Been making more meads lately and came across an old Curt Stock recipe i found somewhere years ago. I trust that the recipe is good as he clearly knows what he is doing, I'm just concerned with pushing the yeast to its alcohol tolerance as I've never done it. My concern is that with the new(er) TOSNA protocol (which I intend to use) that the yeast will chew through all the fermentables and I'll end up way higher than intended and will have to age the mead for an extended period. Neither of which i want to do. Anybody have any experience with pushing 71B to it's listed ABV tolerance? I know that it is not an exact science; his listed FG is actually a range of 10 points. If all goes according to the recipe plan, great. But if I baby the hell out of this yeast and it goes full beast mode, I'm going to be disappointed. I also considered maybe using a yeast with a lower ABV tolerance and lowering the SG to achieve a lower FG but that may be another topic all together. FYI, all the fruit goes into primary for this one.
FWIW, here is the recipe:
21 lbs Wildflower Honey
12 lbs Triple Berry Mix (Blackberries/Raspberries/Blueberries)
6 lbs Strawberries
96 oz Black Currant Juice (free of preservatives)
2.3 gal Water
3 tsp Yeast Energizer/Nutrient Blend (Fermaid-K and DAP)
10 g Lalvin Narbonne Yeast (71B-1122)
Approximate OG 1.158
Target FG 1.030 to 1.040
Estimated ABV 15.8%
FWIW, here is the recipe:
21 lbs Wildflower Honey
12 lbs Triple Berry Mix (Blackberries/Raspberries/Blueberries)
6 lbs Strawberries
96 oz Black Currant Juice (free of preservatives)
2.3 gal Water
3 tsp Yeast Energizer/Nutrient Blend (Fermaid-K and DAP)
10 g Lalvin Narbonne Yeast (71B-1122)
Approximate OG 1.158
Target FG 1.030 to 1.040
Estimated ABV 15.8%