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I have a few carboys with various mead concoctions. Unfortunately I didn't have enough starting sugar so I want to add some honey to restart and get my ABV above its current level of 4%. I don't have much head space left to add more honey.

What is the best way to add more sugars and re-measure gravity for ABC calculations?

In the future, what should my starting S.G. be?

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  • Starting gravity depends on beer style and recipe.
    – Robert
    Commented Feb 13, 2017 at 22:13
  • Different meads can vary greatly in %ABV. Many meads are brewed to about 10% ABV, so an initial gravity of 1.090 would be a good starting point - but you could start at 1.120 using the right yeast. Commented Feb 13, 2017 at 23:06
  • Is fermentation finished? Is the low AbV due to a slow/poor fermentation? Should you rouse or add more yeast?
    – Kingsley
    Commented Feb 15, 2017 at 2:54
  • @Kingsley Fermentation is finished. We've been busy so it has been setting for a few months. Current SP is something like .99 Commented Feb 16, 2017 at 16:09

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It's difficult to answer this question, as we really need to know then intended outcome to comment on the process.

Looking at some basic recipes for mead, starting Original Gravities (OG) can be anywhere around 1.080 to 1.100. Of course it depends on whether your aiming for a dry mead or a sweet mead. You might want to go lower or higher. Of course the final AbV depends on your yeast and fermentation process too.

Given the lack of space in fermentation vessels, the best fermentable-per-volume is a dry sugar. Whether this will poorly effect the taste of your mead is up to you. Personally I would not go this way.

If you just want to boost the AbV you could add vodka, or some other neutral spirit to the finished mead. This will of course dilute the flavour too.

Personally, I would just drink the mead at 4% (I assume from the final gravity it will be quite dry), and plan better for the next batch. If this idea is not to your liking, and your question suggests this - then perhaps ferment a second batch of "strong" neutrally-flavoured mead, and combine this will the low-gravity dry meads to balance them out.

Recipes and articles on basic mead:

byo.com ; beerandwinejournal.com ; beersmith.com

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    Thanks, I may just go the 'drink it' route since 2 of them are only 1 gallon batches. The other is 5 gallons so I will probably use your suggestion of mixing it with several other stronger batches. Commented Feb 17, 2017 at 15:56

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