My first JOAM attempt

[Wheresthemead!]

I started my first JOAM recipe attempt on Feb. 17th. No complaints at this point. Been checking it daily & checking the balloon. Have a whole pack of balloons just in case. Just waiting for the next step...lol
Has anyone ever had a successful JOAM? Just curious. I read on a different post about how quite a few people weren't successful with this recipe.

[darigoni]

I don’t think it’s that they were unsuccessful, it’s that they just were not satisfied with what they ended up with. It’s easy to make a better tasting mead.....

[Wheresthemead!]

I don’t think it’s that they were unsuccessful, it’s that they just were not satisfied with what they ended up with. It’s easy to make a better tasting mead.....

Oh, okay. That makes sense. Thank you!

[Squatchy]

I wonder about the people who lie it. It's usually a one-time thing for most people I think.

[Wheresthemead!]

I wonder about the people who lie it. It's usually a one-time thing for most people I think.

I am curious about them too.
I was going to buy more honey & start a new batch (not this recipe... my own...) but then we decided to have an early birthday party for mom at my house.

[rb2112br]

I made two batches simultaneously last fall. One with buckwheat honey and the other with a local wildflower honey. I know the recipe goes against pretty much everything that modern protocols call for, but both of them turned out pretty good. Several people even asked for the recipe. One thing I will say is that it was just a hair sweeter than I would've liked, but I had no problem finishing it. I may try another batch at some point in the future, but experiment with using maybe a couple ounces less of honey. Who knows.

[Wheresthemead!]

I made two batches simultaneously last fall. One with buckwheat honey and the other with a local wildflower honey. I know the recipe goes against pretty much everything that modern protocols call for, but both of them turned out pretty good. Several people even asked for the recipe. One thing I will say is that it was just a hair sweeter than I would've liked, but I had no problem finishing it. I may try another batch at some point in the future, but experiment with using maybe a couple ounces less of honey. Who knows.

Thank you for the reply! Hmmm...buckwheat honey... I need to look into that. I like Nature Nate's. I used a mixture of Nature Nate's Raw Unfiltered & Great Value Clover Raw Honey for this one. Nature Nate's is a little more expensive but so good.

[Maylar]

I only made one. It was my first mead and I have no regrets doing it. The only thing it taught me was that I like mead, and so started making my own. I think that may be the whole point of it.

[Wheresthemead!]

I only made one. It was my first mead and I have no regrets doing it. The only thing it taught me was that I like mead, and so started making my own. I think that may be the whole point of it.

Thank you for the reply! Nice point.
I have a few ideas (my own recipes) to do over the next few months while waiting for this one to get done. Never had mead. May go to Safeway & buy some.

[Maylar]

Thank you for the reply! Nice point.
I have a few ideas (my own recipes) to do over the next few months while waiting for this one to get done. Never had mead. May go to Safeway & buy some.

Funny you say that. When I first considered making mead I asked a forum what commercial meads I should try to get an idea of what they're like. I was advised to just make my own first, because if a commercial one sucked it would turn me off to them. I'm glad I did that.

[Wheresthemead!]

Funny you say that. When I first considered making mead I asked a forum what commercial meads I should try to get an idea of what they're like. I was advised to just make my own first, because if a commercial one sucked it would turn me off to them. I'm glad I did that.

Thank you for the advice. I am not sure the stores here sell mead anyway. At least I haven't spotted any.

[Maylar]

Thank you for the advice. I am not sure the stores here sell mead anyway. At least I haven't spotted any.

Yeah you gotta ask them. I have a large liquor store near me with a huge wine selection and couldn't find any meads. They did have some - but tucked away in the "specialty" isle.

[Robert Scogins]

Definitely have to ask. City Vineyard in Billings has mead, but tucked in at the back of the store.

[Wheresthemead!]

Yeah you gotta ask them. I have a large liquor store near me with a huge wine selection and couldn't find any meads. They did have some - but tucked away in the "specialty" isle.

Alright. Thank you. Next time I go I will check the 'specialty' aisle.

[Wheresthemead!]

Definitely have to ask. City Vineyard in Billings has mead, but tucked in at the back of the store.

Thank you. I will ask next time I go to the store.

[Robert Scogins]

Of all the luck! Went in to Reynolds grocery store in Sidney, MT last night looking for sherry for a chicken recipe. They didn't have it, but I ran across 9 different meads from Hidden Legends Meadery. They ranged from $16-$19 per bottle.

[MeadLifeCrisis]

A 1 gallon batch of JAOM was one of my first meads. I actually love the taste and have been drinking mine young. I've upgraded to a 3gal batch and plan to try some aged.

[Wheresthemead!]

A 1 gallon batch of JAOM was one of my first meads. I actually love the taste and have been drinking mine young. I've upgraded to a 3gal batch and plan to try some aged.

The balloon is still inflated. I have a taste testing date set at the end of this month. But, it is nice to know that you love the taste!

[MeadLifeCrisis]

The balloon is still inflated. I have a taste testing date set at the end of this month. But, it is nice to know that you love the taste!

Nice. Good luck. I'm amazed how meads change once allowed to age. If you love it, great. If not, rack it off the lees and let it sit for a couple months (but make sure the airlock doesn't dry up), and try it again.

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[Chevette Girl]

<shrug> I really like my JAOM and JAO variants, they're quick, mostly mindless, and respond well to neglect, and I happen to like the sweetness level, you just have to make sure you balance it somehow, however you make it. I've made over 40 JAO-based meads to explore the limits of the recipe. Some were terrible (learning experiences), and they're not often really great meads, but mine are usually pretty good (admittedly I don't have the most developed palate), and I've even suprised one or two of the JAO-haters who do have good palates with them.

The long and the short of it is, make what you like to drink. Try lots of things, try making meads via different methods, in case you find stuff you like better, experiemnt and document, but don't stop making and drinking something you enjoy because someone tells you it's garbage, unless you come to agree that it's garbage. There is no one way.