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Good yeast selection for Clary sage honey mead?

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KrisB

Worker Bee
Registered Member
Jan 25, 2020
85
5
8
Hello, everyone,

I am going to be making my first batch of mead soon and have decided to go with a 1-gallon medium traditional mead using 3 lbs of a wonderful Clary sage honey I bought from a local beekeeper. I settled on Lalvin ICV D-47 for the yeast based on Ken Schramm's description of it in his book--he basically said it's good for a traditional mead and is a better choice for medium to dry meads--and because of its low ABV (12-14%). And it sounded like it might be more idiot proof than other strains.

Also ordered some Fermaid K for the yeast nutrients and yeast energizer. Trying to keep things as simple as possible with this first batch.

However, I am a bit uncertain about my yeast selection. The taste of the Clary sage honey is hard to describe and I'm not sure what kind of honey it is (floral, aromatic, fruity, spicy, or savory from the GotMead podcast called "Pairing Yeast to Mead"). I did look over the ScottLabs 2018 handbook, but am having trouble understanding some of the characteristics it describes for the different strains. I'm not so familiar with the different kinds of wine and I'm not sure how knowing a wine you like translates to knowing that yeast will help make the kind of mead you want.

Does ICV D-47 sound like a good choice for this? Are there other yeast strains you'd recommend for Clary sage honey in a traditional mead?
 
Last edited:

Squatchy

Lifetime GotMead Patron
Lifetime GotMead Patron
Nov 3, 2014
5,542
261
83
Denver
Hi, and welcome to the community.

I would maybe consider D21, Dv10 or K1V. Your D47 would be a good choice if you had temp control..

I would probably go with K1V if I only planed to make one batch..

I'm courious. What did you pay for a gallon?
 

KrisB

Worker Bee
Registered Member
Jan 25, 2020
85
5
8
Thank you, Squatchy, for your welcome and for your reccomendations!

I think I may have to go with the K1-V1116 for now. We are getting temps now ranging from the 50s to the 80s F depending on the day or week here in NC and I'm trying to not run the AC. Will have to try the D47 and the DV10 some other time when I have better temperature control.

To answer your question: $15.99 for a 1-gallon PET carboy by itself. I already have a 5-gallon mead making kit and will be using the 5-gallon bucket as the primary.
 

jjhodge3

Premium Patron
Premium Patron
Dec 28, 2019
97
13
8
N Charlotte NC
Welcome KrisB

Would you mind sharing where that beekeeper is?

I’m N Charlotte would love to support local keepers if they have any more.

James
 

KrisB

Worker Bee
Registered Member
Jan 25, 2020
85
5
8
Thanks, James!

Yes, the local beekeeper is in Granville County, up here in the northern Piedmont. Here is her website: https://wuerkerbeeapiary.com/

I found her through the NCSBA's (NC State Beekeepers' Association) RealNCHoney website. It has a list and a locator map of NCSBA-certified local beekeepers across the state: https://www.ncbeekeepers.org/programs/real-nc-honey

I'm taking a beekeeping class here in Person County, but I'm not yet ready to jump into beekeeping myself. So I'm also a big fan of supporting local beekeepers. :)
 

Squatchy

Lifetime GotMead Patron
Lifetime GotMead Patron
Nov 3, 2014
5,542
261
83
Denver
Thanks for this. I was interested in the honey. Not you one-gallon vessel ;)
 

KrisB

Worker Bee
Registered Member
Jan 25, 2020
85
5
8
Another question: Since I'm going with the K1-V1116 yeast strain, which produces a higher ABV %, do I need to add more than my 3 lbs of honey now to still make a medium mead?

From a post of yours I read recently, Squatchy, it sounds like yeasts that result in higher ABV percentages eat up more sugars, leaving less residual sugars than a lower ABV % yeast, right? So would this mead be drier with the K1-V1116 unless I add more honey initially?
 

4give

Honey Master
Registered Member
Jan 1, 2018
402
76
28
Montrose, CO
I think you might be a bit mixed up. The ABV rating is a general guideline as to how much ABV a yeast will tolerate before it taps out. Others here may have a simpler way to put it, but let's pretend we're dealing in absolute precision of amount of sugars and how far a yeast can go with ABV. Here goes:
1 - You have 3 lbs of honey for a total volume of 1 gallon. Let's say this puts your must at a potential ABV 14.5% (SG 1.110)
2 - You have a yeast that has an ABV tolerance of 14%
3 - The yeast will tap out (not necessarily die) once the ABV in your must hits 14% and stop fermenting or creating more alcohol
4 - This will leave you with residual sugars and an SG of about 1.004 (semi-dry)

You can see from the example above that the ABV tolerance of yeast is what it is rated to be able to take a must to based on the amount of sugars available to it. In the real world, you may get a bit less, or a bit more from the yeast. Yeast can tap out for a lot of reasons - temp, PH, ABV, no food left, etc.

Using the same example from above, I can change the yeast to one that has a tolerance of 18%, keep the same amount of honey (SG of 1.110), and it will ferment to an SG of 1.000 (maybe a bit lower, but dry for sure).

The yeast does not necessarily produce a higher ABV because it is rated to be capable of doing so. The yeast works with the amount of sugars (SG / Brix) and will take it as far as it can - either leaving residual sugars, or taking it to dry, depending on it's tolerance. For example, a 16% ABV rated yeast may stall at 15.5%, or it may go to 18% if there is enough sugar to keep it going and it's happy.

More directly to your question now - yes, the mead will likely ferment to dry, and you do not need to add more honey to the must unless you want a higher ABV. Some here have fine-tuned techniques with various meads and yeasts that yield fairly consistent results. To me, the easiest way to go is to ferment to dry, and then back-sweeten with left over honey if you want it sweeter. This allows you to fine tune the sweetness. For example, you may have started out thinking you want something sweet, but as you slowly add honey to your dry (SG 1.000) must, mix, and taste, you find out that you like it perfectly as semi-sweet.

Hope this helps.
 

KrisB

Worker Bee
Registered Member
Jan 25, 2020
85
5
8
Thank you for the clarification, 4give. That is very helpful!

However, I am still uncertain about if I wanted to make a semi-sweet mead with the K1V and I wanted to do it with the right amount of honey for that (instead of making it dry and using the back-sweetening method), how much honey would I need in the must?

Apologies if this is still a mixed up question. I am having difficulty understanding some of the chemistry involved in mead making (saving that for a separate post).
 

Medsen Fey

Fuselier since 2007
Premium Patron
Hi KrisB,

If you want to make a batch that ends semi-sweet with K1V, you should think about it long and hard. It will wind up with 17-18% ABV, and will take much longer to age. Even then the alcohol will be very prominent, and may overwhelm the honey. It will be a sipping mead, like an aperitif. It won't be something you want to have a couple of glasses of with a meal. And unless you plan to serve it to a Valkyrie shield maiden, most likely the ladies will not appreciate it. That said, if you want this to hit like a hammer, you will need to start with a bit more than 4 pounds in a gallon of must. The yeast will ferment about 140 gravity points, so your starting gravity will need to be slightly more than 1.140. You'll need to manage the yeast well with good rehydration, and plenty of nutrients to insure that it gets to completion, and I'd suggest building up a starter with the must to give yourself the best chance.

Alternatively, I would go with the 3 pounds of honey, and let the K1V ferment it dry. Then stabilize it and backsweeten it to the level that you like the best. It will make a much more pleasant drink, and one that you can control much better.
 

KrisB

Worker Bee
Registered Member
Jan 25, 2020
85
5
8
Thank you so much, Medsen! I think you and 4give are right. I'll just have to make it a dry mead with the K1V and then back sweeten it to make it semisweet. I really wanted to make a medium mead with a low ABV, but I don't think my circumstances will let me. Will just have to go with the K1V and see how it turns out.

How do you stabilize a mead? Does that just mean waiting for the fermentation to complete?
 

rb2112br

Honey Master
Registered Member
Mar 27, 2018
156
34
28
How do you stabilize a mead? Does that just mean waiting for the fermentation to complete?

Once fermentation stops, presumably when it is bone dry, add Potassium Metabisulfite and Potassium Sorbate. Once you've done that, you can add more honey to sweeten it to the level you want without having to worry about the yeast starting up again. I think if you want sweet or semi-sweet, that is the preferred method because as 4give and Medsen mentioned, trying to pinpoint exactly where a particular strain of yeast will stop is pretty much impossible.
 

KrisB

Worker Bee
Registered Member
Jan 25, 2020
85
5
8
Last question: All I have is 3 lbs of the Clary sage honey. Should I get another lb of it for back sweetening or could I get away with only 2 lbs of honey in the must and save the last pound for back sweetening?
 

Medsen Fey

Fuselier since 2007
Premium Patron
If you use less honey, the ABV will be lower. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I happen to like traditional meads better when they aren’t 14% ABV. If you want to go this route, I’d ferment 2.5 pounds to produce about 11.5% ABV, and the remaining 1/2 pound will be enough to sweeten it.
 

KrisB

Worker Bee
Registered Member
Jan 25, 2020
85
5
8
Yes! That sounds exactly like what I want to do. I did not understand about the amount of honey and the ABV. Thank you so much, Medsen.
 
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