Orange Ginger Mead

Classification: mead, metheglin

Source: Brian Bliss (bliss@csrd.uiuc.edu) Issue #618, 4/18/91

After several months it's just getting drinkable now. If I let a bottle sit in the fridge for about a week, and decant very carefully, it's very good, and gives one heck of a buzz.

Ingredients: (for 6 gallons)

15 pounds, clover honey
181 grams, grated ginger
2 tablespoons, gypsum
3 teaspoons, yeast energizer
1 ounce, Hallertauer hops (boil)
1/2 ounce, Hallertauer hops (finish)
4-5 pounds, oranges
juice from 1 orange
1/2 teaspoon, irish moss
champagne yeast (Red Star)

Procedure:

Combine honey, ginger, orange juice, 1/2 ounce of hops, and yeast energizer and bring to a boil. Remove a small amount of wort to be used for a yeast starter (Allow starter to cool, and add yeast). Boil the remaining wort 30 minutes. Add another 1/2 oz hops and boil for additional 30 minutes. Turn off heat. Cut 4-5 lbs of oranges in half, and squeeze into the wort. Toss in orange halves after squeezing. Let sit 12 min. Strain into fermenter sparged into cold water, while removing the orange halves and squeezing the last bit out (with clean hands---very hot---ouch!).

Specifics:

O.G.: 1.088
F.G.: 0.998
Primary Ferment: 12 days at 65--70 degrees
Secondary Ferment: 1 month