# lbs vs liters



## Ben Brewcat (Oct 27, 2004)

First note that you'll have a LOT of headspace in your bucket. That's fine for fermenting, but less than ideal for extended aging. 

My stab w/o calculator is that this recipe will be pretty sweet and certainly alcoholic. A 1:4 ratio gives a must of... about 1.086, and sugar yields 45 ppg for a total of 1.144-some. That's in the ballpark of 19% alcohol, more than mortal yeasts will routinely handle. I'm only saying that adding more honey wouldn't be of much benefit IMO. Substituting honey for the sugar though, or leaving out the sugar, might be more in line with traditional preparations.

You didn't mention what yeast you're using... what are you looking for in your mead: sweeter, drier? More or "too much" honey just doesn't get turned to alcohol (the yeast give up after so much alcohol, depending on the strain) and you taste it as sweetness proportional to the amount left; no problem there.

As far as the pound thing, I'll leave that to those craftier than I in the weird ways of weights and measures.


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## Vinman (Sep 7, 2005)

The only yeasts readily available to me are champagne yeast and brewer's yeast, so champagne yeast.

I do plan on using a yeast nutrient after seeing how weak fermentation was when I made rasberry mead last spring, without it.


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## Ben Brewcat (Oct 27, 2004)

Champagnes are roughly 18%, not knowing the particular critter, so that'll be a pretty alcoholic somewhat sweet mead, so plan for some aging. I concur FWIW with the noots. Have fun!


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## Drunkin (Mar 15, 2006)

The Reason it's pounds and not fluid oz is because it's easier for most beekeeps when it's in the frame to measure the amount of honey. 6lbs of honey works out to about 1 gallon or 4 litres, or at least with the abscence of a calculator that is a rough estimate.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Have you ever filled up one hundred 55 gallon drums? Fill them all to the same level. You'll get different weights.


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## Ben Brewcat (Oct 27, 2004)

A gallon of honey is typically in the ballpark of 12 pounds.


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## Aspera (Aug 1, 2005)

Vinman, some brewers yeast can be quite good. If you have the Chico ale strain (Sierra Nevada, 1056, sfale 56) it makes a very nice straight mead. Your recipe looks good, you may wish to try more honey and less sugar). I try not to go over 20% of the fermentables as sugar because you'll loose much of the honey taste.


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