Calculating Residual Sugar Meads

[Atek]

Ok, this seems to confuse the hell out of me. I get Calculating residual sugar for wines as 1gram sugar/litre is .1% residual sugar correct? How is this done for honey as 1gram of honey is not = to 1 gram of sugar.... Is there an easy trick to do this?

 

[Inner10]

Honey averages something like 79 percent sugar...just plunk a hydrometer in it to make sure of your calculations.

 

[Atek]

I didn't think you could accurately calculate residual sugars with a hydrometer after ferment...

 

[strangegreenman]

I imagine that you take you original gravity and final gravity to obtain a value for alcohol by volume, then use that number to calculate the specific gravity of that %ABV in pure water, and the difference in density is the amount of dissolved solids. I will keep thinking about this, it makes an interesting chemistry question. As a minor off-topic, I would also love to know if it is possible to set up a wine recipe to have a specific residual sugar level without having to arrest fermentation.

 

[Atek]

I imagine that you take you original gravity and final gravity to obtain a value for alcohol by volume, then use that number to calculate the specific gravity of that %ABV in pure water, and the difference in density is the amount of dissolved solids. I will keep thinking about this, it makes an interesting chemistry question. As a minor off-topic, I would also love to know if it is possible to set up a wine recipe to have a specific residual sugar level without having to arrest fermentation.

Only if you can be certain of the yeast die off point. Or use unfermentable sugars.