Cinnamon Mead

This is basically a simple JOA with cinnamon sticks added. If it doesn't have enough cinnamon flavor after the primary fermentation, I can add more cinnamon sticks during the secondary.

Recipe:
3 lbs Rice's Lucky Clover Honey
1 regular-sized orange
30 raisins - diced
4 ea 2-3/4" cinnamon sticks
2-1/4 teaspoons of Red Star bread machine yeast
1 gal of distilled water

Estimated Bottling Date: 04/19/2009

01/04/2009 @ 4:30PM

Made must and pitched yeast.

01/05/2009 @ 6:30AM

Fermenting, but not so vigorously. Our bedroom is getting really cold at night. I think I may need to move it to a warmer part of the house.

01/06/2009 @ 6:30AM

I turned up the heat a little last night and put a thermometer in my closet. The temperature seemed to stay at about 68 degrees. I could hear the fermentation this morning, so it seems like things are back on track. Still, it seems less vigorous than previous batches. Hopefully nothing is amiss.

01/17/2009 @ 12:24PM

The honey is pretty much gonzo. Fermentation is still audible. I can't really smell the cinnamon, but I'll taste it next Sunday.

01/25/09 @ 5:30PM

Stephen and I racked it today, and had a taste. Stephen said he couldn't really taste the cinnamon, but both Linda and I could -- although it isn't as strong as I'd like. I added four more sticks to it. Maybe I'll taste it again in a couple of weeks to see if it is satisfactory. If it is, I'll rack it again.

3/11/09 @ 8:00PM

I racked it to a new jug today. It tastes really nice, and the cinnamon sticks definitely darkened the color. The cinnamon taste is quite prominent. Linda liked it and said it might make a good holiday drink. Let's see if it's still around for Christmas!

3/29/09 @7:00PM

Had two glasses of it tonight. WOW. Very good. I think next time I will use one less cinnamon stick. It's ready to bottle, drink and share.

4/04/2009 @ 7:00 PM

Bottled it. Unbelievably delicious. On my third glass!