Which ABV for traditional meads?

[giuzep89]

Hey guys,
The range in which a mead can be called "traditional" varies, according to what I read, between 8 and 14%. That's a pretty big range. How do you choose your starting gravity then? I'm not interested in making a very alcoholic mead, so that's off the table, but are there other reasons why you'd wanna brew a TM say, at 12% instead of 9%? Simply put, how do you peak an OG when brewing a new mead?

 

[CKuhns]

I think i understand what your asking. (Have had a Mead or two so maybe not.)

I target an original gravity (OG) and assume a complete ferment to 1.000 for a final gravity (FG)

The calc works this way.
1 pound of honey added to achieve a total of 1 gallon volume gives you netwern 0.032 and 0.038 gravity points. I use 0.035 gravity points as a constant. And 0.035 times 131.25 gives you a potential ABV of roughly 4.6. (Assumes you get back to 1.000)

Estimate example if i want about 9% ABV
1.070 OG (2 pounds of honey to make 1 volume gallon) minus your FG of 1.000 (assumes thats where it stops) equals 0.070 and 0.070 times 131.25 = 9.2 ABV.

This works for any OG and FG. This is not exact and not real linear as the ABV increases but gets you plus or minus a few tenths at about 14%

The Constant of 131.25 in the equation comes from two different factors: The number of grams of ethanol generated per gram of carbon dioxide released in fermentation. Plus the approximate density of ethanol, which is necessary to convert from alcohol by weight (ABW) to alcohol by volume (ABV).

 

[pdhirsch]

Try different recipes and decide what you like I brew my traditional meads at about 12%; others prefer higher or lower values. Which is fine... one of the big reasons to homebrew in the first place is so you can make what *you* want, rather than depending on what some commercial brewer thinks you ought to like.

So -- make an 8% mead, and a 10%, and a 12%, and a 14% (need to be progressively more careful, both when brewing and when consuming)... see what you like best. Mess with other aspects, too -- tannin and acid as a start. Figure out what you like, and then make more...

 

[bushpilot]

9-11% seems to work well for me. Great taste, easy and uncomplicated to brew, and the wife likes it.

 

[videojunkie1208]

In general the higher the ABV of a traditional mead, the fewer places there are to hide technique issues. and the more pronounced even minor issues with your honey, nutrients, temperature control, etc. become. That said, you can make spectacular traditionals in almost any ABV.

 

[Kyzaboy89]

Trying to find the source but I read somewhere that having an abv of approximately 10.5 or higher greatly reduces the chances of your Mead turning to vinegar. 10-12 is decent range in my opinion but it's to your taste. Higher abv can take longer to mellow unless that doesn't bother you.

 

[giuzep89]

Just so you guys know, I switched from Lalvin 71b to Mangrove Jack's M05 mead yeast. My current blueberry melomel is almost done fermenting (target ABV 10.5%) and I can tell you there's an immense difference between the two. The 71b ended up with a ton of off flavors to age out, whereas with the MJ the mead is basically drinkable right away. It's not the first time this happens to me when trying Lallemand yeasts. They always ferment extremely aggressively and then you're supposed to believe mead NEEDS to age to be drinkable. No it doesn't! MJ yeasts ferment slowly in about 2 weeks (especially with higher gravities) but there's NO off flavor at the end. The mead might taste "green" and "young" but not like rocket fuel as I've been reading it would be.

It doesn't surprise me at all that all the mead recipes that are quickly drinkable (BOMM, etc.) don't involve aggressive wine yeasts. The nice thing about Mangrove Jack yeasts is that they're never fast fermentors, but they also don't create crazy off flavors and they really keep the original aromas. It will ferment dry like a wine yeast but behaving all throughout like a chill ale yeast. Don't know how they tweaked that but it's true. I brew ciders regularly with their M02 and the fruit flavors are kept literally intact at the end of the fermentation.

Sorry for the rant, but I was scared about my initial ABV choice partly due to Lalvin yeasts. I simply discovered that it's not just the ABV that determines drinkability, contrary to what's generally assumed.