One month later my SG reads higher than my OG

I have a 3-gal batch of mead in primary fermentation at the moment. I started it roughly a month ago and let it ferment a little cooler than usual (lower 60s F) because I'm fermenting in a 3-gal carboy and I was trying to avoid a mess. My OG was 1.061.

I checked the SG today and it read 1.070.

I'm very confused.

It still tastes a little sweet, but it definitely has some alcohol in it. I'm going to move the carboy to a warmer room for a week or so then take another gravity reading.

Well, as you know that's not possible. So either the first reading is wrong, or the second reading is wrong.

What was the recipe? We can guestimate the probable OG if we know the ingredients.

What Yooper said!

neat trick!

I didn't weigh the honey (it was all I had left in my jar), but it was ~3 qts, plus 2.25 gallons of water.

ThorGodOfThunder said:

I didn't weigh the honey (it was all I had left in my jar), but it was ~3 qts, plus 2.25 gallons of water.

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3 quarts? As in 1 quart less than a gallon? If you figure 12 pounds for a gallon of honey, then you're looking at about 9 pounds in your 3 gallon batch. That would give you an OG of a tad over 1.100.

Have you been adding nutrients, and stirring the mead?

I threw a handful of raisins in (literally a small handful, no official measurement) to keep the yeast happy.

I also stir it up every few days to keep everything all mixed up.

My original measurement must have been off, but I'm not sure how. I homogenized everything before reading because my honey had become a little crystalized and I had to dissolve it with some warm water. I'm not sure how I managed to get that far off, but who knows...

I should mention the yeast I'm using is ec-1118.

It has been fermenting well (slow at that temp, but consistent and active). I'm going to raise the temp of the carboy a few degrees and speed it up a little. If it has only gone down ~.030 in a month I definitely want to speed up the process.

When I took the sample it needed to be degassed pretty badly, so I capped off my hydrometer tube and shook it like a crying baby a few times to get all of the CO2 out of solution, but the hydro measurement was the same.

I'm not sure how I managed to screw up my first measurement... Maybe I should refrain from drinking on yeast-pitching days.

Either you misread your first measurement, or when you took your first measurement the mead was not a well mixed mixture.

ThorGodOfThunder said:

I have a 3-gal batch of mead in primary fermentation at the moment. I started it roughly a month ago and let it ferment a little cooler than usual (lower 60s F) because I'm fermenting in a 3-gal carboy and I was trying to avoid a mess. My OG was 1.061.

I checked the SG today and it read 1.070.

I'm very confused.

It still tastes a little sweet, but it definitely has some alcohol in it. I'm going to move the carboy to a warmer room for a week or so then take another gravity reading.

Click to expand...

Yooper said:

3 quarts? As in 1 quart less than a gallon? If you figure 12 pounds for a gallon of honey, then you're looking at about 9 pounds in your 3 gallon batch. That would give you an OG of a tad over 1.100.

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seth8530 said:

Either you misread your first measurement, or when you took your first measurement the mead was not a well mixed mixture.

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This is what I was going to say. It looks like the honey wasn't mixed in properly and as the honey disolved into your must it brought up the SG. It is either that or you REALLY messed up the OG reading.

You started off with crystalized honey, had a lower OG then SG, and have been stiring it regularily. My money is on a non homogenious mixture to start, it would explain everything. I wouldn't worry about it. Adjust your OG reading to what Yooper said (around 1.100) and just go from there. There is nothing you can do about it now.

Next time I'd suggest 2 things:
1 - give it an extra long stiring to start things off
2 - measure your OG twice, just to be sure

Good luck!

What Devo said, or you could try and wait a a few hours before you pitch the yeast and after you add the honey to make sure that the must is indeed well mixed.