Back sweetening mead... should I use more honey, or use sugar?

[spafmagic]

I have 3 meads all 2/3rds of a gallon each, that have gone dryer than I had anticipated, after using yeast nutrient. Since the honey flavor is already there... should I just back sweeten with sugar?

On a side note, the 3 meads were:
A "control" mead (Wild Flower Honey, Water, Yeast + Nutrient) - O.G. 1.120 / F.G. 1.011 | Clearing in new container
Freshly juiced apples turned into a home made apple cider - O.G. 1.122 / F.G. 1.009 | Clearing in new container
Freshly juiced Red, White, and Black grapes - O.G. 1.120 / F.G. 1.012 | Finished, Racked and jugged until I can get bottles.

Used a B&D 400w Juicer.... so much fun.... lol.

 

[CKuhns]

To sweeten I either use honey or Xylitol. (Xylitol only in very small portions as if too much it can cause some folks to notice off flavors.)

If honey or sugar remember to kill, inhibit or remove the yeast or you will likely get more fermentation.
- Yeast even in a crystal clear mead can still be present in suspension and even if dormant with more sugar will wake up and do what yeast do.

 

[bernardsmith]

Just my opinion , but if you are making mead then I would use only honey to back sweeten. That means that you can use any honey as the basis for the fermentables but then use a varietal honey for the sweetening. That would boost the flavor too of the mead. When you use sugar (or (gulp. cringe) artificial sweeteners) then you are damaging the qualities that honey brings to your wine making. Honey ain't cheap but masking its flavors with table sugar is almost a crime