too sweet of a mead

[ramcowboy41]

I tried a pure sugar mead using 12lbs of honey 11lbs of maple syrup and 2lbs of brown sugar it came out really sweet any what to either mitigate the sweatness or turn it into a creamer of sorts any suggestion would be appricated

 

[Jim Welch]

Folks will need more info to help. Providing the original specific gravity (OG), the yeast you used, and the current gravity would be a good start.

 

[ramcowboy41]

starting gravity was 1.30 and the ending gravity was 1.05 i used e-1118

 

[sour_grapes]

starting gravity was 1.30 and the ending gravity was 1.05 i used e-1118

That starting SG seems unreasonably high. Take a look at this video and see if it changes your answer:

 

[Rice_Guy]

Acid is used to balance sweet flavors (example: sweet tarts), or vice versa (high acid wine).

coke is about pH 2.5 and I am guessing you are a lot higher than that

 

[ramcowboy41]

Acid is used to balance sweet flavors (example: sweet tarts), or vice versa (high acid wine).

coke is about pH 2.5 and I am guessing you are a lot higher than that

can i add acid blend after fermitation

 

[BernardSmith]

You might also want to dilute the wine with water to reduce the alcohol and the sugar concentrations and so allow the yeast to continue fermenting - assuming that that amount of sugar and that amount of ethanol has not killed every last yeast cell with either the yeast's version of diabetes or their version of acute alcoholism.

 

[Rice_Guy]

we have two reasons to add acid;
First it is a preservative which synergistically works with alcohol, lack of oxygen, CO2, the sugar is used up, free SO2, and possibly sorbate to keep spoilage from happening. For this we want pH of 3.5 or less. Spoilage is a risk right at the start so we want to adjust this in the must before yeast are added. (WARNING,, yeast die off below pH 2.8) ,,
The second reason to add acid is for flavor. This is typically done at bottling time to tweak the finished flavor. What is called a bench trial is done and the spouse or good neighbor is invited in to pick out the addition which gives the hedonic flavor. Note,,, I have found in bench trials that adding sweet back can make a peach change from green store bought peaches to tree ripe flavor and aroma. Sugar is magic.

can i add acid blend after fermentation

While I am at flavor we can balance sweet with bitter, umami and salt. Bitter shows up in a lot of wines as added tannin.

 

[sour_grapes]

Really, we need to settle the actual SG values before giving any advice. Your numbers, taken at face value, would imply that your ABV is about 32%. Clearly, this is not correct. Without knowing what your SG or ABV is, we are just blathering.

 

[ramcowboy41]

Really, we need to settle the actual SG values before giving any advice. Your numbers, taken at face value, would imply that your ABV is about 32%. Clearly, this is not correct. Without knowing what your SG or ABV is, we are just blathering.

i went back to my notes and it was 1.130

 

[ramcowboy41]

i also knew this was going to be a sweet mead just not this sweet

 

[BernardSmith]

An SG of 1.130 suggests a potential ABV of 17%. If the finished gravity is 1.050 (and that suggests more than 1 lb of unfermented sugar in every gallon of wine.) then the amount of sugar that has been fermented is equivalent to 80 points (.130 minus .050) and so that suggests that your wine is at a real (not a potential) ABV of about 10.5% Sounds like your wine has stalled.
If you take seriously the mantra that wine and mead is allabout balance then a wine or mead that begins life much above 1.090 is unlikely to be nicely balanced come time to bottle and balance is all about ensuring that the intensity of flavor sits well with the amount of alcohol which sits well with the sweetness, the acidity and level of tannin and mouthfeel (viscosity). When the amount of ethanol in a wine is 17% maintaining that balance is about as easy as a one legged, sightless fellow who suffers from arthritis and who is in need of a hip replacement riding a uni-cycle on a tightrope stretched between two skyscrapers in Miami as a hurricane pounds through.

What to do? I think that that depends on what ABV you wanted this mead to be; how sweet you wanted this etc. Me? I would add enough water to bring the nominal starting gravity (by calculation) down to about 1.100 (Don't know your starting volume), and then create a new yeast starter and so slowly double the volume of the starter by adding from the stalled batch until the entire stalled batch was now in the starter and was actively fermenting. I would then allow the batch to ferment brut dry (to 1.000 or lower) , stabilize and then back sweeten to taste. BUT you may want a mead with a higher ABV. I don't have the skills to offer suggestions about how to achieve that while still maintaining the kind of balance I think a mead or wine demands.

 

[ramcowboy41]

An SG of 1.130 suggests a potential ABV of 17%. If the finished gravity is 1.050 (and that suggests more than 1 lb of unfermented sugar in every gallon of wine.) then the amount of sugar that has been fermented is equivalent to 80 points (.130 minus .050) and so that suggests that your wine is at a real (not a potential) ABV of about 10.5% Sounds like your wine has stalled.
If you take seriously the mantra that wine and mead is allabout balance then a wine or mead that begins life much above 1.090 is unlikely to be nicely balanced come time to bottle and balance is all about ensuring that the intensity of flavor sits well with the amount of alcohol which sits well with the sweetness, the acidity and level of tannin and mouthfeel (viscosity). When the amount of ethanol in a wine is 17% maintaining that balance is about as easy as a one legged, sightless fellow who suffers from arthritis and who is in need of a hip replacement riding a uni-cycle on a tightrope stretched between two skyscrapers in Miami as a hurricane pounds through.

What to do? I think that that depends on what ABV you wanted this mead to be; how sweet you wanted this etc. Me? I would add enough water to bring the nominal starting gravity (by calculation) down to about 1.100 (Don't know your starting volume), and then create a new yeast starter and so slowly double the volume of the starter by adding from the stalled batch until the entire stalled batch was now in the starter and was actively fermenting. I would then allow the batch to ferment brut dry (to 1.000 or lower) , stabilize and then back sweeten to taste. BUT you may want a mead with a higher ABV. I don't have the skills to offer suggestions about how to achieve that while still maintaining the kind of balance I think a mead or wine demands.

ok so i already bottled and added 5 camden tablets to the mead before bottling can i still restart fermintation

 

[ramcowboy41]

ok so i already bottled and added 5 camden tablets to the mead before bottling can i still restart fermintation

it was also a 5 gallon batch

 

[Jim Welch]

You could but I'm not sure it is worth the effort, it may or may not ferment again with that much sulphite in it. Plus you'll oxygenate it at least some if you empty the bottles. If I were in your shoes, and so you know I am a long time beer brewer and a relatively new wine maker, but I would ride this one out and consider it a learning experience. Practically everyone who makes beer or wine makes mistakes at first. A lesson learned first hand will not be forgotten. Plus you never know, you may like the way it turns out.

If it turns out it is just too too sweet for you, you could always mix it as you open each bottle, with a dry mead so that it doesn't go to waste. I made a banana wine, my very first wine, and it is too sweet for me though there are a few folks who like it like it is. When I drink it I mix it 50/50 with a dry white wine.

 

[WinoDave]

You could but I'm not sure it is worth the effort, it may or may not ferment again with that much sulphite in it. Plus you'll oxygenate it at least some if you empty the bottles. If I were in your shoes, and so you know I am a long time beer brewer and a relatively new wine maker, but I would ride this one out and consider it a learning experience. Practically everyone who makes beer or wine makes mistakes at first. A lesson learned first hand will not be forgotten. Plus you never know, you may like the way it turns out.

If it turns out it is just too too sweet for you, you could always mix it as you open each bottle, with a dry mead so that it doesn't go to waste. I made a banana wine, my very first wine, and it is too sweet for me though there are a few folks who like it like it is. When I drink it I mix it 50/50 with a dry white wine.

agree with Jim Welch here, it’s done, I’d pour a half glass and add something else to mix it with to cut down on the sweetness. When I make mead I use 15 pounds of honey for a 5 gallon batch. Ferment it out to dry and then back sweeten to about 1.020 to make a semi sweet mead. My buddy back sweetens with Maple syrup and it makes a delicious mead. I back Sweeten with more honey and add some sort of in season fruit like now peaches.

 

[winemaker81]

@ramcowboy41, 5 Campden in 5 gallons is not a huge amount of SO2, so you could restart the ferment. However, I agree with the previous advice -- call this one done. IME, messing with wines too much at the end, in an effort to fix things, may make things worse.

Accept this as a good lesson. Good? Yeah, your wine is drinkable and as suggested, you can do things to reduce the sweetness in the glass. Bad is pouring the entire carboy out! You have succeeded, even if the final result is not quite what you wanted.

@BernardSmith's advice is solid -- aim for an OG no higher than 1.100 in your next batch. Also, it can be difficult to get a high OG wine to ferment out. With the OG you had, it might have been difficult to get the ferment started.

My last mead was 15 lbs honey in a 6 US gallon batch, producing an OG of 1.089, which produced 12.6% ABV. I might go as high as 1.100 on the next batch, but am happy with the last batch, so most likely I'll duplicate it (as much as anyone can duplicate a wine).

OTOH, if you want a high octane mead, start with 1.100. When the wine gets to 1.000, add enough honey to bump it back up to 1.010 and let it ferment back down to 1.000. You can repeat this several times, but understand that when you reach the end of the yeast's tolerance for alcohol, the ferment is done and whatever sugar left in the must is there to stay.

 

[ramcowboy41]

@ramcowboy41, 5 Campden in 5 gallons is not a huge amount of SO2, so you could restart the ferment. However, I agree with the previous advice -- call this one done. IME, messing with wines too much at the end, in an effort to fix things, may make things worse.

Accept this as a good lesson. Good? Yeah, your wine is drinkable and as suggested, you can do things to reduce the sweetness in the glass. Bad is pouring the entire carboy out! You have succeeded, even if the final result is not quite what you wanted.

@BernardSmith's advice is solid -- aim for an OG no higher than 1.100 in your next batch. Also, it can be difficult to get a high OG wine to ferment out. With the OG you had, it might have been difficult to get the ferment started.

My last mead was 15 lbs honey in a 6 US gallon batch, producing an OG of 1.089, which produced 12.6% ABV. I might go as high as 1.100 on the next batch, but am happy with the last batch, so most likely I'll duplicate it (as much as anyone can duplicate a wine).

OTOH, if you want a high octane mead, start with 1.100. When the wine gets to 1.000, add enough honey to bump it back up to 1.010 and let it ferment back down to 1.000. You can repeat this several times, but understand that when you reach the end of the yeast's tolerance for alcohol, the ferment is done and whatever sugar left in the must is there to stay.

ok thanks for the info

 

[sour_grapes]

We are not allowed to discuss distilling on this forum.

 

[Ty520]

Another potentially good option to balance this out would be to fortify it - Given your sugar profile, bourbon could compliment it well; perhaps hit it with some vanilla beans, as well. could make for an interesting dessert mead