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It's pretty straightforward - higher gravity musts require more YAN to reliably finish. With good nutrition and practice, you can push most yeast 1-2% past their stated limit. I've got a friend that regularly hits 21% (lab verified) with EC-1118.

It very well may have been excessive for lower ABVs, for the same reason. Which 3.0 is fine for lower OG musts, it's just when you start going over 14-15% it starts to become unreliable. That is at least what I've observed from my own and several friends when making high test mead.

Package directions assume you're making wine or beer, which inherently brings significant YAN to the table honey barely brings any. That is going to be a wild underdose, especially at higher OGs. Did you verify with gravity readings? Do you know for certain you weren't closing in on 8%ABV...

I believe they over estimate the effectiveness of fermaid o and don't include the YAN from go-ferm. Essentially, they're not contributing as much YAN as they think they are, but goferm covers that up until you start getting to higher ABVs.

Just order the number of corks you need for a particular bottling run from widgetco.com. They'll sell you anywhere from 1 to 1000+, that way you're always bottling with fresh corks. I've stored corks for several months in a cork humidor with no apparent ill effects.

Personally I don't like TOSNA over 14% or so. Not reliable.

Honey is almost 100% fermentable for the most part. When meads stop early well below tolerance, it's a sign you have poor nutrition. Everything I make that runs dry is less than 1.000.

Adding a random amount of nutrient to a must at a random time is not how you use yeast nutrients, especially ones that contain DAP like Fermax.

*every time you rack*, not just the first time. That's where I see most new meadmakers go astray.

Just make sure you calculate the YAN target based on your expected theoretical OG. also, be aware that most ABV calcuators can be off by 1-2 points at really high ABVs. The calculator here is reliable up to at least 20% (lab verified): http://meadcalc.freevar.com/

Are you adding k-meta each time you rack? I typically recommend adding 50ppm when racking out of primary, then 25ppm each time you rack. 25ppm is about .2 grams granulated k-meta. Serious bonus points for purging headspace with co2 using a co2 (buy food safe carts) bicycle tire inflator. If...

Categorically false. There is nothing intrinsic to mead that leaves it with higher residual sugar. Yes, the haze after back sweetening is protein haze. I low dose of bentonite post back sweetening (4-6 g/gal) helps.

You want your nutrients in the first few days, and the package dose of fermax is likely not enough. A honey must is lucky to have 40 YAN, so you need more nutrition up front than in wine. You've picked a diva of a yeast that gets real pissed when not well fed, so don't judge mead based on...

I typically add vanilla with my oak cubes and rack off at 4 months, but I think vanilla beans should be mostly extracted at a month.

I haven't done any hydromels, but I'd think that yeasts high in glycerol production might be good for hydromels, like D254 or Uvaferm 43

Unless you harvest your own maple sap or can get maple syrup for practically free, fermenting maple syrup in primary is only advisable if you also like setting $100 bills on fire. Make a solid dry trad and back sweeten with maple syrup. Much more cost effective. That being said I made an...

No. https://www.spicejungle.com/granulated-honey That's not gonna liquify unless you add water.

Low dose of bentonite (3-4g/gal) after back sweetening helps take care of that. With modern best practices, there's no reason you can't have mead that's perfectly delicious at 4-6 months. The key there being 'modern best practices'. That's the rub - 95% of the information and recipes...

doh. you're right. ignore me.

Honey granulates on its own given time, which comports with the honey being a couple years old. I've had honey solid as a brick a month after I harvested it. It's still honey. Pound for pound. it's just a little harder to dissolve. If you're looking for a recipe, I put my dry traditional...