starting SG for mead

[biggardave]

all my mead recipes start off xlb honey per gallon. this isn't very helpful as i'm using the washings from my extraction and have no idea how much honey is in it. can anyone suggest a reasonable specific gravity to aim for. the recipe i'm aiming to emulate is a sparkling mead that specifies 3lb of honey per gallon.

thanks,
david.

 

[alanf]

When I was looking around for my own batches I saw these numbers on a website

Dry mead: starting SG 1.09, final 1.005
Sweet mead: starting SG 1.135, final 1.035

Other sources appear to be within this range, I have tried batches starting at 1.09 and 1.12 so we'll see how those turn out. Asking around, I was told sweet meads are influenced by the yeast strain; some tolerate higher alcohol levels so will finish stronger but drier than others.

If you want to try more detailed calculations, there are online calculators.

 

[Tom Bick]

I get my mead to 1.1 and seems to work ok neither sweet nor dry but then this is influenced by other factors to.

 

[Poly Hive]

Had one batch go to 996. That was dry and very strong.

PH

 

[Arfermo]

To get a yeast to start fermenting and then finish without being oversaturated by the sugars, thus leaving unfermented sugars and a very sweet wine, best to start the must off at something around a specific gravity (on your hydrometer) no greater than 1080. That should give an alcohol level of something over 11%. At the end of fermentation the SG needs to be as low as possible, say, 996. That then allows one to add sugar or perhaps more honey to increase the alcohol level if you really want to. But there comes a point where the yeast will go no further so try not to exceed a finish SG greater than 1000 (med dry). At that point, rack the wine and remove the sediment and then stun the yeast with a crushed/powdered Campden tablet, shake hard, and 10 mins later add a tsp of Sorbistat. The latter kills the yeast off to stop any possibility of secondary fermentation within, say, a non pressure type of vessel (bottle or a demijohn). After the sorbistat, shake hard to release the carbon dioxide. Do this several times over a day or two and when clear, rack a couple of times mare over a period to leave the wine crystal clear. Then sweeten to taste and enjoy. I avoid the final shaking effort in my dotage by emptying the the lot into a bucket and then whisking it with the wire mesh balloon thingy on my wifes' kitchen whisk. Does it far quicker in 5 mins and once only. I apologise if you know most of this already.

As the Competition Sec for a wine club and have made wine for over 30 years I think I know what I am talking about and trust this response makes sense.

My regards.

 

[dclewis]

The only thing I would add to Alfermo's post is a question. What yeast are you using? The yeast variety will affect the level of sugar it can take at the start and the amount of alcohol it can withstand and continue to work on any residual sugar. So a bit like how long is a peice of string if you don't know what yeast you have to start with. But I agree that you cannot go far wrong starting with a SG of 1.08-1.1.

I believe most wine yeast should drop the SG in the end by 0.1 provided there is still sugar to work on.

BTW I thought that a mead cannot be considered dry if the SG is above 1.0.

 

[Arfermo]

Yeast that I use is usually Champagne type as this is a high alcohol variety (Gervin make best imho). That maximises the fermentation process. Whether one wants high alcohol or not is another question but keeping at SG 1080 or less ensures maximum chance of fermentation to dry enabling one to add sugar 1oz at a time to get a higher alcohol content if required. Take the starting SG any higher than 1080 risks incomplete fermentation.

 

[biggardave]

thanks for the replies. i'm using Lalvin EC-1118 and in the end i've started at 1.094 (because that's what it came to when i chucked a jar of honey into the gallon of washings). this is my first mead so (like everything else when it comes to bees), i'm considering it a learning process.

david.

 

[Arfermo]

thanks for the replies. i'm using Lalvin EC-1118 and in the end i've started at 1.094 (because that's what it came to when i chucked a jar of honey into the gallon of washings). this is my first mead so (like everything else when it comes to bees), i'm considering it a learning process.

david.

Oh dear. Suggest you dilute with boiled water to reduce SG to more acceptable level.

 

[alanf]

keeping at SG 1080 or less ensures maximum chance of fermentation to dry enabling one to add sugar 1oz at a time to get a higher alcohol content if required.

Sounds like a potential improvement on starting 'all-in' which is what most people I asked suggested. How is the additional sugar or honey added? Poured in the top or does it need some pre-dissolving or shaking?

 

[Arfermo]

You don't need to add any sugar now as the SG is already too high for successful fermentation. Dilute with water now as advised above, ferment to SG 996 or as near to dry as poss ie below 1000 and if alcohol content is then too low and the yeast is still working, add more neat sugar and just stir. The yeast will do the rest if it is not saturated. Adding a tsp of sugar when the yeast is still able to work should restart bubbling through the air lock. If nothing happens it's ready for rackling and settling.

 

[chrismcd]

Some other points

I have a feeling that the bees add yeast suppressing compounds to honey - glucose oxidase springs to mind - so mead fermentations can be a bit tricky.

I gather Brother Adam recommended boiling the solution and this may well be what he had in mind.

For starters, I tend to flood the honey solution from my washings with an activated yeast solution I have allowed to get started at least an hour before washing my kit. That way the wild yeasts and other bugs get crowded out. And yes, I am with the champagne yeast school.

I find that most people expect mead to be sweet, so I top up with honey on a little and often basis till fermentation grinds to a halt.

Finally, I suspect that honey solution is a bit lacking in micronutrients and also add some yeast nutrient at the start of the process.

Have fun

 

[Arfermo]

Additives for 1 gallon according to my 30 years old "Prizewinning" wine making book are:-
1 tsp of Ammonium Sulphate, half tsp potassium phosphate, ¼ r tsp Magnesium sulphate (Epsom salts), 15 mg Vitamin B1 (Benerva), ½ Tannic acid, 1 heaped tsp tartaric acid, 1 ½ tsps malic acid.
All these are still available from a good winemaking shop or on line. The acid is very important in the fermentation process. Tannin creates vinosity. I scanned the recipe onto this site a couple of years ago but the same question keeps popping up. See my post on Honey based wines at http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=13699&page=2

 

[Tom Bick]

Just bottled my 2nd batch of mead today I started it at 1.1 and it has finished at .998 I want to forget about a few bottles as I fancy entering next years National Honey Show forgetting a few bottles of this lovely wine will be the hard bit.

 

[WelshPaul]

What do you do to filter it so clear?

 

[Tom Bick]

No filtering or chemicals added to clear Paul I have never had any problem getting my mead or other wine to clear and I think its down to making them with mineral water

 

[WelshPaul]

I've always ended up with a little bit of sediment at the bottom.

 

[Tom Bick]

A couple of my bottles will have a small bit of sediment its inevitable as you siphon from the demijohn into the bottles the last bottle can get a bit of sediment from the bottom of the demijohn. To help reduce the sediment in the demijohn siphon into a clean sterilised demijohn when the fermentation has slowed or looks as though it has stopped to continue fermentation and clearing. The new demijohn will need toping up with a bit of water

 

[snoop]

How long do you leave it in the demijohn before you bottle it . I have racked it twice , it is lovely & clear . How do I know when it is ready . Made up one bathc in March , Another in June?

 

[Tom Bick]

For me snoop once the mead has cleared fully and its clear the mead has stopped fermenting I then move it to a slightly warmer environment to see if it triggers a 2nd fermentation and then providing no sign of a bubble forming I am happy to bottle but even then from time to time I will crack the odd screw lid to check for any pressure.

Generally when the mead or any wine clears it is ready but some taste bloody awful apart from the person who made it and will think its lovely. I understand it can change and improve over time.