First things first. I realize that if you actually follow this blog you are probably wondering why I never finished the original Orange Cream Mead post. Well, this is that same recipe. I just decided that after having let this particular brew sit for almost three months before finally bottling, and after finding that certain flavors didn’t come through the way I was hoping, I should probably just rewrite this whole thing and start off right. So, here goes nothing.
I started with the following ingredients:
- 5 gallons of Distilled water.
- 6 pounds of fireweed honey.
- 12 sweet oranges.
- 2 ounces of allspice.
- 4 vanilla bean pods.
- 1/4 ounce vanilla extract.
- 2 packets of wine yeast. This can be whatever yeast you feel appropriate.
- Yeast nutrients. Your homebrew supply should have what you need.
I boiled 2 gallons of the distilled water, then crushed half of the oranges and added them along with all of the honey and allspice to the boil. I added the vanilla about half way through. (Both bean and extract) Then added the yeast nutrients for the last ten minutes. The boil only lasted about 45 minutes and I let it sit covered for several hours before putting it into my bucket style fermenter. After allowing it to ferment for about 3 weeks I sliced the other half of the oranges into very thin slices and just placed them into fermenter and allowed them to float on the mead for about 2 and a half months before bottling.
Here’s where I needed to really consider whether or not to keep going with the original post. I took a sample and none of the vanilla came through at all. It would have probably benefited from just adding sliced vanilla beans to each bottle and allowing the flavor to be imparted during the clarifying process. However, I didn’t do this and it is what it is. It’s also worth noting that the flavor is almost too mild. My wife said it was like it had been watered down. I would have to agree to a point. It took more of its flavor from the allspice and the orange peel than the honey and orange juices, and that’s ok. It turned out to be much different from my original aim but its very good the way it is.
When bottling I left almost 2 gallons without carbonation in an effort to see whether or not it really needed it. This mead has a very light color with a slightly brown hue. Without the carbonation it doesn’t quite have that bite you would look for in a standard beer, however it does have a tang that was pulled from the pith of the orange that is quite nice. This mead has almost no alcohol profile in the flavor at all and is why my wife and I chose to call this a creeper. It very much sneaks up on you. All in all, this particular mead can be throw into a dark bottle and just left in a wine cellar or bottle conditioned to carbonated bliss. I also noticed that after probably drinking more than I should have, I woke up the following morning without any headache or standard hangover ills.
Feel free to comment if you try making this mead and find a way to bring out those flavors, or even if you just know a better way.
Drink on!
Paul (Sixtydgree) Johnson
Sixtydgree 