Back-sweetening a mead

[Atlas1]

I'm trying to find information on the amount of honey it takes to raise a volume of water a certain number of points. For instance, My gallon batch of mead went from 1.112 to .999 and I would like to stop fermentation (using potassium sorbate) and sweeten it to a semi sweet mead (1.020?) and am curious the amount of honey necessary. Is there a table for this?

[fatbloke]

Not that I'm aware of. I just make up a 50/50 honey and water syrup, then take a reading, then add 100-200mls and test again to see where its at.

The above is repeated until I get to the desired level or if it tastes good before I reach the level, I just leave it there.

Don't forget to stabilise the batch first, as you don't want refermentation.

[AlphaGenetics]

Could you use the got mead calculator? Hit in your total volume, and your target SG for the back sweetening, and it should spit out how much honey it takes to raise to your target.

Keep in mind any changes in volume that might occur due to the honey you add.. I haven't done the math, but it could be significant enough to change how you calculate the honey needed. And following what fatbloke said, mixing the honey in water first should help with dissolving it properly.

[BBBF]

I use the mead calculator to get close to my desired gravity. Since you fermented to dry, it is as simple as figuring out how much honey you need for a 1.020 batch.

[Medsen Fey]

If you add 1 oz (weight) of honey to 1 cup of liquid, you can take a gravity reading and that will be what you get if you add 1 lb of honey to 1 gal. Then you can make a good estimate of how much you need to add to hit the gravity you want. As a general rule, aim for a lower gravity than your ultimate target so you don't overshoot.

By the way, for a traditional, 1.020 is usually very sweet, but your taste buds will be the final judge. You might want to take 1/2 cup of mead and keep adding honey a little at a time until it suits your tastes, then take a gravity reading. That will give you an idea what gravity you want to aim for.

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[Atlas1]

Thank you all. I appreciate the help and guidance.

[Mikeymu]

Can you just add honey, or does it need to be simmered and skimmed to remove waxes/scum first?

[Medsen Fey]

I just add the honey, but that will add some haze that needs time to clear. You can prevent the haze if you heat and skim, but you will lose some aromatic elements when you do that which is something I usually prefer not to do.

[Mikeymu]

I'd prefer not to lose those aromatics for sure.