OG for a mead starter?

[Sol_Om_On]

Since I overdid my first try for a mead starter with way to much honey (without taking a gravity reading), and in the process pretty much killing the yeast, I'm curious to how you people do it. I found an older thread with a few different replys, but if anyone else is willing to share how they do a starter I'm all ears!

What OG do you go for? About the same of the actual mead? Or do you not make starters at all? Thanks!

 

[Schreiner]

Someone else with more experience with mead will hopefully chime in, but I would venture to say yeast is yeast, and stick to about a 1.040 gravity for starters across the board. Make sure you get some nutrients in there as well. It's all about not stressing the yeast.

I've only pitched what I considered enough dry yeast for the mead I've done.

 

[BGBC]

Agree, standard starter OG if you're going to do it (1.037 or so). I haven't used a starter for a mead yet tho, as I've used dry wine yeasts.

 

[Arpolis]

For my mead starters I actually use a very low gravity if using honey as your sugar in the starter. The process I use is probably more akin to rehydrating rather than an actual starter. The difference between honey vs sugar or dme or other means of sugar is that honey is acidic. And yeast tend to not like acidic environments. I have never tested the ph of a 1.038ish gravity must but I now it is more acidic then other traditional starters. So I use like a tbs or so in a 2 cup starter. With go-ferm, yeast nutrients or something like raisins chopped fine. After 12 hours or so the dry yeast always wakes up and is ready to pitch. Using this method you can easily ferment batches as large as 7 gallons with one packet of dry wine yeast easily.