I’m starting a new batch of sweet mead. I have some Lalvin 71b 1122 and was wondering if this yeast is a good choice if I can’t get a mead yeast. I’m using 15lbs of clover honey to 5 gal water. Is that good or do I need more?
71B is a great mead yeast. It accents fruity aromatics and has a 14% alcohol tolerance.
Thank you. I have lots of it and I don’t have time to got pick up something else. About the amount of honey I’m using. Is 15 lbs enough for a sweet mead, Or do I need more?
presuming 5 gallons. 15 lbs is standard for a semisweet mead while 18 is standard for a sweet mead, it all depends on your yeasties though. ive had a 17lb mead batch that fermented to 1.005 which is not very sweet
Yep, 15lbs in a 5gal batch using 71B is not going to finish sweet. 71B has approx. 14% alcohol tolerance and 15lbs only gets you to approx. 14.15%. Of coarse, you can always backsweeten.
So if I use 20lbs to 5gal, that would be good.
If you are wanting to push the 71B past its tolerance and end up sweet, anything past 19.5lbs in 5gal should be plenty. Make sure that you stagger your nutrient feedings or it can be pretty easy to get a stuck fermentation stressing the yeast.
So, my brother got ahead of me and decided to start the mead without me. The problem is he put the 20lbs of honey in 10gal of water. Now I’m stuck with ten gallons of diluted honey water that I don’t know what to do with. Can I pitch the yeast then add more honey later? The S.G. is at 1.075
oof thats not good lol, the only idea that comes to mind is to boil it to boil off some of the water but lots of people dont boil mead because it kills some of the delicate flavor profiles, id use this as a last resort. or you could ferment it and backsweeten it would just be lower alcohol. You could also try mixing it with something, like make a braggot the old fanshioned way.
Yep, you can pitch and add more honey later. It would basically be feeding a fermentation. However, be aware that your yeast may ferment beyond its known alcohol tolerance. So nailing down a specific FG could be trickier. The hard part is getting the additional honey mixed in properly. I do not recommend heating your mead.
Yeah I decided to pitch, no point in letting all that honey go to waste. I see how it would be difficult to mix the honey in properly but I’ll try.
