've re read your post again, a starting sg of 1.150 is extortionatly high and the yeast is 4 years out of date
with this in mind you can't realy expect much of anything, I do hope I'm wrong -
mikewest
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Curious Brew
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lockwood1956
here is the original recipe.......it calls for 3 1/2 lbs honey, yours has 4.4lbs, porobably too much to ferment to dry, but a little residual sweetness is ok as long as the ferment doesnt stuick you should be ok
Joe Mattioli's Ancient Orange and Spice Mead
It is so simple to make and you can make it without much equipment and with a multitude of variations. This could be a first Mead for the novice as it is almost fool proof. It is a bit unorthodox but it has never failed me or the friends I have shared it with. (snip)...it will be sweet, complex and tasty.
1 gallon batch
3 1/2 lbs Clover or your choice honey or blend (will finish sweet)
1 Large orange (later cut in eights or smaller rind and all)
1 small handful of raisins (25 if you count but more or less ok)
1 stick of cinnamon
1 whole clove ( or 2 if you like - these are potent critters)
optional (a pinch of nutmeg and allspice )( very small )
1 teaspoon of Fleishmann’s bread yeast ( now don't get holy on me--- after all this is an ancient mead and that's all we had back then)
Balance water to one gallon
Process:
Use a clean 1 gallon carboy
Dissolve honey in some warm water and put in carboy
Wash orange well to remove any pesticides and slice in eights --add orange (you can push em through opening big boy -- rinds included -- its ok for this mead -- take my word for it -- ignore the experts)
Put in raisins, clove, cinnamon stick, any optional ingredients and fill to 3 inches from the top with cold water. ( need room for some foam -- you can top off with more water after the first few day frenzy)
Shake the heck out of the jug with top on, of course. This is your sophisticated aeration process.
When at room temperature in your kitchen, put in 1 teaspoon of bread yeast. ( No you don't have to rehydrate it first-- the ancients didn't even have that word in their vocabulary-- just put it in and give it a gentle swirl or not)(The yeast can fight for their own territory)
Install water airlock. Put in dark place. It will start working immediately or in an hour. (Don't use grandma's bread yeast she bought years before she passed away in the 90's)( Wait 3 hours before you panic or call me) After major foaming stops in a few days add some water and then keep your hands off of it. (Don't shake it! Don't mess with them yeastees! Let them alone except its okay to open your cabinet to smell every once in a while.
Racking --- Don't you dare
additional feeding --- NO NO
More stirring or shaking -- Your not listening, don't touch
After 2 months and maybe a few days it will slow down to a stop and clear all by itself. (How about that) (You are not so important after all) Then you can put a hose in with a small cloth filter on the end into the clear part and siphon off the golden nectar. If you wait long enough even the oranges will sink to the bottom but I never waited that long. If it is clear it is ready. You don't need a cold basement. It does better in a kitchen in the dark. (Like in a cabinet) likes a little heat (70-80). If it didn't work out... you screwed up and didn't read my instructions (or used grandma's bread yeast she bought years before she passed away) . If it didn't work out then take up another hobby. Mead is not for you. It is too complicated.
If you were successful, which I am 99% certain you will be, then enjoy your mead. When you get ready to make different mead you will probably have to unlearn some of these practices I have taught you, but hey--- This recipe and procedure works with these ingredients so don't knock it. It was your first mead. It was my tenth. Sometimes, even the experts can forget all they know and make good ancient mead.
Joe Mattioli's Ancient Orange and Spice Mead
It is so simple to make and you can make it without much equipment and with a multitude of variations. This could be a first Mead for the novice as it is almost fool proof. It is a bit unorthodox but it has never failed me or the friends I have shared it with. (snip)...it will be sweet, complex and tasty.
1 gallon batch
3 1/2 lbs Clover or your choice honey or blend (will finish sweet)
1 Large orange (later cut in eights or smaller rind and all)
1 small handful of raisins (25 if you count but more or less ok)
1 stick of cinnamon
1 whole clove ( or 2 if you like - these are potent critters)
optional (a pinch of nutmeg and allspice )( very small )
1 teaspoon of Fleishmann’s bread yeast ( now don't get holy on me--- after all this is an ancient mead and that's all we had back then)
Balance water to one gallon
Process:
Use a clean 1 gallon carboy
Dissolve honey in some warm water and put in carboy
Wash orange well to remove any pesticides and slice in eights --add orange (you can push em through opening big boy -- rinds included -- its ok for this mead -- take my word for it -- ignore the experts)
Put in raisins, clove, cinnamon stick, any optional ingredients and fill to 3 inches from the top with cold water. ( need room for some foam -- you can top off with more water after the first few day frenzy)
Shake the heck out of the jug with top on, of course. This is your sophisticated aeration process.
When at room temperature in your kitchen, put in 1 teaspoon of bread yeast. ( No you don't have to rehydrate it first-- the ancients didn't even have that word in their vocabulary-- just put it in and give it a gentle swirl or not)(The yeast can fight for their own territory)
Install water airlock. Put in dark place. It will start working immediately or in an hour. (Don't use grandma's bread yeast she bought years before she passed away in the 90's)( Wait 3 hours before you panic or call me) After major foaming stops in a few days add some water and then keep your hands off of it. (Don't shake it! Don't mess with them yeastees! Let them alone except its okay to open your cabinet to smell every once in a while.
Racking --- Don't you dare
additional feeding --- NO NO
More stirring or shaking -- Your not listening, don't touch
After 2 months and maybe a few days it will slow down to a stop and clear all by itself. (How about that) (You are not so important after all) Then you can put a hose in with a small cloth filter on the end into the clear part and siphon off the golden nectar. If you wait long enough even the oranges will sink to the bottom but I never waited that long. If it is clear it is ready. You don't need a cold basement. It does better in a kitchen in the dark. (Like in a cabinet) likes a little heat (70-80). If it didn't work out... you screwed up and didn't read my instructions (or used grandma's bread yeast she bought years before she passed away) . If it didn't work out then take up another hobby. Mead is not for you. It is too complicated.
If you were successful, which I am 99% certain you will be, then enjoy your mead. When you get ready to make different mead you will probably have to unlearn some of these practices I have taught you, but hey--- This recipe and procedure works with these ingredients so don't knock it. It was your first mead. It was my tenth. Sometimes, even the experts can forget all they know and make good ancient mead.
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delboy
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MickyD
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mikewest
I've just realised something. The original recipe was make up to 1 Gallon, but was this a US gallon? If so maybe my 2 Kg honey to 4.5 litres would be fairly close.
Update on the mead. It's now stopped ferementing and has started slowly clearing but the oranges are still on top of the brew. I will check in 4 weeks and hopefully I will have mead for Christmas.
Lockwood that is one serious post.
Update on the mead. It's now stopped ferementing and has started slowly clearing but the oranges are still on top of the brew. I will check in 4 weeks and hopefully I will have mead for Christmas.
Lockwood that is one serious post.
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MickyD
Ok SWMBO went out tonight 
So.......I popped out to good old JS.
5L of Spring Water, 4 Jars of Honey, and some spicy bits later.....
I used only 3 x 454g jars of JS Taste The Difference Orange Blossom Honey (its on offer at the moment at 1/2 price).
I then added pretty much all of the ingredients, although I left out the pinches of Nutmeg and Allspice. I used a sachet of yeast I had from an Ale kit (I think its from the Smugglers Special)
Wacked it all into the now empty (and sanitised 5L bottle) and got this:
Oh and the og was 1.092.
Something I just thought of is, how do you store Mead?
Does it come out gassy like a beer or do you de-gas like you would a wine?
Obviously if its gassy it needs to go into beer bottles but, if its de-gassed then wine bottles should be ok.
How is mead drunk? in pints or smaller measures?
So.......I popped out to good old JS.
5L of Spring Water, 4 Jars of Honey, and some spicy bits later.....
I used only 3 x 454g jars of JS Taste The Difference Orange Blossom Honey (its on offer at the moment at 1/2 price).
I then added pretty much all of the ingredients, although I left out the pinches of Nutmeg and Allspice. I used a sachet of yeast I had from an Ale kit (I think its from the Smugglers Special)
Wacked it all into the now empty (and sanitised 5L bottle) and got this:
Oh and the og was 1.092.
Something I just thought of is, how do you store Mead?
Does it come out gassy like a beer or do you de-gas like you would a wine?
Obviously if its gassy it needs to go into beer bottles but, if its de-gassed then wine bottles should be ok.
How is mead drunk? in pints or smaller measures?
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Duffbeer
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anomalous_result
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mattfuzzy
mead is an old drink, mabe its kept better because theres honey in it (honey preserves well), back 10000 million years ago 
they prob stored it in a wooden beer barrel and scooped a tankard into it to serve, back then it was no doubt drunk till they couldnt see, so get a tankard full and drink till you cant see no more!!!
-matt
edit: ill be keeping mine in the plastic demi till its done then ill mabe bottle it, or just serve from the demi
they prob stored it in a wooden beer barrel and scooped a tankard into it to serve, back then it was no doubt drunk till they couldnt see, so get a tankard full and drink till you cant see no more!!! -matt
edit: ill be keeping mine in the plastic demi till its done then ill mabe bottle it, or just serve from the demi
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lockwood1956
Treat it and drink it like a wine, just be careful though as it can produce hangovers of epic proportions.
the general advice on this AOM (ancient orange mead) is to just leave it alone till the fruit sinks (it will look skanky by this time) and rack it, it will likely have some residual sweetnes, but yum yum, it just tastes like Christmas. (I know lots of people who have messed around with the recipe, and it never turns out as good)
if you want it to ferment to dry then use a good wine yeast, but I quite like it with the residual sweetness, and unlike most meads, its drinkable as soon as its clear. (if fermenting to dry it will need to age at least a year)
I have had some start fermenting again after about 1 year in DJ and another year in the bottle, so for long term storage beer bottles may be the order of the day. (if you didnt ferment it to dry)
hope this helps
regards
Bob
the general advice on this AOM (ancient orange mead) is to just leave it alone till the fruit sinks (it will look skanky by this time) and rack it, it will likely have some residual sweetnes, but yum yum, it just tastes like Christmas. (I know lots of people who have messed around with the recipe, and it never turns out as good)
if you want it to ferment to dry then use a good wine yeast, but I quite like it with the residual sweetness, and unlike most meads, its drinkable as soon as its clear. (if fermenting to dry it will need to age at least a year)
I have had some start fermenting again after about 1 year in DJ and another year in the bottle, so for long term storage beer bottles may be the order of the day. (if you didnt ferment it to dry)
hope this helps
regards
Bob
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MickyD
Cheers for that Lockwood. I shall bottle it in beer bottles I think or 1L PET.
The ale yeast I used (Muntons Gold I think) didnt start it going (good old Muntons
) so I rehydrated some Saf-04 I had and now its bubbling away rather nicely, giving off yummy orangey yeasty smells.
If it turns out crap its making a great room airfreshener at the moment.
The ale yeast I used (Muntons Gold I think) didnt start it going (good old Muntons
) so I rehydrated some Saf-04 I had and now its bubbling away rather nicely, giving off yummy orangey yeasty smells.If it turns out crap its making a great room airfreshener at the moment.