[slickdaddy420]

The mead tastes pretty good as it is after I added 3lbs of honey bringing it down to under 12%abv. I chilled the gravity reading liquid. I do like the idea of waiting before backsweetening. It is too late now, but that does make a ton of sense. I think I will just bottle a bunch and keep it in the fridge. At this point, I think waiting a year is just going to annoy me.

I like the idea of mead, but I might need to be able to keep it colder than I have possible at this time. Maybe do 1gallon batches so I can keep in the fridge when needed.

Thanks guys for all the responses.

[morticaixavier]

The mead tastes pretty good as it is after I added 3lbs of honey bringing it down to under 12%abv. I chilled the gravity reading liquid. I do like the idea of waiting before backsweetening. It is too late now, but that does make a ton of sense. I think I will just bottle a bunch and keep it in the fridge. At this point, I think waiting a year is just going to annoy me.

I like the idea of mead, but I might need to be able to keep it colder than I have possible at this time. Maybe do 1gallon batches so I can keep in the fridge when needed.

Thanks guys for all the responses.

What was your batch size? I don't think that adding 3lb of honey (right around 1 quart) to a 16% ABV is going to bring it down to 12% ABV. It's still going to be pretty close to 16% (~15.2%), might even creap up a little as some of that honey ferments out (if it does)

[slickdaddy420]

The current batch size is a little over 4 gallons. I had a bad degassing accident and lost about a gallon into my carpet. Started with 15lbs honey and 5 gallons. So, I would say I have a 4 gallon batch with 12lbs of honey. The numbers make sense to me(a novice brewer). Adding ~25% of the starting honey, the FG went up over 25 points(~25% of the OG). It is actually very drinkable now. Before it tasted like a stiff mixed drink of vodka and honey.

[bwana]

I also have a mead that finished under 1.00. It has been sitting in Secondary in my basement at 66 degrees for a year. I also need to back sweeten as this mead is at 15%. When I add more honey will the yeast come back to life?
Sorry to highjack this thread but I have a similar issue.

[morticaixavier]

The current batch size is a little over 4 gallons. I had a bad degassing accident and lost about a gallon into my carpet. Started with 15lbs honey and 5 gallons. So, I would say I have a 4 gallon batch with 12lbs of honey. The numbers make sense to me(a novice brewer). Adding ~25% of the starting honey, the FG went up over 25 points(~25% of the OG). It is actually very drinkable now. Before it tasted like a stiff mixed drink of vodka and honey.

It still won't reduce your ABV very much. certainly not 4 points. you may be adding 25% more gravity points but you are only adding about 6% volume that's what affects ABV so you come down to 15%. the alcahol does not go away.

[slickdaddy420]

The current batch size is a little over 4 gallons. I had a bad degassing accident and lost about a gallon into my carpet. Started with 15lbs honey and 5 gallons. So, I would say I have a 4 gallon batch with 12lbs of honey. The numbers make sense to me(a novice brewer). Adding ~25% of the starting honey, the FG went up over 25 points(~25% of the OG). It is actually very drinkable now. Before it tasted like a stiff mixed drink of vodka and honey.

It still won't reduce your ABV very much. certainly not 4 points. you may be adding 25% more gravity points but you are only adding about 6% volume that's what affects ABV so you come down to 15%. the alcahol does not go away.

Ahh gotcha. Its about 15%+ abv, but the added sugar just makes it more drinkable.

[morticaixavier]

correct. the added sugar will also make for one heck of a hangover so watch out!

[punatic]

correct. the added sugar will also make for one heck of a hangover so watch out!

Really?  Can you point to where you get that from?

[tschmidlin]

correct. the added sugar will also make for one heck of a hangover so watch out!

You wouldn't be the first person to get a headache and feel crappy from consuming too much sugar, but that's not the same as a hangover.

[morticaixavier]

correct. the added sugar will also make for one heck of a hangover so watch out!

You wouldn't be the first person to get a headache and feel crappy from consuming too much sugar, but that's not the same as a hangover.

well maybe it's not the sugar then, but when I drink sweet mead, sweet wine, sweet alcaholic beverages in general (to some degree of excess) I get a monster hangover. Mead in general also kicks my butt the next day. No scientific knowledge behind it, just experiencial inference.

[tschmidlin]

correct. the added sugar will also make for one heck of a hangover so watch out!

You wouldn't be the first person to get a headache and feel crappy from consuming too much sugar, but that's not the same as a hangover.

well maybe it's not the sugar then, but when I drink sweet mead, sweet wine, sweet alcaholic beverages in general (to some degree of excess) I get a monster hangover. Mead in general also kicks my butt the next day. No scientific knowledge behind it, just experiencial inference.

It probably just makes the dehydration worse.  Try extra water at bedtime.

[kenschramm]

The lone bit of advice I would add to this thread is that it is a good idea to rack any mead that you will be backsweetening off of any yeast cake that has built up before you hit it w/chemicals. You'll also get a handle on whether the mead is of a mind to try and ferment a few more points. Wait to sorbate until you no longer see any signs of fermentation.  If you get the mead away from its main yeast population, you'll minimize the number of active cells that need to be knocked out.

[punatic]

Hey Ken, It's great to see you in here again!  We've been hoping you are doing well.  Thanks for chiming in.

With aloha!

Carl the meadmaker/beekeeper from Hawaii Island

[slickdaddy420]

Thanks again for all the replies.

I put the Mead I started this thread about and a Braggot I made in 3 gallon carboys and got them in my refrigerator a month ago. They cleared up beautifully, tasted amazing, and I will be bottling very soon. The cold crashing was the trick I needed.

My girlfriend LOVES it and wants to give bottles to all her co-workers. So, the 3 gallons will be half gone to others haha.

[udubdawg]

My girlfriend LOVES it and wants to give bottles to all her co-workers. So, the 3 gallons will be half gone to others haha.

considering the price of honey, that's really generous of you.  I usually love to share but damn, sharing mead can get expensive.

anyway, congrats on your success.

cheers--
--Michael