OG Help Please

[kevinb]

I am very confused. I am making my first mead and trying to figure out the recipe. I have checked a couple sites online and I am getting conflicting info. I have 8.5# of Honey and was planning on 3 gallons total which I hope will give me a semi sweet mead using lalvin 71b. Is this correct? What can I expect for my final gravity? Help!

 

[Complete_Amateur]

I am very confused. I am making my first mead and trying to figure out the recipe. I have checked a couple sites online and I am getting conflicting info. I have 8.5# of Honey and was planning on 3 gallons total which I hope will give me a semi sweet mead using lalvin 71b. Is this correct? What can I expect for my final gravity? Help!

I usually select yeast based on how I think they will contribute to flavor, aroma, and/or complexity, and then attempt to hit an OG just above the tolerance level of my selected yeast strain. I might go a little lower if I plan on adding fruit for a secondary.

With an OG of 1.11 and 100% apparent attenuation, you should (approximately) come close to the 14% expected alcohol tolerance for 71b with some residual sweetness. I couldn't tell you with certainty though, as I have never used this yeast (and there are many other factors that will come together to determine the outcome).

Most yeasts I have used have left some sweetness, with the exception of champagne yeast, which has always left me high and dry. I have definitely had some surprises, but no disasters so far.

 

[fatbloke]

Ok, so while CA's suggestion is fair, it's more beer making technique.

With meads we're dealing with much higher OG and fermentables that drop considerably lower than beer wort.

With that in mind, it's much easier to work to one set of numbers than the hassle of working to two i.e. One process stage at a time.

So, seeing that the greater number of wine yeasts have a max published ttolerance of 14% ABV (and putting aside the notion and anecdotal evidence of properly nourished yeast exceeding that for the moment), it's easiest to work out the gravity drop that represents 14% and use that as a guide, then you're reducing the chance of making a must that causes osmotic shock to the yeast and possibly stressing it so it produces off flavours, excessive fusels, etc or other negatives.

I work my numbers to presume finished at 1.000 (which gives some scope for variation as meads don't generally seem to drop below 0.990).

Then ferment dry, stabilise and back sweeten to your desired level.

similarly, if you like to sit on the "I don't like adding chemicals" hedge, then that also allows you to ferment down low but then step feed small amounts of honey so you exceed the yeast tolerance and add the back sweetening material to a desired level.

Yes, this could be seen as being a little hit and miss, but by using the numbers as a guide it's actually more accurate than you give it credit for and it's certainly easier than trying to manage a problematic ferment where the maker could have saved themselves a lot of problems by not pushing too far, to fast.

Good methodology helps a great deal.......

 

[kevinb]

Ok, so while CA's suggestion is fair, it's more beer making technique.

With meads we're dealing with much higher OG and fermentables that drop considerably lower than beer wort.

With that in mind, it's much easier to work to one set of numbers than the hassle of working to two i.e. One process stage at a time.

So, seeing that the greater number of wine yeasts have a max published ttolerance of 14% ABV (and putting aside the notion and anecdotal evidence of properly nourished yeast exceeding that for the moment), it's easiest to work out the gravity drop that represents 14% and use that as a guide, then you're reducing the chance of making a must that causes osmotic shock to the yeast and possibly stressing it so it produces off flavours, excessive fusels, etc or other negatives.

I work my numbers to presume finished at 1.000 (which gives some scope for variation as meads don't generally seem to drop below 0.990).

Then ferment dry, stabilise and back sweeten to your desired level.

similarly, if you like to sit on the "I don't like adding chemicals" hedge, then that also allows you to ferment down low but then step feed small amounts of honey so you exceed the yeast tolerance and add the back sweetening material to a desired level.

Yes, this could be seen as being a little hit and miss, but by using the numbers as a guide it's actually more accurate than you give it credit for and it's certainly easier than trying to manage a problematic ferment where the maker could have saved themselves a lot of problems by not pushing too far, to fast.

Good methodology helps a great deal.......

Thanks, that does sound a lot easier.

 

[Complete_Amateur]

Ok, so while CA's suggestion is fair, it's more beer making technique.

...it's easiest to work out the gravity drop that represents 14% and use that as a guide, then you're reducing the chance of making a must that causes osmotic shock to the yeast and possibly stressing it so it produces off flavours, excessive fusels, etc or other negatives.

I work my numbers to presume finished at 1.000 (which gives some scope for variation as meads don't generally seem to drop below 0.990).

I assumed this in my statement.

1.1 to 1.0 gives you 14 - 15% if you reach 1.0 final gravity and should not be a high enough gravity to overly stress most wine yeasts.

This has worked best for me, and has been easier than back sweetening (when I get it right), and at worst, gives me a dry mead that needs sweetening as I do not like high gravities, abv over ~16%, or sack meads.

If you are worried about stressing the yeast, you should aim for a lower gravity drop, and expect to step feed and/or back sweeten.