1.080 OG... Should I add honey?

ZachR · #1 11-02-2009, 04:31 PM

I just mixed up a batch of blackberry mead:

~2.5lbs blackberry honey (I had a little less than a quart)
1/4 tsp Wyeast Nutrient
Water to 1 gallon + extra pint for hydro sample and topping off
5g D-47 rehydrated in 2oz 109deg water

My OG came out to 1.080, and I was wondering if I should add some other honey I have on hand (local wildflower) to try to bump that up. I was hoping for a semi-sweet mead, but obviously I under calculated, and this will dry out completely.

Should I just leave it be and plan to backsweeten, or pour some off and add more honey to boost the gravity?

Thanks.

AToE · #2 11-02-2009, 04:36 PM

I'm very new, but I would recomend just letting that ferment as is (it will take you to a good medium/low alc level), then sit on it for at least three months before deciding if you want to stabilize and backsweeten - especially if this is your first batch. That way you can try it dry, and if you decide you'd prefer sweet, you can get it to exactly the sweetness you want, rather than just adding more now, which will jack up your ABV and you might end up dry anyways (yeasts sometimes go past their stated ABV tolerance).

Someone more experienced should be along in a moment to add to that/kick my but for giving advice as a newbee.

wayneb · #3 11-02-2009, 04:40 PM

Actually, I'm glad to see you stepping in and answering these questions -- we'd only kick your butt if you gave erroneous information!

Good answer!!

ZachR · #4 11-02-2009, 04:54 PM

Thanks for your advice, I'm going to take it. I already have it in the fermenter and with yeast pitched, so it would be almost as much work to add honey as it would to make a whole new batch.

I guess I am just gonna have to make another batch sooner than later

.

AToE · #5 11-02-2009, 05:00 PM

True enough! If you're anything like me, if you stick with 1 gallon batches for the first while, you'll soon find yourself errecting shelves to stack all the batches you have going at once.

ZachR · #6 11-03-2009, 09:42 AM

I know this question is unrelated to the original topic, but should I add more nutrient and aerate even though it is steadily bubbling and fermenting away? The gravity is relatively low, so I am not sure if it is necessary or not. I also ready somewhere that blackberry honey has more nutrients than some other types. Input?

Medsen Fey · #7 11-03-2009, 09:52 AM

If you want it to finish fermentation completely, and quickly, you probably do want to add more nutrient, and to aerate it.

Dan McFeeley · #8 11-03-2009, 09:55 AM

If the fermentation is fairly well advanced, best to leave it alone. If you had just pitched the yeast, you could get by with stepping up the gravity right away. If the yeasties are acclimated now and munching away, well, let them have at it.

For future batches you can use the mead calculator to predict your starting gravity -- link is on the left side of the forums, the yellow bar.