Here is a bottle of my first batch of Joes Ancient Orange Cinnamon and Clove Mead... ;D
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Toolbox's first batch of Ancient Orange
- Thread starter toolboxdiver
- Start date
The mead looks nice and clear! Clean bottle, nice label, and good corking are all plusses.
Do you think there is a little too much airspace between the top of the mead and the bottom of the cork?
Brian K
Do you think there is a little too much airspace between the top of the mead and the bottom of the cork?
Brian K
briankettering said:
I'm not sure about the airspace, could be I'll have to find out a tad bit more info on it...thanks Brian
F
Fedelm Dub
Guest
Guest
Nice, now I'll start a batch of that stuff since my first mead was just racked and needs to clear.
P
Pawn
Guest
Guest
Wow that looks tasty, thanks for the preview, I hope my 2 gallons turn out that nicely (pitched 08-12-2005), best to yah...John
Thanks Pawn, I have the other 2 gallons I was aging 1 with oak and 1 without getting ready to bottle this week then I will age the 4 gallons I have whichever way seems to taste better
very nice, planning a batch as soon as a carboy is free. Love the color and the clarity of your batch.
Thanks Beeboy, I have a 4 1/2 gallon old Beerball I serilize and only use for the ancient orange. as soon as I empty it I wash it out sanitize it and about a week later I start another batch. It keeps me away from the meads I want to bulk age...lol...so I reckon I'll be picking up another 18 pounds of honey this week...
...to get ready for Batch #3
...to get ready for Batch #3Hey Toolbox,
Great looking bottle of mead.
I have two bottling wands - http://www.northernbrewer.com/pics/fullsize/bottle-fillers.jpg - the Fermtech & Phil's Philler.
Phil's Philler leaks where the smaller tube enters the larger, dripping mead on and around the bottles. It's also designed to drain when removed from the bottle, because of this you must guess at how much headspace to leave in the bottle and stop filling at that point. Being stainless steel makes sanitizing easier and it works a little better in punted bottles.
Fermtech uses a gravity pin to stop the flow of mead, if the tip comes in contact with the bottle prior to being inside the neck, a gush of mead is let loose, it can be difficult getting the flow started in punted bottles and at times can cause foaming. With this tool, you fill the bottle to the top of the neck. Because it does not drain when removed, the volume displaced by the filler becomes the headspace needed for corking, its exactly the same time after time.
Have yet to get and test the new spring tip filler, I have hopes it will be better then the fermtech gravity design.
How do you fill the bottles?
Anthony
Now don't say you can't swear off drinking; it's easy. I've done it a thousand times. ~ W.C. Fields
Great looking bottle of mead.
I have two bottling wands - http://www.northernbrewer.com/pics/fullsize/bottle-fillers.jpg - the Fermtech & Phil's Philler.
Phil's Philler leaks where the smaller tube enters the larger, dripping mead on and around the bottles. It's also designed to drain when removed from the bottle, because of this you must guess at how much headspace to leave in the bottle and stop filling at that point. Being stainless steel makes sanitizing easier and it works a little better in punted bottles.
Fermtech uses a gravity pin to stop the flow of mead, if the tip comes in contact with the bottle prior to being inside the neck, a gush of mead is let loose, it can be difficult getting the flow started in punted bottles and at times can cause foaming. With this tool, you fill the bottle to the top of the neck. Because it does not drain when removed, the volume displaced by the filler becomes the headspace needed for corking, its exactly the same time after time.
Have yet to get and test the new spring tip filler, I have hopes it will be better then the fermtech gravity design.
How do you fill the bottles?
Anthony
Now don't say you can't swear off drinking; it's easy. I've done it a thousand times. ~ W.C. Fields
I just use a siphon with a pinch off hose clamp......I'm not that high tech yet with the bottle fillers, maybe one day
...I'm not that high tech yet with the bottle fillers, maybe one dayWell the results are in, and all I can say is WOW....Thank you Joe for a awsome recipe that is done so quickly...well here are my findings, the saga up to now is. I made my first batch of Joe's ancient orange April 18th, 2005 and after the instructed 2 months I sampled it and it was good but not as clear as I like so I put 3 gallons in separate 1 gallon jugs to age. After 1 extra month I bottled the 1st gallon and drank the partial bottle and it was much better and alot clearer, so after reading Oskaars posts about oak for another mead I was working on I decided to experiment with the med toast beans I had left. I added 8 med toast american oak beans to 1 of the remaining 2 gallons and just left the other age for just over 2 more months. Well today I bottled both of them and it seems the one with the oak is smoother and it also seemed to lighten the color just a tad, the hint of a vanilla/caramel flavor from the oak seems to mellow and compliment the cinnamon and clove very nicely, so I will be adding oak to the second batch of ancient orange I made and I will be racking it and aging it in oak for 2 or 3 months. Well if this isn't the norm for this recipe and if I performing some sacralidge to the recipe I do apoligise but after all....thats why we all got into this hobby in the first place to make meads that we enjoy, and I really do enjoy this... ;D
Cool! I am planning a mead based on Joe's Ancient Orange and considered oaking as well. Thanks to your comments I think I will.
Cheers,
Kirk
Cheers,
Kirk
