Wyeast choices for Mead

[mdf191]

A while back I ordered a semi-sweet northern homebrew mead kit. Kept putting it off to brew for awhile but finally decided to make it. When I went to smack my yeast I noticed they sent me Wyeast 4021 Champagne. Which when I go on their current website is the yeast they send for dry mead not semi sweet (it may have been different months ago when I ordered it). Having made a bunch of beer but never mead before, I would like it to come out right. So I am here debating whether to use this yeast. Or use this yeast in another way, at another time, and go purchase the Wyeast 4783 (used normally for rieslings, and other wines with decent residual sweetness) they recommend for semi-sweets currently.
I made hard cider a couple falls ago with champagne yeast and was surprised out how intensely dry it came out. I was hoping my mead would have a faint warm honey sweetness (comparable to a average riesling sweetness) while not being like drinking liquid boozy honey. I tried someone's mead before that was like this, but I do not remember if they said it was a dry or sweet mead. From my interpretation of the kit descriptions I think semi-sweet is what I am looking for...but if any of you seasoned mead makers could tell me how dry is dry if I used Champagne yeast it would help me decide what to do.

Thanks

 

[jezter6]

It depends on how much honey is in the kit, but champagne yeast will generally dry the crap out of your mead.

I'd hold off using it if you don't want something dry. Otherwise, you can use it with some of the honey, let it go completely dry, then sorbate/sulfite and backsweeten to semi-sweet.

 

[bob1852]

we'll need to know how much honey you are dealing with (or does the kit give you an estimated OG)?

I'm personally not a fan of liquid mead yeasts, but there are several dry wine yeasts that you can look at their potential ABV and find one that should get you to your target FG.

Or there is always the option of letting it ferment out dry, then stabilizing with campden and potassium sorbate, and backsweetening to your tastes.

 

[mdf191]

I am using roughly 7 lbs of honey...but for a 3 gallon batch

 

[bob1852]

That's gonna finish dry no matter what yeast you use.

I did a raspberry melamel 3 gallon batch using 7.5 lbs of honey, and it stopped at ~1.008. Not completely dry, but with 7lbs it'll probably hit 1.000 or maybe lower.

Best best is to stabilize and backsweeten.

Does the kit estimate OG/FG? Or does it call for backsweetening?

 

[mdf191]

Right thats what I was wondering. The recipe's OG only calls for 1.080-83 which I would assume nearly all wine yeast will not top out before correct? So how do people get semi sweets? Would I just have to use more honey. Or do this back sweetening process?

 

[mdf191]

Also not being experienced with mead. What about adding sugar additives.. something that will not ferment out completely. Or will that mess with the traditional mead taste

 

[mdf191]

Here is the link that explains both the semi sweet and the dry mead recipes. The two kits are the same except of the yeast. Which I have the dry champagne one. But like I said in the above post. I am not sure if it will matter, since I feel both yeasts will ferment that OG out dry...
http://www.northernbrewer.com/documentation/meadkits/ArtisanalGeneric3.pdf

 

[bob1852]

Sugar will ferment out completely.

If you want, you could go buy some additional honey. If you get it up to ~9lbs, the yeast may crap out in the 1.010-1.015 range (which I think is style for semi-sweet).