Planning to make Joe's Ancient Orange

[krustythekroom]

So I'm planning on making a batch of Joe's Ancient Orange. This will technically be my second mead, but I don't think the first one is going well.

My question is, if I plan on doing a double batch, can I just double all ingredients (including yeast)?

Also, do you see any issue with fermenting a 2 gallon batch of JAO in a 6.5 gallon carboy? Maybe I'll triple the recipe instead.

Thanks.

 

[Fortuna_Wolf]

You can scale the recipe up. I don't see any problems with doing it in a larger vessel like that, except with sugar a large airspace you may have the airlock suck itself dry if undergoes temp fluctuations.

 

[fatbloke]

scaling up shouldn't be a problem - though it's quite normal, when scaling up recipes, to only use 1 pack of yeast (about 5 grammes usually) as it's enough for up to 5 gallons.

Though I'm thinking, that as you're referring to JAO I'm thinking that if you're planning to stick closely to the recipe and use bread yeast then to just double it would be fine.

As for 2 gallons in a 6.5 gallon fermenter, I'd say that's giving too much margin for spoilage organisms. You could probably get away with something like 5 gallons in a 6.5 gallon fermenter, because during the ferment, the airspace will fill/saturate with CO2, but with 2 in 6.5, well as soon as you start doing anything with it, there's the possibility of air ingress introducing spoilage organisms as you probably wouldn't get enough CO2 to subsequently re-fill the airspace, whereas the 5 in 6.5 I mentioned, well there's the same possibility, but with the considerably smaller airspace, it's more than likely that the natural de-gassing would refill the airspace with CO2 protecting against oxidation and other spoilage.

That's just what I'd do, but really you should scale the batch according to the available size of fermenter as it's good practice to make sure that you end up with as little airspace as possible.....

 

[dr9]

My recent batch of cider was 2 gallons in a 5 gallon carboy, I had no problems. Again, it's not mead, and it fermented very fast and vigorously. With a slower ferment, I could imagine some issues as fatbloke outlined.

 

[Dan McFeeley]

You can pick up a couple of one gallon carboys easily -- jug wine or juice containers do very nicely.

I like to do this for small JAO batches, use 2 one gallon containers and it finishes and clears, rack the clear stuff into a single one gallon container.

--

 

[Fortuna_Wolf]

Fatbloke, I doubt that's the issue here. Consider that its recommended that you aerate the must until the 1/3 sugar break, which can take days. Besides, the amount of CO2 being given off by the fermentation will be able to remove all the air from that airspace easily.

As long as he mixes it and forgets it like he's supposed to and then bottles it when he's done he'll be fine.

 

[dr9]

I'm pretty sure the JAO posted by Oskaar says to not aerate. Should it be aerated?

 

[wayneb]

Actually, with Joe's you aerate at pitch, then not again:

"Shake the heck out of the jug with top on, of course. This is your sophisticated aeration process." (from the sentence just prior to pitching yeast...)

Then, further down (after you airlock 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."

And even further down...
More stirring or shaking -- Your not listening, don't touch!


So, there you have it! The proper aeration protocol for Joe's Ancient Orange. And remember, you don't follow the directions exactly, well then it isn't JAO! ;D