# Changing sugar to honey in wine recipe



## Steven Ogborn

All the mead recipes I've found call for 3# of honey for a gallon of must. Plus or minus depending on how dry you want it.


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## nursebee

I have never looked into conversion factors. I'd suggest using a HYDROMETER and add honey to the desired potential alcohol level.
If you do not understand this, slow down until you do, you will be happier with your end result.


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## Nabber86

Sugar is listed in most brewing extract tables as yielding 45 points per pound per gallon (ppppg); meaning 1 pound of sugar disolved in 1 gallon of water yields a SG of 1.045. Honey is listed as 35 ppppg. So if a recipe calls for sugar and you want to use honey instead, multiply the weight of sugar by 1.29 (45/35) and you will get the weight of honey that you need. 

In your case since the recipe calls for 6 _cups_ of sugar, you will have to weight 6 cups of sugar and go from there. You cant do the calculation by volume (well actually you can, but it's too much work for me right now).


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## BMAC

It would be a straight up waste of good honey to put it in Dandelion Wine. However yes it will work. Weigh out your sugar and use the same weight of honey + 18% more honey to compensate for the water in it. Last time I had some Dandelion wine it tasted too acidic. I dumped that crap out!


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## the kid

this might help

SUGAR NOTES

2 oz. (4 TBSP) sugar raises 1 gallon's s.g. by .005
1 cup sugar raises 1 gallon's s.g. by .020
5 cups raises 5 gallons' s.g. by .020
4# sugar = 9.44 cups
1# sugar = 2.36 cups
5# sugar = 11.8 cups
10# sugar = 23.6 cups

If wine is at 1.000 s.g., 8 TBSP (half cup) sugar per gallon should taste sweet (to me)

1# sugar in 5 gallons liquid will raise Potential Alcohol 1%

Sweetness:
1# sugar = 3 cups corn sugar
4# sugar = 5# honey
3# sugar = 5# raisins
1# sugar = 20 oz. grape concentrate


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## Nabber86

the kid said:


> 4# sugar = 9.44 cups
> 1# sugar = 2.36 cups
> 5# sugar = 11.8 cups
> 10# sugar = 23.6 cups


No trying to be argumentive, but how does one measure 9.44, 2.36, 11.8, or 23.6 cups? Seems like weight is the best way to go.


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## the kid

Nabber86 said:


> No trying to be argumentive, but how does one measure 9.44, 2.36, 11.8, or 23.6 cups? Seems like weight is the best way to go.


9.44,,,, I would say 9 and a half would bee real close because .5 is half and its only 6 one hundreds of a cup off ,,,, 2.36 ,,,, .33 is 1/3 because .36 is real real close to a third ,, it would be 3 one hundreds of a cup off of a 1/3 ,, . 8 I would say is real close to 3/4 because .75 is 3/4 so that makes it 5 one hundreds off ,,,,, .6 is real close to 1/2 because .5 is half ,,, remember your making mead , and that little + or - is not going to be enough to change the taste a lot , but if thats not close enough ,, then you better get a real good scale that goes to .000 so you will be less then a thousandth of a pound off ,,and go by it ...


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## Ben Brewcat

Really, it will be much easier (and remember, this is supposed to be fun!) to target an alcohol content you want and the residual sweetness you want. Then it's simple math to reckon how much honey in how much water to get you there... see the intro to meadmaking for how. Or weigh a cup of sugar and extrapolate.


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## Nabber86

the kid said:


> 9.44,,,, I would say 9 and a half would bee real close because .5 is half and its only 6 one hundreds of a cup off ...


,,,then...I.,,,guess you should ,,,,have rounded your,,,,numbers,,,,,to 1/10 of a cup,,,in the first place,,,

Or buy a gram scale and you can measure down to less than 1/400 of a pound.


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## the kid

Nabber86 said:


> ,,,then...I.,,,guess you should ,,,,have rounded your,,,,numbers,,,,,to 1/10 of a cup,,,in the first place,,,
> 
> Or buy a gram scale and you can measure down to less than 1/400 of a pound.


It was something that was posted on a wine site that I go on ,, I just copy and paste ,, .. any scale has to be used as a general thing ,,


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