will 4 lbs of strawberries in secondary give it a strong strawberry taste?and also when do you stabilize a mead after it reaches its fg?
I did a 5 galon batch in the primary and got a good strawberry flavor, I did 14 pounds of strawberries. So for 1 gallon, 4 lbs in the secondary should give a good strong strawberry flavor. As far as when to stabilize:
You can do so at any time, I typically wait until after I rack to the secondary, about a couple of weeks.
Here is what I do:
1. Rack to secondary when the fermentation slows to almost imperceptable, like 1 bubble every 15 seconds or so.
2. wait 2 weeks to a month.
3. I rack and stablize at the same time but you don't need to. Just mixing in and stiring it in would be fine.
4. Give at least one more day if not 2 for stablization to take place.
5. rack onto your strawberries and fresh honey (1/2 honey and / 1/2 water mix as your toping up or backsweetening agent. At this time you can test how sweet it is, usually hydrometers are helpful.
6. rack off of strawberries after 2 weeks to a month, usually on lightly toasted oak for 2 weeks.
7. remove oak, possibly rack into some hot mix sparkloid or other clearing agent. This is not neccessary if you are more patient.
8. rack one final time when clear for bulk aging or what I do is rack to my brew bucket and bottle at this time
9. age about 8 months to a year.
10. Chill and enjoy. It will only get better over the next few years.
That is the process that I recomend. Some of the other mead brewers may chime in on timing or specific techniques but this is for me at it's most basic.
Hope it turns out well.