What yeasts like high SGs?

[Legitapotimous]

So making a pineapple, mango, peach melomel with 12oz of each fresh and one a batch of 6 oz each dried, my SG is about 1.175 had only D47, but making a trip to LHBS while the pectic enzyme sits any yeast suggestions or is this SG not as high as i think, btw is there a table that shows the expected drop for each yeast and other info than the yeast guide on here?

[TAKeyser]

Originally Posted by Legitapotimous

So making a pineapple, mango, peach melomel with 12oz of each fresh and one a batch of 6 oz each dried, my SG is about 1.175 had only D47, but making a trip to LHBS while the pectic enzyme sits any yeast suggestions or is this SG not as high as i think, btw is there a table that shows the expected drop for each yeast and other info than the yeast guide on here?

are you sure you read the hydrometer right? Most only go to 1.170

[brian92fs]

I second what TAKeyser said. 1.175 is VERY high. Most advice is to not start any higher than 1.150... and even at 1.150, you're pretty high.

If you actually want that much sugar, you'd want to start lower and step feed.

As far as your original question goes, take a look at Lallemand's yeast chart. It shows the estimated alcohol tolerance of their yeasts. K1-V1116, EC-1118 and DV10 and going to be the Lallemand yeast most commonly available at your LHBS. Others like Uvaferm 43 are available in home brew sizes if you shop online.

[Legitapotimous]

I will admit I hadn't checked it yet just used the calculator, but I just mixed with 3.25 lbs honey and went to go check it and broke my hydrometer air drying it by shaking it... so.. now i wont know ha

[Chevette Girl]

Yeah, if it actually IS 1.175, I'd dilute it and step-feed if you're going for high alcohol, I try to keep it under 1.125, it makes for much happier, quicker, hassle-free ferments.

If it's just honey and water that'd be too high of a reading but I'm not even going to venture a guess on the fruit contributions.

I did have some frozen fermented pear pulp that I thawed and put in a must (chocolate pear experiment) and the EC-1118 that was in there didn't get started at 1.125 after a day or two so I tossed in some bread yeast, that got it started quite vigorously and I think it stalled out around 1.070 so I repitched with bread yeast, then I'm guessing the EC finally woke up and took over because by the end it was completely dry.

[Robusto]

Chevette- EC1118 wouldn't start a must at 1.125? Not that I don't believe you, but do you think that you could have got a "bad batch"? Also, do you think that maybe the EC cnablized the bread yeast? I ask because I've had EC1118 start in higher SGs than that and restart ferments in more stressful conditions. Once again, not doubting you, but EC is Mack truck of a yeast that has never failed me, and regularly surprises me with how punishment it can take.

[Chevette Girl]

Originally Posted by Robusto

Chevette- EC1118 wouldn't start a must at 1.125? Not that I don't believe you, but do you think that you could have got a "bad batch"? Also, do you think that maybe the EC cnablized the bread yeast? I ask because I've had EC1118 start in higher SGs than that and restart ferments in more stressful conditions. Once again, not doubting you, but EC is Mack truck of a yeast that has never failed me, and regularly surprises me with how punishment it can take.

Oh, I agree, EC-1118 is my go-to yeast for stuck or difficult ferments, and I've had it take off at 1.125 when I've dry-pitched and everything (I am a terrible, nasty person), but I hadn't added new EC to this batch, this was just the yeast still in the fruit that had been frozen after being fermented once already, so it was already feeling pretty abused and might not have had enough viable cells to get going right away, it was only the fruit, not the lees. Take bag out of freezer, thaw, add honey and water, go. I gave it a day or two and then when there was no activity, I thought, what the hell, here, let's give the bread yeast a try, at worst it'll poop out at 1.030 where my JAO's usually stop. In my experiences with bread yeast, it'll start at high SG's (higher than I'd want to pitch wine yeast into) but I find the higher you start it, the earlier it poops out, so I know it wasn't the bread yeast that took it dry.

[THawk]

Originally Posted by Robusto

but EC is Mack truck of a yeast that has never failed me, and regularly surprises me with how punishment it can take.

either that or K1V, which is probably nastier...