Spiced Orange Starter Mead
The classic first mead: a whole orange, a handful of raisins, warm spices, and plain bread yeast. Forgiving, sweet, and ready in about two months.
Spiced Orange Starter Mead is a sweet metheglin made with clover honey and Bread yeast, fermented from an original gravity of 1.120 to 1.025 for about 12.5% ABV. It is drinkable in 2–3 months.
- Original gravity
- 1.120
- Final gravity
- 1.025
- ABV
- 12.5%
- Drinkable in
- 2–3 months
Ingredients
Amounts are for a 1-gallon batch.
| 3.5 lb | Clover honey |
| 1 | OrangeWashed and cut into eighths, peel on. |
| 25 | RaisinsAdd tannin and a little nutrition. |
| 1 | Cinnamon stick |
| 1 | Whole clove |
| 1 pinch | Nutmeg |
| to volume | WaterTo 1 gallon total. |
| 1 tsp | Bread yeastOrdinary active dry baking yeast. |
Method
MixDissolve the honey in warm water in a 1-gallon jug. Add the orange, raisins, and spices, then top up, leaving a few inches of headspace.
PitchSprinkle the bread yeast on top once the must is near room temperature. Don't stir or feed; this recipe relies on the fruit.
WaitLeave it alone for 6–8 weeks. The fruit sinks when fermentation is done and the mead starts to clear.
BottleSiphon off the fruit and sediment and bottle. It will stay sweet because bread yeast gives out around 12–13%.
Brewer's note. This recipe breaks the usual rules (bread yeast, no nutrients, peel and pith left in) and still works. It's a good way to learn before moving on to the staggered-nutrient recipes.
Recipe by White Shed Meadery, Chehalis, Washington. ABV is estimated from gravity: (OG − FG) × 131.25. Scale every ingredient in proportion for larger batches.