anyone good at math?

[billingsbrew]

I started my third batch of melomel on September 20th .
Recipe: #14 Buckwheat
# 12 Alfalfa
6 gal spring water
EC1118 yeast
2 1/2 tsp. yeast energizer
2 1/2 tsp. yeast nutrient
O.G. 1.130
On 10-15 split it into two batches 5gal/3gal and added #6 1/2 of canned tart cherries to the 5 gal batch, the gravity at this time was 1.020. On 11-2-13 added #8 sweet cherries to the 5 gal batch, gravity at this time was off the scale. On 12-11 I mixed both batches back together and added 13 more pounds of tart canned cherries and #6 of inverted dark caramelized spiced sugar (spices: cardamom, white-pink-green peppercorns and coriander)Gravity at this time was at 1.015. I then added a 1.040 1/2 gallon starter with two packs of EC1118 and it is now down, as of 12-31 to 1.000. Is there any way to know what the alcohol level is? With the fruit and sugar additions I have no idea how to calculate it. However, I would sure like to know.

 

[WVMJ]

Off the chart means what, you couldnt measure it? If you couldnt measure it you cant figure out how much. Not really sure what you mean by gravity off the scale, off on the high side like 1.175 or low side like 0.990?? Looks like a lot of things happening here, how does it taste? Do the spices, buchwheat and cherries blending together well? WVMJ

 

[billingsbrew]

At 1.000 it has an unexpected fruity finish, very light in body, much lighter than I would have expected. When you first inhale a sample you immediately detect the alcohol followed by an intense cherry aroma. When I said off the scale I meant below .999. I just can't use O.G. 1.130 minus F.G. 1.000 and say it is at 17.06 ABV. There were so many additions during fermentation. I'm just not sure if there is any way to calculate ABV. It is the cherries that stand out the most. The buckwheat honey that originally tasted so good, when heated smelled like sheep. This is now all but gone and I am sure with aging it will dissipate altogether.

 

[fatbloke]

At 1.000 it has an unexpected fruity finish, very light in body, much lighter than I would have expected. When you first inhale a sample you immediately detect the alcohol followed by an intense cherry aroma. When I said off the scale I meant below .999. I just can't use O.G. 1.130 minus F.G. 1.000 and say it is at 17.06 ABV. There were so many additions during fermentation. I'm just not sure if there is any way to calculate ABV. It is the cherries that stand out the most. The buckwheat honey that originally tasted so good, when heated smelled like sheep. This is now all but gone and I am sure with aging it will dissipate altogether.

Well, maybe you'd need to look for a better calibrated hydrometer, as all of the ones I have, are graduated from 0.980 to 1.150 - I've seen some that have markings from just below 0.990 up to about 1.170/1.180

If you just keep measuring and adding the number of points dropped and then add them up you can get a good estimate of the strength from charts like this (you will need something that will display excel format spreadsheets for that). Then the total number of points change, equates directly to a strength of %ABV.

You can't always tell whether something is "strong" just from smelling, as that is affected by too many other factors.......

 

[WVMJ]

You wine is not off the scale, the scale goes below 1.000, it goes typically all the way down to 0.990. So as Bloke said, just add up all your additions and use that as your total gravity minus your lowest reading, it wont be totally accurate because of the volume changes when you added the cherries. Also, there is no reason to cook your honey, if its crystalized just soak it in some hot water in your sink, a little hot tap water is about all you should need to get the rest out of the jar. You might want to consider adding a little bit of oak to this and letting it bulk age a while. WVMJ

 

[billingsbrew]

My hydrometers go down to 0.982 and the reading was below that mark. I never boil honey I just steep it at 150 degrees for about 40 min. The oak does sounds good, maybe I'll split it again and do that. Oh well I mostly brew big Belgian beers and thought I would expand into other brewing areas. I was just not used to readings that low and just wasn't all that sure how to calculate the ABV when adding fermentable sugars after primary fermentation. As for excel spread sheets I'm a pipe fitter by trade and you don't want to see me try to use that. Well if nothing else I do know there's lots of alcohol in it after drinking what I couldn't fit in the last fermenting vassal (32 oz.) I fell down twice and the wife said no more as she poured the last 4oz down the drain. Thanks for all your input!

 

[fuelish]

I'm good at math, but what you've been doing sounds like too much of a headache to figure out, if even possible. Making great mead doesn't have to be anywhere near that complicated...

 

[billingsbrew]

OK so this is what I finally did with my batch of melomel, well it started out as melomel. I split it into driffrent batches. One five gallon batch made with 64oz of Knox tart cherry juice, 1.75 litter Pinacle vodka and liquid oak extract. One three gallon batch made with 32oz Knox cherry juice and 1.7 litters of Christian Brothers brandy. One three gallon batch made with 32oz Knox cherry juice and 750 ml of everclear. Next time Water,honey and yeast!