high alcohol step feeding, need input please

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

bodhi86

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 19, 2012
Messages
98
Reaction score
1
Location
el paso
I've got a three gallon carboy about to open up and I want to make a super high abv pomogranite mead. I have two main questions, what yeast should I use, and what are the basics of step feeding. I know to get the most ABV I can step feeding is the way I should go, but I'm unclear on how its done right. Do I want to start with a substantial gravity and go from there in normal size steps, or do I start with a lower gravity and take a lot of baby steps. Like I said I want this done right with good tasting jet fuel of a mead end product, so as much input as I could get will be appreciated.
 
I've got a three gallon carboy about to open up and I want to make a super high abv pomogranite mead. I have two main questions, what yeast should I use, and what are the basics of step feeding. I know to get the most ABV I can step feeding is the way I should go, but I'm unclear on how its done right. Do I want to start with a substantial gravity and go from there in normal size steps, or do I start with a lower gravity and take a lot of baby steps. Like I said I want this done right with good tasting jet fuel of a mead end product, so as much input as I could get will be appreciated.
Hum ? Well on the face of it, I'd suggest the later. Starting a bit lower, but keep full records of your gravity readings, the quantities of extra honey used for the stepping and also, some source of organic energiser/nutrient (FermaidO, yeast hulls or even some boiled yeast).

You might need to run the numbers on the gotmead mead calculator, to get some idea about the maximum amount of honey required to reach the predicted strength.

Yeast choice is another variable. I wouldn't use a champagne yeast as they tend to blow too much of the aromatics and possibly some of the more subtle flavourings straight out the airlock, but something like K1V-1116 should be able to hit the published 18% ABV and still leave you with good flavour/aroma.

As for the jet fuel thing ? Many young, strong, meads have an alcohol hot flavour anyway, but that usually mellows over time, so you may have to resort to fortification as well - everclear comes to mind, but just remember, that if you made a batch that succeeded in having good flavour, a fair bit of alcohol, and all the other attributes of a decent batch, then topping up from racking losses with everclear, with not only increase the alcohol content, but also might reduce the body/mouthfeel/viscosity a bit too.

Your biggest issue is likely to be keeping enough flavour and colour from the pomegranate. It's a relatively delicate flavour, that can lessen with fermentation. So you may need to top up with some fruit/juice/concentrate after the batch has finished it's ferment......
 
I've got a three gallon carboy about to open up and I want to make a super high abv pomogranite mead. I have two main questions, what yeast should I use, and what are the basics of step feeding. I know to get the most ABV I can step feeding is the way I should go, but I'm unclear on how its done right. Do I want to start with a substantial gravity and go from there in normal size steps, or do I start with a lower gravity and take a lot of baby steps. Like I said I want this done right with good tasting jet fuel of a mead end product, so as much input as I could get will be appreciated.

Have a look here:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f30/sticky-mead-making-faqs-83030/
There is a section on Staggered Nutrient Additions (SNA) that you will find useful.
Regards, GF.
 
thanks for the advice bloke, i planned on keeping real detailed records so i can get the estimated abv as accurate as possible. about the jet fuel thing thing tho, i was realy referencing just alcohol content not realy taste. i realize that aiming for an extreme abv is defenitely going to affect the flavor outcome, like you said, pom is a delicate flavor, but im kinda hoping that a long ferment and feeding with honey plus pom juice could help keep the flavor. maybe i could make a pom wine in my gallon carboys and use it as a sweetener and flavor enhancer?
 
So, here's how I've done my recent "Fresh Grape" pyments.

Take a measure of the must as is. Just the grapes came out at about 1.090, I'd then add some honey, and measure, add some more until I get to my starting gravity of 1.120, pitched the yeast, get the ferment going, then after 3 or 4 days, sample and measure. When the measurement is at about 1.060 or so, then add some more honey, so the gravity has been pushed back up to 1.100 then let it go. I then know that at 1.060 (using that as a measuring/calculating point it will have dropped 100 points, which equates to about 13.5% ABV, but I let it carry on, because I know that a drop of 133 points equates to 18.07% ABV.

I've used K1-V1116 yeast as I know that it has an 18% ABV tolerance and also that because I've used fresh grape, I won't need to worry overly, about nutrients. They're naturally in the fruit.

I would still, if I was just doing a traditional mead, work out the points where I'd need to step feed for a total drop of 133 (to use a projected strength of 18%), so I know how far it is from the start to the 1/3rd sugar break, when I'd be adding my nutrients/energiser etc i.e. about 3/4 of the calculated total up front and the rest at the 1/3rd break. Then it just matters about getting the step feeds in where you want to put them.

Hopefully that makes sense (it does to me, but I'm an idiot).....
 
Yeah the method is good, but the ABV will be off because the second honey addition will add volume to the must. So it would end up being shy of 18% by a certain amount depending on how much honey you have to add to get to that sg.

Of course, it all depends on how accurate you want to be ( :
 
Back
Top