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  • Ancient Orange Mead

    Lifted this post off another forum. I've tried this twice and it's fantastic although it can produce hangovers of epic proportions.

    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 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.
    Freedom is a road seldom travelled by the multitude

  • #2
    Welcome to the vine. I think I know what forum you got that recipe from
    Last edited by shirlthegirl43; 03-12-2008, 09:47 AM.
    Happy Gardening,
    Shirley

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    • #3
      Old fashioned bread yeast wouldn't be dried, but fresh. When that was the only option, the usual practice was to apply it to a bit of toast, which would sink slowly, thus putting the yeast right where you want it. If it was THAT ancient, there wouldn't be pesticide to wash off the orange.......
      Flowers come in too many colours to see the world in black-and-white.

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      • #4
        That sounds lovely!!
        I'm presuming it's dried bread yeast then??

        2 months???....darn

        Welcome to the Vine by the way!
        "Nicos, Queen of Gooooogle" and... GYO's own Miss Marple

        Location....Normandy France

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        • #5
          Yes dried fast acting bread yeast is fine. The second attempt had Youngs Dessert/High Alcohol yeast in it and tasted better, but if bread yeast is all you've got then it'll still taste grrrreat
          Freedom is a road seldom travelled by the multitude

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          • #6
            Now I've got to give this a try

            Sounds very interesting and time to get the old home brew kit out of the loft - although it's probably covered in mould already.........

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Hilary B View Post
              Old fashioned bread yeast wouldn't be dried, but fresh. When that was the only option, the usual practice was to apply it to a bit of toast, which would sink slowly, thus putting the yeast right where you want it. If it was THAT ancient, there wouldn't be pesticide to wash off the orange.......
              I was having a BAAAAD DAY when I posted that one!
              Flowers come in too many colours to see the world in black-and-white.

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              • #8
                I should coco
                Freedom is a road seldom travelled by the multitude

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                • #9
                  honey for mead

                  nice recipe, welcome to the grapevine.
                  Bought some runny honey from sainsways, 340 gm 39p. So need about 5 jars @ £2 Sounds good so far. Will try making it and look forward to tasting it

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                  • #10
                    That sounds fabulous! Gonna print that off and try it tonight

                    Dwell simply ~ love richly

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                    • #11
                      I once made a gallon of mead using comb cappings. I left it for six months after the final bottling (well, maybe four or five months) and it didn't taste bad at all. One bottle was forgotten and found six years later! If you can bear to, leave it for this long, it was truly lovely!!

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                      • #12
                        I didnt quite get part of the top line of the post and now I have thought about it , I dont want to admit why :P

                        Just wanted to say great post , I have signed up to the said forum and will be trying the recipe as one of my first as soon as I can lay my hands on some demi-johns.

                        Cheers Mas
                        Last edited by ukmastiff; 18-02-2009, 10:39 PM.
                        '3000 volts says the ducks
                        are mine foxey !'

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                        • #13
                          made a mead very much the same when it was bottled and put into storage
                          we moved house and got stuck in loft by misstake we found it 14 years later
                          pure rocket fule
                          cheers laurie

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                          • #14
                            Oh! Just discovered this recipe. There would be enough time to make it for Christmas!

                            Nice! Just need to get an airlock then.
                            http://onegardenersadventures.blogspot.com/ updated 10-03-2010 with homebrew pics & allotment pics

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                            • #15
                              thanks for recp chap. will try asap. cant wait.

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