You'll add the more honey once the SG has reached a low point. I'm sure fb has more specific parameters in mind. I'll be doing that with the batch I'm about to start. Otherwise my OG would be about 1.200 which IS insane for yeast (don't want to stress/shock the with that high of an OG).
IME, the trick with getting something good from EC-1118 is to back-sweeten it. If you let it go to dry, and leave it there, you probably won't like it much. You'll also need to do the normal 'care and feeding' to the batch. Talking about degassing, aerating, and adding nutrients. Go on over to the Got Mead forums and see what most mazers will do in this case.
Nah! bollocks I just wing it. I use Bob's alcohol conversion table over at
WaH, so I know roughly how strong it's likely to be if it ferments down to 0.990 or so, but generally I start my batches between 1.100 and 1.110 so if they get to 1.000 they'll between 13.5% and 14.9% ABV. If I decide I want a batch a bit stronger, I'll just chuck an extra 1/2 to 1lb of honey in, but I usually start with a 1/2lb and then check the gravity once it's nicely mixed in before adding more.
I wing it because I don't really give a toss as long as it will get me
when I come to drink it.
I don't really keep proper records as I'm rubbish at remembering to do that, plus I like the variety of making stuff differently each time.
The only thing I always make the same is JAO, but even then I make it to 1 imp gallon using the numbers from the recipe, rather than 1 US gallon. Just means my batches are still sweet, just not as sweet as if I'd made them to 1 US gallon (but I get more mead so that's fine by me).
What I don't do, is make my meads like a lot here who seem to want to make them as if they're making a beer. They don't seem to follow that while a yeast will hit, say 18%, it's worth starting it lower so that there's little to no chance of stressing the yeast. They want to make a batch that's 18% and they also want residual sugars, so rather than using something like a reasonable starting gravity and step feeding, they work out that they think they'll want 18% which equates to a drop of 133 points, so rather than starting at a max of 1.123 points with the aim of getting the batch down to 0.990 and then back sweetening to taste, they'll do **** like starting it something like 1.140 - which to my mind is too high and leaves too much leeway for stressing the yeast with some osmotic shock. It also seems to allow much more chance of even worse pH swings than if started lower.
But hey, maybe it's just me being over cautious or something daft like that.
Besides, Golddiggie seems to take a much more sensible, measured attitude to mead making, not like the half-arsed idiot way I make mine !