High gravity mead enigma...

My wife and I just started a cyser 2-26-11... technically, it might have been 2-27-11, since we started the must really late.

Ingredients:
11 oz light brown sugar (to raise SG to desired level)
42.3 oz honey
1.75 gal apple juice
pectic enzyme
"yeast energizer" with DAP, yeast hulls (fermaid-K, etc, not available at LHBS)

Checked the potential ABV to make sure it wouldn't run dry with a 14% ABV tolerant yeast (Lalvin 71B 1122, 1 pack)

There was an error somewhere in my recordings, though- I usually write down the temp, and the uncorrected gravity, then the actual gravity later... so this is what I have:

2-26-11
SG: 1.1062 (uncorrected?) no other data for this day

2-27-11
SG(25ºC): 1.125
SG: 1.1271
Aerated, released CO2

2-28-11
SG(22ºC): 1.068
SG: 1.069

As of 3-1-11, there was no longer airlock activity (not horribly concerned, as this is in a bucket, so there are probably leaks for pressure)
Decided not to mess with it, for the meantime.

3-2-11
SG(21.5ºC): 1.048
SG: 1.049

Opening of the fermentation bucket revealed many tiny bubbles forming and floating to the surface- further readings (see above) show that fermentation is likely still going on.

Where I'm hung up is this:
How on earth does a must drop 58 points in one day?

Furthermore, this puts me way ahead of schedule, and I'm at a loss for what to do if fermentation stops early due to the ABV limit being hit. Rack to secondary for back-sweetening and fining, or wait the full 3-4 weeks?

Your thoughts are appreciated =)

I don't understand how your must GAINED 19 gravity point from 2-26 to 2-27... or maybe 1.1062 is supposed to be 1.162??

My most recent chocolate/vanilla mead dropped as much as 20 points in a day... but I've only done 5 batches so far, so I don't know if 58 points is completely unheard of.

OneCerebralSamurai said:

I don't understand how your must GAINED 19 gravity point from 2-26 to 2-27... or maybe 1.1062 is supposed to be 1.162??

My most recent chocolate/vanilla mead dropped as much as 20 points in a day... but I've only done 5 batches so far, so I don't know if 58 points is completely unheard of.

Click to expand...

The increase in gravity is likely from some of the honey not being completely dissolved when he took the first reading.

That is a huge drop in that short of time but I have had a batch go all the way in less than a week so it is possible....but scary when it happens.

The gain is most likely due to the fact that the reading for that day is unadjusted for temp. Or I'm dyslexic.

I stirred the must well while it was pasteurizing, so there shouldn't have been any issues with undissolved honey.

Either way, I'm glad to know it's possible. And yes, it's scary.

FYI, ABV from day 2, to now, is 10.4%
If I go with the dyslexic 1.1620 OG, it puts me at roughly 15% ABV
This is over-attenuation for Lalvin 71B 1122 (though the owner of my LHBS just had the exact same strain ferment to 16.5% ABV and he had to cold-crash and sulphite it to get it to stop) so I guess I can't be surprised about that either. Thing is, it doesn't taste or smell like it has much alcohol in it. But maybe that's a really inaccurate way of judging.

high CO2 will also affect the reads when bubbles stick to side if hydrometer. LOLOL I don't think I have ever check SG daily.