[Journal] Insanely High Gravity Mead (And other projects)

[Skullfingr]

Hey folks! It's time for another run!

So, if anyone of you know me and how I work, I tend to brew in very small batches. Typically a single gallon a piece, until I find a recipe I really like and brew a 5 to 7 gallon. So for these recipes, I'll be doing all single gallon brews. I plan to start this project today or tomorrow, or sometime this week depending on my schedule, so everything is an estimate as far as gravity and ABV. So here goes!

Projected Recipes
Brew Style: Cyser
Estimated Starting Gravity: 1.09
Estimated Final Gravity: 1.01
Estimated ABV: 10.05%

The Recipe
1 Gallon Sprouts Unfiltered Apple Juice
1 Pound Pure N' Simple Honey
Wyeast Sweet Mead 4184 Yeast
1/4 Teaspoon DAP

The gravity of the Apple Juice was calculated as 1.050 in another thread ( https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=151972&page=4 ), so calculations are based on that. Estimated gravity for 1lb of honey is 35 points.

Recipes #2
Brew Style: Sack Mead
Estimated Starting Gravity: 1.15
Estimated Final Gravity: 1.01
Estimated ABV: 18.37%

The Recipe
1 Gallon Filtered Spring Water
1 Pound Local Dark Texas Honey
2 Pounds Pure N' Simple Honey
Yeast (Undecided)
1/4 Teaspoon DAP

Undecided on yeast, and the reasons for that are complicated! I am considering using a bread yeast to begin the process, due to this:

Upcoming Recipe (#3): Kvasir
Style: Super High Gravity Sack Mead
ABV Goal: 25%
Starting Gravity: 1.20
Ending Gravity: 1.01
The Plan: For the project, I will need to hit a gravity of 1.20 overall, and I plan to do this in steps. First and foremost, I'm going to use the yeast cake from the Bee's Blessing Mead to begin the fermentation on a high gravity must. I am going to need approximately 6 pounds of honey to a gallon of water for the Kvasir recipe to hit 200 points (5.714lb to be precise). I'll begin with pitching 1.10, to equal about 3lb of honey per gallon. I'm going to pitch directly onto the previous yeast cake. I'll add 3 pounds of honey over time, and when it stalls, I will be adding White Labs Super High Gravity (WLP099) to kick the process back into gear.

The step process will involve a secondary racking each time new honey is added in order to introduce new oxygen to the carboy, and most likely adding a small amount of yeast as well as DAP.

 

[loveofrose]

For the last one, don't rack when you add more honey. That's like removing 75% of your soldiers and expecting to win a war. You need all the yeast you can get!

In addition, stick to the super high gravity yeast from step 1 if you have any hope in hell of hitting your ABV. As you've written the recipe, you will be lucky to hit 18%. I'm not trying to be a dick, I just don't want you to waste your honey!

 

[Skullfingr]

loveofrose: I am basing my findings on some other threads, nominally, one that a group attempted to clone Utiopias. They made a batch of barleywine that they used to start and added dry wine yeast near the end to knock down the gravity. So what I could do is start the first mead (starter batch) with the 099, and then pitch directly to THAT cake and add more yeast when it stalls.. which it inevitably will.

 

[loveofrose]

That's what I'm trying to tell you. Mead and beer are nothing alike. If you treat mead like beer, you will be disappointed with the outcome. I wish you luck none the less!

 

[Skullfingr]

Oh, this I know but yeasts in general tend to work in very similar ways regardless of the sugars you feed them. Can I ask what your thought process would be regarding that? I'm not against doing it in a simpler way, but starting with a much larger yeast cake does seem like it would have advantages over a simple starter.

Also!

The Cyser is started!

Below: The juice with a pound of honey added!

Below: Thoroughly mixed. Yeast added!

The Cyster began at a gravity of 1.08 to 1.09, which was expected.

 

[Skullfingr]

Starting a sack mead. I'll be starting the high gravity one around the first week of April!

This one will be..
~3.5lb of honey to one gallon of water
(1lb Local Dark Honey, 2.5lb Pure N Simple Honey)
Estimated Gravity: 1.1125
Estimated Final Gravity: 1.005
Estimated ABV%: ~15%
3/4 Tsp DAP
1/5 Whirlock Tab
Yeast: Wyeast Dry Mead (Tolerates 18%)

Heating up the honey and dousing everything in my Starsan no-rinse now!

 

[Skullfingr]

Wow! My math must have been way off. According to my hydrometer, I'm at a whopping 1.42!

Good times!

 

[Double_D]

That is 1.142 so you're not that far off. I usually guess at 38ppg but honey changes concentration year to year

 

[195877]

That is 1.142 so you're not that far off. I usually guess at 38ppg but honey changes concentration year to year quote]

I've heard that 7 out of 4 people have trouble reading their hydrometer...

 

[Skullfingr]

Cyser started at 1.088 and is now at 1.010 and tastes phenomenal. I almost want to stop fermentation to keep it where it's at!

 

[Skullfingr]

1.006 as of today. Still not done. Probably a few more days left. Still tastes fantastic, like honeyed apple.

 

[MarshmallowBlue]

I was wondering why you weren't planning on 1.140 ish, since I just myself did a 3.5 lbs per gallon and got 1.140, Should be a fun ferment.

 

[Skullfingr]

I'm going for insane gravity!

Do you have a journal for the .14?

 

[Skullfingr]

Racked my sack mead into half gallon batches (only made one gallon). Half is normal, added a little new yeast to kickstart and dry it up. To the other half, I added about a pound of peaches. Going to be tasty!