Joe's Ancient Orange Cinnamon Clove Mead

This recipe makes one gallon- we tripled the recipe to make 3 gallons to try because if Mindy likes it, one gallon would not last very long!!!

Here's a picture of what the 3 gallon batch looked like about a week into fermentation:

3.5 lbs of your favorite honey- We used Round Rock honey

1 large orange

1 small handful of raisins

1 stick of cinnamon

1 whole clove or an additional clove if you would like more clove taste but be careful of the clove will overpower the other flavors

You may add a little nutmeg or allspice depending on your taste.

1 teaspoon of Fleischmann's bread yeast- needs to be fresh

Balance water to one gallon

Directions:

1. Use a clean 1 gallon carboy

2. Dissolve honey in some warm water and put in carboy

3. Wash orange well and slice into eights, add oranges to carboy, leave rinds on

4. Put in the raisins, clove, cinnamon and any optional ingredients

5. Fill carboy to 3 inches from the top with cold water, you must leave room for foam and you may add more water after the foaming stops.

6. Shake the jug well to aerate the mixture, make sure you have the top on the bottle though unless you just want to clean up the floor.

7. When the mixture is at room temperature, add the yeast to the mixture. Install water airlock and place carboy in a dark place- the yeast will start working within 3 hours.

8. After the foaming stops, you may add more water to within 3 inches from the top of the bottle.

9. DO NOT SHAKE the mead at this point.

10. DO NOT RACK

11. DO NOT ADD ADDITIONAL FEEDING

12. DO NOT STIR, SHAKE OR TOUCH THE MEAD

13. After 2 months and a few days the fermentation will stop and the mead will clear. At this point, you may put a home with a small cloth filter on the end into the clear part and siphon off the mead. If you wait long enough, the oranges will sink to the bottom, If the mead is clear, it is ready to drink.

14. If it did not work, you messed up and did not leave it alone or you used old yeast.

15. If you were successful, then enjoy and make more mead.

Original recipe submitted by Joe Mattioli

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3514

We started this mead on 9/25/2011

The initial specific gravity was 1.138, so it should be a sweet wine

The yeast was added at 2:35 pm and bubbling was noted at 3:20 pm/

9/29/2011- bubbling noted every 2-3 seconds

10/2/2011- bubbles every 6 seconds

10/9/2011- bubbles every 19 seconds

10/24/2011- bubbles have slowed way down and you will only see one occasionally through the airlock. If you look at the mead closely, you will see where the yeast is still working. The mead is starting to clear slightly, It has been one month, so only 6 weeks to go so that we can taste this and see if we will make more.