An Apple Mead?

[jeddar]

Hello!

Relatively new to all this, so apologies if I seem naive or ignorant. ^^;

I've homebrewed beers on and off since my college days, but I've recently been getting into doing ciders, wines and meads.

My most recent experiement is what some have corrected me that it's not a mead so much as a Melomel or a cyser.

here's what I have put together in a 1 gal test batch..

4lb raw, unprocessed honey
enough apple juice to bring it up 1 gal
2 tsp Fermax Yeast Nutrient
a couple handfulls of raisins to help with body
and a packet of RedStar Cotes des Blancs yeast.

Everything is bubbling away happily and the gasses pretty much smell like apple pie.

I mixed all but the yeast pretty good before pitching, so hoping it all comes out good. Anyone seeing anything flawed in this method?

Peace,
Jeddar

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Sounds like a good cyser recipe to me.
Regards, GF.

 

[bernardsmith]

Hi Jeddar - and welcome.
Potentially , this is going to have a very high ABV assuming the yeast can cope with the concentration of sugar not to say the amount of alcohol in which they will be swimming: Four pounds of honey = 1.140 plus the sugar from the cider AKA apple juice (.050). A starting gravity of about 1.190 is rocket fuel (close to 25% ABV) What I might do is add another gallon of apple juice to help re-balance ABV with flavor...

 

[Cavpilot2000]

Hi Jeddar - and welcome.
Potentially , this is going to have a very high ABV assuming the yeast can cope with the concentration of sugar not to say the amount of alcohol in which they will be swimming: Four pounds of honey = 1.140 plus the sugar from the cider AKA apple juice (.050). A starting gravity of about 1.190 is rocket fuel (close to 25% ABV) What I might do is add another gallon of apple juice to help re-balance ABV with flavor...

What he said.
4 lb/gal is a very heavy concentration. Add to that the other fermentables, and this is almost guaranteed to have a strong "hot" alcohol taste. Either that, or it will be cloyingly sweet if you hit the limit of the yeast too early.

 

[Maylar]

There's also a chance that the ferment will stall from the yeast going into osmotic shock. There's a limit to how much sugar yeast can tolerate. 1.190 is way above that limit.

 

[theblackwolf]

sounds like a sweet cyser to me, seems tasty bro, however for 1 gallon batches (which is all i know) 4 pounds sounds super sweet, i keep mine around 3 since i like em sweet, might need a yeast that can handle a high alcoholic percentage, but should be good bro, skol.