Dealing with a very high OG mead

[IanDB]

hi - didn’t know if anyone had any advice for me...
I was attempting a ‘burnt mead’ recipe, but suspect my proportions of honey and water went haywire. My OG measured in around 1.13 (the graduation on my hydrometer only goes to 1.13,and it was hovering around there).

I have around 4.75L of liquid, added 2 teaspoons of nutrient along with some Wyeast cider and mead yeast (a slap pack meant to do 30L odd). I used half the pack in some Perry I was making, OG around 1.06 and that’s started just fine.

The mead however is not doing anything (been around 24 hours). I assume the sugar content is too high? I know I could likely dilute with water to reduce the OG, but didn’t know if there was anything else I could do as an option (I’m curious about alternatives). Would adding more nutrient help the yeast? Or moving to some form of high alcohol turbo yeast?

Any and all suggestions welcome - I do have some champagne/sparkling style yeast I could use, but interested in experimenting. If necessary, I could rack off some (half?) and make 2 batches, but I was interested in people’s thoughts/suggestions.....

Cheers

 

[Hilltop Honey Farms Mead]

How much honey did you add for starters?

Also, did you aerate? What temperature is the ferment around? Lots of questions here!

 

[IanDB]

Hah! I thought I’d provided more details than I actually did. Must have all been in my head... so 2 separate batches, 1 mead, 1 Bochet (never heard of before, came across while googl8ng, and sounded interesting). Different yeasts.
Bochet was:
1.2 kg honey, cooked until foamy and brown/dark
6.4L water added slowly. Boiled down to 4.5L. Cooled, poured in carboy. Added Cider and mead yeast. Added nutrient (1 tsp). No activity as noted above. (Probably due to super high honey content... OG was around 1.13).
Temp around 23. Brewed up some lalven EC1118 with some nutrient, and around 200mL of the Bochet. Good activity and foaming. Poured half in the carboy, topped back up to around 300mL in my starter. Did this around 4 times... activity started and got up to around 40 bubbles a minute. (27/11). Currently around 25 bubbles. Haven’t taken a gravity reading but will do so this weekend.

 

[IanDB]

The mead was more straight forward. 2L honey, 10 scrapes orange zest 3L water (just under). Bulldog high alcohol mead yeast plus nutrient. OG around 1.15 (scale stops around 1.13, so by eye). After 2 days crazy activity. Still going, slightly more active than Bochet. Will take another reading at the same time as I check the Bochet.
Yes, aerated both. Will keep you posted...

 

[IanDB]

The mead was more straight forward. 2L honey, 10 scrapes orange zest 3L water (just under). Bulldog high alcohol mead yeast plus nutrient. OG around 1.15 (scale stops around 1.13, so by eye). After 2 days crazy activity. Still going, slightly more active than Bochet. Will take another reading at the same time as I check the Bochet.
Yes, aerated both. Will keep you posted...

So.... 10 December, originally started both on 24 November, 25th/26th when they got active

 

[IanDB]

Bouchet seems to have fermented out. OG was around 1.13, FG 1.015. Very dry, strong honey flavour, tastes burned/caramel. Still a raw ‘alcohol flavour. Agitated, leaving in primary another day or two (need to get organised to rack etc).

 

[IanDB]

Mead is still fermenting, but down to about 18-20 bubbles a minute. OG was around 1.15, currently 1.09. Still sweet, honey flavour. Musty/yeasty flavour, but I guess still going. A good aeration and back into the dark. Fermenting room is currently staying around 21 degrees (thank you central heating). See how we go...