Mazer's Log - 1.0009
2/12/09:
Bottled the simple cider. Added 3 tablespoons of honey to prime, in the hopes of getting just a touch of carbonation. I'm not holding my breath for this one in any way shape or form. I simply needed to free up the jug, and rather than dump it down the drain now, I figured I'd see it through. If I need to dump it later, so be it. I started with an apple juice that didn't taste all that great or all that apple-like, and ended up with a fermented product with the same characteristics. Priming usually takes hold in 2 weeks from bottling, so I'll crack one open at that point and see how it turned out.
2/19/09:
Bottled the first batch of mead!
The ancient orange was all but done. The recipe states that when it clears, it's ready to drink. It had cleared a few times, and I had agitated it just a bit to help clean off the fruit still floating. I figured that when I stuck the racking cane in there it would do the same anyway, so rather than have it get all cloudy from sediment falling when I wanted to bottle, I'd do it pre-emptively and let it re settle. Racked to a clean jug (that the cider was in before) last night, let it settle overnight, then bottled today. I got 4 500ml flip tops bottles and two of the empty recycled 750ml flip top redstone mead bottles. Tossed together a label last night, and have them labelled and tucked away. The first bottle is chilling in the fridge. The second bottle is a 750, and I'm gonna put that on a shelf and forget about it for a year or so.
Estimate OG = 1.128
FG = 1.032
Estimated % ABV = 12-13%
The taste is very sweet, just shy of being cloying. The combination of the orange blossom honey and the blood oranges resulted in an almost floral nose and taste, which is really enjoyable. There's just a hint of alcohol both on the nose and on the front end, but it fades quickly by the end. Really rather pleasant at room-ish temp, and I've got the glass I caught the dregs with chilling in the fridge covered, to see how it fares more chilled. Due to the success of this recipe in the short amount of time, I think I'm going to get myself a 5 gallon bucket of Orange Blossom, a bag of blood oranges, and get started soon on the 12 gallons or so of mead for the wedding.
