[Draedan]

Any takers for my unique sarcasm and misunderstood humour on this valient quest to find a valid 20% mead RECIPE - so we may yet fire those crossbow bolts from the walls of Chester with accuracy! (An English jest which only those North of the border would understand these days)....

[Tom]

most yeast will not go to 20% u r kidding right?

[Flem]

No takers here, but welcome to the forum.

[Draedan]

Try this strain out:-

Gervin GV4 High Alcohol White/purple label£1.05 (S. Cerevisiae French strain)

Experiment have shown that with suitable additions of an appropriate nutrient to the must levels of alcohol in excess of 21% can be achieved using this yeast. It ferments fast, produces little foam and settles firmly and quickly. It also produces excellent full bodied fruit based wines and desert wines. This is a new yeast with a great potential for the amateur winemaker. It has a killer factor which may inhibit unwanted wild yeasts.

To use add the contents of the sachet to about 50ml of warm water (approx 35°C) containing 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. Simply leave for 15-20 minutes, stir vigourously and add to the must. Stir the must well to distribute the yeast.

Each sachet contains 5 grams of yeast which is sufficient for a single fermentation of up to 5 gallons
Sorry, forgot to ask ; do you get the Gervin yeast range that side of the pond or are you guys using other strains as standard?

With thanks

Lee

[mmadmikes1]

you may have just missed my post, I make mead using Premier Curvee(1118) until it finishes dry. Now I do add honey and nutrients as I go. no real measurements but every time it goes below 1.0 SG I add back to 1.02 until it stops dropping at all. It is maxed out for that yeast. I degass it a lot but doesn't have to be all the way. Now I add turbo yeast. and add more honey back to 1.02and start adding honey and nutr until it stops going down again. You should have a mead real close to 21% now. It will be hot and not taste good for a while. I have never seeng anyone posting this but I know I am not the only person to do this. BTW this mead needs no K-Meta of sorbate if you keep everything clean and protect against air

[mmadmikes1]

The reason for starting with Curvee is because using turbo yeast from start makes an undrinkable beverage

[ArdenS]

You could try the strategy used for the Tactical Nuclear Penguin. Freeze it and drain off that which doesn't freeze. Probably would be pretty crappy tasting mead, but after a couple of glasses who would notice? I won't attest to your ability to shoot anything straight at that point.

[Draedan]

Many thanks for the idea of decanting pure alcohol, but I sadly must decline due to the fact ye olde monks would not have had that technological advantage themselves of refridgeration to make a sanitised beverage nor would the ancient liver cope with the miracle of pure ethanol....

It begs the question though which yeast strain they did use to make mead ?

Also, if honey never expires/rots/degrades - what is the life expectancy of mead???

Puzzled, yet in need of enlightenment!

[Wade E]

Not really sure why you would want that high an abv as it would take many years for that to smooth out!!!! Mead already takes long enough to come around.