I made this second batch of Ancient Orange Mead to share with my buddy Rex. He gave me about 6 lbs of wildflower honey and I’m turning it into mead.The wildflower honey is different from the honey (mostly from canola flowers) I’ve used in all my other meads; it’s darker and had a more full bodied flavour.

I first pitched it together on Nov 25. It’s cleared and, according to Joe, that means it’s ready. I’m not convinced. You can see from the pictures just how much sediment has accumulated. SO, I’ve racked it and I’ll let it sit for at least another two months. In a recent conversation I had with another brewer he told me that mead generally has a significant flavour jump after 3 months, 6 months and 10 months. I know JAOM is supposed to be a quicker mead to make but I want to give it at least 3 months before I bottle it and share it with Rex.

The pictures show:

  • Two views of the new and old (bottled on Dec 16, pitched Oct 7) JOAMs side by side.
  • A before racking shot from above.
  • The detritus left behind after racking.
  • An after racking shot; it’ll need some time to clear again.
  • Two after racking shots side-by-side with my first JAOM.
  • The SG reading: 1.040

I topped it all up with about 500ml of spring water after racking.

46627262-1_new_and_old_JAOM

46627266-2_new_and_old_JAOM_side

46627268-3_before_racking_from_above

46627347-4_after_racking_detritus

46627350-5_after_racking

46627352-6_after_racking_comparison

46627357-7_after_racking_comparison_2

46627363-8_SG_1.040

 

The dark colour of the wildflower honey will make this a darker mead. I made it exactly the same way I did my first JAOM except for this change in the honey. It’ll be interesting to see what effect that has on the flavour.