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How do you calculate backsweetening honey amount

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D

DGettere

NewBee
Registered Member
Jan 30, 2009
29
0
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I found a bunch of hits on backsweetening... But I'm still confused!!!

If I have 1 gallon of 14% mead that is .999 Specific Gravity now and I want to take it to 1.015 Specific Gravity how do I calculate how much honey is needed??

I know I could just keep adding honey a bit at a time until I got there, but I'd like to figure out a rough amount and then add a little more if needed.
(That's what I do now and it takes 4-5 pours to get it where I'd like!)

Math is not my strong suit! :eek:

Thanks!!!
DG
 
icedmetal

icedmetal

NewBee
Registered Member
Nov 16, 2009
794
1
0
Everett WA
What I've done in the past is used the mead calculator, by punching in my target volume and checking the box, then punching in my target gravity and checking that box too, then voila! If the mead is at 1.000, I now know how much honey (by weight, in the third blue section) to use.

Example:
Target Gravity: 1.015
Target Volume: 5 gallons
====
Honey: 2.46lbs
 
J

jayich

NewBee
Registered Member
Oct 27, 2009
479
0
0
Anchorage, AK
The answer is about 0.47 lbs. The equation is:

x= (desired increase in SG)(g)/(1.416-new SG)

Where x is gallons of honey and 1.416 is the average SG of honey, and g is starting number of gallons. So, for your 1gallon(g= 1) and SG of 0.999, the increase in SG will be 0.016 and the new SG will be 1.015- so, plugging into the equation, you will get : x= 0.016/(1.416-1.015)= .04 gallons of added honey. Mutliply 0.04 lbs by 11.8 lbs. per gallon= 0.47 lbs.
 
Last edited:
icedmetal

icedmetal

NewBee
Registered Member
Nov 16, 2009
794
1
0
Everett WA
...I've actually used the method I mentioned above, and it came out where I expected it to do so. Your result being so vastly different from mine is a little freaky.
 
Medsen Fey

Medsen Fey

Fuselier since 2007
Premium Patron
May 23, 2007
9,004
53
48
Fusel Shack, in the swamp west of Ft. Lauderdale
The theoretical approaches are all well and good, but since honey is quite variable, from a practical standpoint, you can take 1 ounce of YOUR honey (weight) and dissolve it in 1 cup of water. Then measure the gravity and see how many points you get. That will be the same number of points you get if you add 1 pound of honey to 1 gallon of water.

With that, you can figure out how much you need for 5 gallons.

I'd suggest adding less than you estimate, as it is better to go up slowly than to over do it (which you cannot easily correct).
 
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