Increasing the ABV of a finished mead..is it possible?

Hi,
I have just did a 3rd racking of a mead made with bread yeast JAOM. It has great color and tastes good for being a young mead. I have read the ABV on this mead is about 10% …the FG I took read about 1.035. I would like to raise the abv to 12-12.5 % for storage purposes in a 5 gallon batch I would like to make next. Is it possible to add everclear or grain alcohol to get the extra 2% abv? If so, is there a calculation for doing this? I am keeping the one gallon batch of JAOM I made as is …it will not last long! I have made another one gallon batch with lavin E1118 but it will take a much longer time before its drinkable.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Bassin75

I’m not sure why this would be necessary for storage purposes - at 10%ABV, there shouldn’t be any issues with long term cellaring of this. I think it would be more trouble than it’s worth to try to blend for higher ABV.

Brewers yeast will have a slightly higher alcohol tolerance if you want to end up with something less sweet in the 12% range. Many strains top out at around 12-12.5%. For something with a little more acid tolerance, wine yeast would also work well. I’ve used D47 in a JAOM, and it finished nice and clean without being quite so cloying as with bread yeast.

Hi Porkchop,

  Thank you for the reply. I have read that D47 is very good mead yeast and ordered some. I did make a JAOM varient using orange zest and Lavin 71B . The starting OG was 1.10 and and after 3 feedings ferm k/dap the FG was 1.003....a little on the dry side. I have never back sweetened a mead before, so i added pot. sorbate and K meta and added honey to a SG of 1.020. I used Super kleer KC on this mead and a melomel I made ...wow they were sparkling clear overnight. I have been saving honey for a 5 gallon batch I think I will use D47 in a JAOM and let it normally ferment and hopefully end with a sweet to semi sweet mead.

Thanks
Bassin75