Toggle sidebar

Whats a normal alcohol content for a mead after 2 months

  • PATRONS: Did you know we've a chat function for you now? Look to the bottom of the screen, you can chat, set up rooms, talk to each other individually or in groups! Click 'Chat' at the right side of the chat window to open the chat up.
  • Love Gotmead and want to see it grow? Then consider supporting the site and becoming a Patron! If you're logged in, click on your username to the right of the menu to see how as little as $30/year can get you access to the patron areas and the patron Facebook group and to support Gotmead!
  • We now have a Patron-exclusive Facebook group! Patrons my join at The Gotmead Patron Group. You MUST answer the questions, providing your Patron membership, when you request to join so I can verify your Patron membership. If the questions aren't answered, the request will be turned down.
Barrel Char Wood Products
Z

Zsnethen

NewBee
Registered Member
Oct 27, 2010
11
0
0
Oregon
I just made a 5 gallon batch of mead from 12 pounds of honey with 1 pound of blackberrys in the primary batch. the yeast I used was a Redstar champagne yeast. I'm about 2 months in and it has stopped fermenting so I transfered to age it and tasted some. I have to say i think its near 20-25% alcohol content I did not take a gravity reading but this stuff has a serious burn going down.

The fermentation was odd their was active fermentation with in 5 hours with no starter I went straight from the dry yeast. I really have no clue what caused this i'm guessing maybe a wild yeast made it in with the berrys even though i heated it all up to 200f. I did use fresh berrys from my yard

please forgive any spelling errors the mead is going to my head.
 
Alcohol content can be estimated by using the starting and finishing gravity/Brix readings. 12 lbs of honey in a 5 gallon batch gives about 12% abv if fully fermented. The pound of berries adds only a small amount of sugar in 5 gallons.

A single pack of dry yeast is usually enough to ferment 5 gallons; several hours of lag time is not uncommon.

Check out the NewBee guide (link at left) for more info including using a hydrometer to estimate alcohol content and yeast selection/management. Welcome to GotMead? ;D
 
Just to add to that, alcohol % has nothing much to do with time fermenting, it has to do with sugar fermented. I've gotten to 14% in 24hrs, and spent weeks getting to 6%.

12 pounds in that size a batch won't go very high alcohol, as akueck posted.
 
Zsnethen said:
I have to say i think its near 20-25% alcohol content I did not take a gravity reading but this stuff has a serious burn going down.
Click to expand...

Even though you have only about 12% ABV, it will taste like more because it is new mead and there are probably a load of fusel (higher) alcohols. You get a lot of them with stressed yeast and high fermentation temperature. With age, they will slowly fade leaving it a much smoother-tasting mead.

Welcome to GotMead!

Medsen
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Barrel Char Wood Products

Viking Brew Vessels - Authentic Drinking Horns

Top Bottom