Hi all,
So I've only ever made 2 meads, but I recently made a mead with orange blossom honey using the "TOSNA" nutrient addition method spelled out on meadmaderight.com. I was surprised at how well the fermentation went - I used Lalvin 71-B and my must went from 1.105 to 0.998 over the course of 2 weeks, and then I gave it another couple months to clear and condition. Based on my calculations, this places me squarely in the 14.3% abv territory, which is about the alcohol tolerance of the 71-B yeast.
However, I was surprised at 0.998 FG just how sweet the mead still tastes. I mean, it's not cloying by any means, but it is also certainly not what I would call a 'dry mead.' I understand that alcohol content can distort gravity measurements and that there indeed must still be some fermentable sugar since it's still sweet to the taste, but still...
I guess my question is if I wanted to truly make a 'dry' mead, should I have used less honey in the first place and started with an even lower OG?
And if I could ask a second question, I'm thinking of making a melomel next. I will want it to be a true dry mead, so are there any particular fruits that tend to work better than others in dry mead? I was thinking cranberries so I can make something nice for Thanksgiving, but I was worried that the sour tannic tartness of the berries might be too much in a truly dry mead.
Thanks, sorry for the wall of text!