Why the difference?

[BikeBrewer]

I used the 3 week mead recipe:

3 Week Mead
1 gallon recipe 68F fermentation temperature

2 lbs 3 oz Unprocessed Clover honey (ok to substitute if you must)
7 oz Buckwheat honey (do not substitute)
.6t Grape Tannin (needed for taste and clearing)
1/8t Fermax (more will not be better)
1 5g K1V-1116 (must use this yeast)
Balance tap water to make 1 gallon (don't use distilled)
4 Liter Carboy if you have one otherwise use 1 gal

No boil, no skim, no sulfite. Dissolve honey in quart of warm water (tap water). Dissolve tannin and 1/8t Fermax in 8 oz warm tap water. Add honey mixture and tannin mixture to carboy and fill to 3 inches from top with cold tap water. Shake well to mix and aerate all ingredients. Must OG = 1.100 Rehydrate K1V-1116 in 4 oz of tepid water for 15mins in dark place according to instructions on packet. Must temperature should be between 68-80F degrees. If so swirl yeast and gently pour yeast in carboy. Install airlock and place in dark place or basement with temperature as close to 68F as possible. Will start bubbles in one hour.
After 2 days add a little honey/water mixture to bring to 2 inches from top
SG 1.045 (1 week)
SG 1.020 (2nd week) and still working well - Taste great - Gotta stop here
15 days Racked (all must except lees and approximately 5 oz of liquid) into clean 1 gallon carboy containing 1/8t potassium metabisulfite and 1/4t Potsassium Sorbate. No need to top off since used 4 Liter carboy for 16 days Already Clearing well
18 days can read newsprint already
Finished 3 days early. Wait 3 days if you can but it is one fine mead to drink now while you are waiting for something a bit stronger in Alcohol to age.

I did two batches of the 3 week mead, one with clover honey and the other with a wildflower honey. I followed the recipe exactly, but life got in the way so I had to leave them both in the primary for 4 weeks. They fermented at 68*, side by side.

After 4 weeks, the wildflower mead went from 1.100 to 1.006. The clover honey went from 1.100 to 1.028. They were both fermented with 1116 as per the instructions. Any idea why the discrepancy?

I racked the clover (1.02 into 2 1-gallon jugs; one to see if I can drop the SG some more, and the other to add ½ lb of raspberries. I filled the jugs with CO2 before I racked them, then again before I put the airlocks on. Any issues with that over the short term (a month or maybe more)?

Thanks,

Mark

[Oskaar]

Wildflower tends to have more mineral content which tends to encourage more vigorous fermentation. Clover is lighter in color and mineral/protien content and will not ferment quite as vigorously or completely.

Cheers,

Oskaar

[BikeBrewer]

Thanks for the illumination.

Mark

[Rhianni]

Originally Posted by Oskaar

Wildflower tends to have more mineral content which tends to encourage more vigorous fermentation. Clover is lighter in color and mineral/protien content and will not ferment quite as vigorously or completely.

Cheers,

Oskaar

Would there be that much of a difference between the two honeys to account for that much difference? 1.028 and 1.006 seems like a big difference beyond honey content.

[Oskaar]

In my experience yes. Darker honeys have more nitrogen (although honey is still seriously deficient and needs additional nutrient for the yeast to go batshit crazy in my opinion) along with enzymes and protiens that encourage stronger, faster, healthier and more complete fermentations that will stretch the ABV tolerance of your yeast.

Cyser and D47 is a classic example. D47 is rated at 14%, and when you use it in a straight mead it will hit very close to that ABV very consistantly. However, throw some fresh apple juice into the mix and D47 will consistantly end up over 17%. While apple juice wasn't added to BB's mix the concept is the same, better growth medium, better growth, more complete fermentation, higher ABV, drier mead.

Apart from that if there were errors made in measurements, readings or mixing (lighter honey can look fully blended without being totally so, and the layer of unblended honey at the bottom is kind of hard to see) then the difference in the two is likewise plausible IMO.

Cheers,

Oskaar