Apis Póltorak Jadwiga

chef201atc · 03-08-2010, 05:50 PM

The commercial description of it on ratebeer.com says, among other things, that "1 litre of Półtorak style mead contains 720 g of natural honey". I converted that to approximately 6 lbs per gallon.

The http://www.stawskidistributing.com/polishwines.html says that the mead is made with a 3:1 honey to water ratio. I find that very difficult to believe. That would be an OG of about 1.313 and at 16% ABV, the FG would be about 1.206 - the stuff would be undrinkable.

Even if the first ratio (1:2) is true, that is still a mead with an OG of 1.141 and an FG of 1.022 - still very sweet.

I have had this mead once before and don't remember it being overly cloying - it was sweet - but it was not the syrup that a beverage with an FG of 1.206 would be.

My question is, has anyone here every tried to make something with an OG above 1.14 like this? If so, how did you get it to ferment?

MedsenFey · 03-08-2010, 06:07 PM

You can't ferment something with a starting gravity that high - anything over about 1.200 will choke the yeast to death. This style of mead is usually started at a lower gravity and fermented with honey added in stages, and frequently some honey added after fermentation to get the appropriate level. They often have spice additions that help prevent them from being cloying even with very high levels of residual sugar.

**jezter6** · 03-08-2010, 06:10 PM

Are you sure it's only 16%? Having tasted many Slavic regional meads - many of them are actually mead distilled, blended with a normally fermented mead, and sometimes then backsweetened with honey.

Do you have a bottle which lists ingredients in english?

wayneb · 03-08-2010, 08:00 PM

Jadwiga is a mead, not a fortified beverage. It is not made from anything distilled. It comes in at an ABV of approximately 16%, and yes it is what is call a "półtorak." As Medsen says, not all the honey is added before fermentation starts. Instead a relatively high gravity must is started fermenting, then is additionally step-fed with honey until the desired ABV is reached. Then additional honey is added to get to the 720 grams per bottle total honey. FWIW, 720 grams of honey are approximately 2.12 US cups in volume. 750 ml (one bottle) are approximately 3.17 cups, so the ratio of honey to water in Jadwiga is 2.12/(3.17-2.12). That's approximately 2 parts honey to one part water, by volume... or consistent with the traditional definition of a półtorak.

The reason that it doesn't taste cloyingly sweet is that it is aged for a very long time in oak casks, which contribute tannins and other phenolics, notably vanillin and lignins to the mix. Additionally, the micro-oxidation that takes place during the aging period tends to dull the apparent sweetness of the result. Honestly, an unaged półtorak tastes almost like raw honey, with a little alcohol added.

BTW, I've successfully fermented traditional meads that started at SG = 1.155, as part of an experiment a couple of years ago. With the right strain of yeast and proper fermentation management you can start from a gravity that high and get fermentation to finish around 1.035 or so. That gets you slightly above the generic półtorak "spec" value of 16% ABV - all you have to do to get the półtorak ratio is add the remaining honey.

**jezter6** · 03-08-2010, 08:48 PM

Thanks Wayne.

I was basing my "assumptions" on some mead I've had which is distilled. Most of it is from Lithuania, and even some of the lower ABV stuff (in the 13-18% range) lists "mead distillate" as one of the ingredients. I've had bottles all the way up to about 45 or 46%.

Not necessarily the tastiest stuff I've ever had, but man do these people love their high ABV meads. My stepmother brought them over (she is Lithuanian). I gave her and my father some of my mead (around that 12-13% normal wine range) and she immediately started making fun of me. Apparently, in Lithuania, our normal meads are called...well crap, I can't spell Lithuanian...but translated it means "For Grandma."

Apparently our mead strength is for little old women.

Just thought it would be fun to add since we're discussing it. Sorry for the threadjack but it was an interesting story I had to tell.

wayneb · 03-08-2010, 09:06 PM

Yeah - the Lithuanian stuff is different.

shanes66charger · 03-09-2010, 01:32 AM

I just made a mead with on O.G. of 1.126. I used cotes de blanc and a teaspoon of nutrient for five gallons!

After about 4-6 weeks, the yeast settles out and I checked gravity. It was sitting at 1.ooo

Cotes de blanc has an ABV tolerance of 14% so i'm not sure how that works, but it was bubbling away in less than 12 hours!

racked it onto five apples and four cinnamon sticks today!

tastes quite boozy, but after a year or so I think it'll come around.