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Wyeast 4184 Sweet Mead fermented dry

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leuchtenbergia

NewBee
Registered Member
Feb 6, 2015
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Just curious if there is an obvious reason why this happened.
I've learned a lot since I used this recipe and I would definitely do it differently knowing what I know now but I have one question.
I used Wyeast 4184 Sweet Mead yeast and it ended up fermenting to basically dry. OG was 1.092 and FG was 1.001. I thought this was an unexpected outcome.
It smells super sweet and delicious but is quite thin and a little lacking in flavor and feel in the mouth.
Recipe below.

for 1 gallon

14 cups water
2.5 lb honey
1 lbs blueberries
2 tbsp dried lavender
1 tsp yeast nutrient
2 tsp acid blend
1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
1/8 tsp tannin

Thanks for the time and advice.
 

Medsen Fey

Fuselier since 2007
Premium Patron
The reason is that you started with a gravity of 1.092. That's about 12% ABV which is about the limit for the 4184. So you used a honey amount that this strain could take dry.

If you want it sweet, you can add more honey.

Sent from my THINGAMAJIG with WHATCHAMACALLIT
 

bernardsmith

Got Mead? Patron
GotMead Patron
Sep 1, 2013
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Saratoga Springs , NY
The fact that a yeast is called Sweet Mead or somesuch tells you not very much. You can use ale yeast with mead and it won't make it a beer and you can use champagne yeast and it won't make it champagne (or sparkling) .. The idea behind the name sweet mead yeast is that it has a lower rather than a higher tolerance for alcohol and until that tolerance is reached then it will be able to thrive in the alcohol concentrations that it is asked to inhabit. As Medsen said, 12 % alcohol by volume is not outside this yeast's tolerance... so it is to be absolutely expected that it will ferment dry with not so much as a "by your leave..."...
To sweeten this ,you might want to stabilize the mead (K-meta with K-sorbate) and add more honey (perhaps a nice varietal honey to improve the flavor profile). The dryness and the likely acidity caused by the berries and the acid blend may be out of balance so you may want to see if reducing the acidity might help the flavor. The addition of more honey after stabilization - none of the added honey will be fermented - may act to counterbalance the acidity with more flavor and sweetness..
 
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leuchtenbergia

NewBee
Registered Member
Feb 6, 2015
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Thanks. That makes a lot of sense. Glad to learn yet another important thing I overlooked.
I appreciate the assistance.
 
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