My Second batch of Mead Bottled

[user 53193]

My second gallon of Mead. I used a really simple recipe found online.

• 3 lbs Honey
• 1 cup Black Tea
• 1-1/2 tsp. Dried Orange Peel
• 2 oz. Raisins, Chopped
• 1 tsp. Bread Yeast
• Water to fill bottle

1. Mix all ingredients into a one gallon bottle.
2. Vent and let ferment for 2 weeks; swirl bottle to mix up raisins and orange peels.
3. Let ferment another 4 weeks. Check gravity; 1.020. (...not sure of this reading)
4. Let ferment another 2 weeks. Check gravity; 1.020.
5. Let ferment another 2 weeks (it ended up 3 weeks). Check gravity; 1.020.
6. Bottle to 3L for 2nd Ferment Phase.
7. Let ferment another 2 weeks. Check gravity; 1.020.
8. Bottle to wine bottles; got one 750ml and two 1.0 liters

I started this August 12, 2023 and bottled it November 12, 2023. OG=1.100. FG=1.020. I'm not quite sure I got those gravity readings right, but I can definitely taste the alcohol in it. I probably fermented it for way longer than needed, but I wasn't in a hurry.

My wife thinks it tastes great. So, I'm happy with it!

 

[sour_grapes]

Welcome to WMT!

 

[winemaker81]

Welcome to WMT!

If your wife is happy, you have succeeded! Congrats.

Your readings make sense, given the amount of honey used and that you used bread yeast. According to the calculator I use, your ABV is 10.9% alcohol.

 

[user 53193]

Your readings make sense, given the amount of honey used and that you used bread yeast. According to the calculator I use, your ABV is 10.9% alcohol.

The formula I use is: ABV% = (OG-FG)*135. So, (1.1-1.02)*135 = 0.08*135 = 10.8%ABV (very close to your formula too.)

I can see now that my labels are showing the incorrect ABV; I seem to have inserted a zero where it doesn't belong.
Thanks for pointing that out; I prefer to be as accurate as possible with my labels.

What ABV formula do you normally use?

 

[winemaker81]

What ABV formula do you normally use?

I had to look it up -- I created a VBA function in Excel years ago and couldn't remember:

(InitialGravity - FinalGravity) / 7.36 * 10

There are 3 or 4 formulas for wine -- all are an approximation as it's not an even curve. And ... the formula used also depends on the ABV, e.g., there are different formulas for beer strength, table strength wine, and fortified level wine. Been a while since I looked at that.

 

[David Violante]

Welcome to WMT!

 

[papabearRN]

The formula I use is: ABV% = (OG-FG)*135. So, (1.1-1.02)*135 = 0.08*135 = 10.8%ABV (very close to your formula too.)

I can see now that my labels are showing the incorrect ABV; I seem to have inserted a zero where it doesn't belong.
Thanks for pointing that out; I prefer to be as accurate as possible with my labels.

What ABV formula do you normally use?

I use 131.25.

 

[m_kluch]

The mead looks tasty. I do have some advice for you though. Racking to a larger vessel after fermentation is long over and waiting weeks (steps 6 and 7) is risking oxidizing the mead very badly.
Next time try omitting steps 4, 5, 6 and 7. Replace them with a step 4 that looks like this: Rack to a clean vessel leaving sediment behind. Top up if needed to not have much headspace. Wait until the mead clears to your liking before bottling