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Date: 22 Jul 2006 10:05:04
From: K Buck
Subject: How low will it go?
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They said it couldn't be done. A while ago the folks at the LHBS said 1056
American Ale yeast would konk out at about 8% alcohol. I said more like
12%. They said I was crazy. So I set out to see for myself.
5.5 gallons started on 3/19/06
Blueberry Melomel:
15 lbs wildflower honey
10 lbs mix of Maine low & high bush blueberries
(4) packets of 1056
OG: 1.128 (1.118 adjusted for .001 point per lb of berries)
FG (?): 1.022 - that's approx 14.25% alcohol
(2) packets of yeast to start, (1) packet each the first two times I racked.
The berries were split & added to the 2nd, 3rd, & 4th racks.
I've racked this stuff 6 times so far & everytime I do the yeast kicks out
another few points. I was hoping for a terminal gravity of around 1.030 for
a sweet mead, but it's on its way to being a semi-dry.
Anyone know how far 1056 will take this stuff???
Thanks!
Kevin
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Date: 22 Jul 2006 16:32:12
From: Joel
Subject: Re: How low will it go?
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K Buck <kevinbuck@REMOVEpsouth.net > wrote:
>They said it couldn't be done. A while ago the folks at the LHBS said 1056
>American Ale yeast would konk out at about 8% alcohol. I said more like
>12%. They said I was crazy.
They are extremely uniformed. It takes all of three brain
cells to figure out that 1056, the strain most famously used
by Sierra Nevada, has no problem with at least one 10+% abv
beer: Bigfoot Barleywine.
Many a homebrewer has also used 1056 for barleywines,
imperial stouts, etc. I've personally used it for meads
that ended somewhere in the 14% range.
I'm not sure where the myth of all beer yeast having a
fairly low alcohol tolerance comes from, but any halfway
decent brewer (or brewshop owner) can tell you it is indeed
a myth.
>Anyone know how far 1056 will take this stuff???
The highest I've gone is around 14%. My experience with
mead hasn't gone higher, and with beer indicates that above
that range any beer yeast starts getting cranky-- you can do
it but it takes a bit of TLC and special strains (e.g., the
Samichlaus strain).
--
Joel Plutchak "Sometimes I think we're alone in the universe, and
plutchak@[...] sometimes I think we're not. In either case the idea
is quite staggering." - Arthur C. Clarke
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Date: 22 Jul 2006 18:08:11
From: Dick Adams
Subject: Re: How low will it go?
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K Buck <kevinbuck@REMOVEpsouth.net > wrote:
> They said it couldn't be done. A while ago the folks at the LHBS said 1056
> American Ale yeast would konk out at about 8% alcohol. I said more like
> 12%. They said I was crazy. So I set out to see for myself.
>
> 5.5 gallons started on 3/19/06
>
> Blueberry Melomel:
> 15 lbs wildflower honey
> 10 lbs mix of Maine low & high bush blueberries
> (4) packets of 1056
>
> OG: 1.128 (1.118 adjusted for .001 point per lb of berries)
> FG (?): 1.022 - that's approx 14.25% alcohol
For 15 gallons in a 5 gallon batch, I get an OG = 1.10.
Add 10 lbs of bluebaeeies and I get 1.115.
If you took the OG and it was 1.118, that's great honey in terms of
sugar content.
> (2) packets of yeast to start, (1) packet each the first two times
> I racked. The berries were split & added to the 2nd, 3rd, & 4th racks.
>
> I've racked this stuff 6 times so far & everytime I do the yeast
> kicks out another few points. I was hoping for a terminal gravity
> of around 1.030 for a sweet mead, but it's on its way to being a
> semi-dry.
That's a lot of rackings. I'd be concerned about oxidation.
Hopefully you have been very careful.
> Anyone know how far 1056 will take this stuff???
I would not be surprised if it goes to just over 14% ABV.
My limited knowledge of yeasts tells me that 14% is the
alcohol toxification drop-dead point for all but high ABV
yeasts.
Dick
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Date: 22 Jul 2006 17:13:38
From: Don Levey
Subject: Re: How low will it go?
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rdadams@smart.net (Dick Adams) writes:
> I would not be surprised if it goes to just over 14% ABV.
> My limited knowledge of yeasts tells me that 14% is the
> alcohol toxification drop-dead point for all but high ABV
> yeasts.
>
When I was making meadd years ago, I was able to get at least 18% from
champagne yeast. I guess that qualifies as one of the high ABV strains?
--
Don Levey $ cd /pub
Framingham, MA $ more beer
NOTE: email server uses spam filters; mail sent to salearn@the-leveys.us
will be used to tune the blocking lists.
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Date: 27 Jul 2006 11:19:14
From: M Lawson
Subject: Re: How low will it go?
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"Don Levey" <Don_RCB@the-leveys.us > wrote in message
news:m3zmf1pcl9.fsf@dauphin.the-leveys.us...
> rdadams@smart.net (Dick Adams) writes:
>
> > I would not be surprised if it goes to just over 14% ABV.
> > My limited knowledge of yeasts tells me that 14% is the
> > alcohol toxification drop-dead point for all but high ABV
> > yeasts.
> >
> When I was making meadd years ago, I was able to get at least 18% from
> champagne yeast. I guess that qualifies as one of the high ABV strains?
>
I guess starting out with a certain yeast for it's flavour and, once that
has died from alcohol toxification, switch to a champagne yeast to get a
18+% brew.
I'm currently doing a blackberry mead (melomel?) using some old champagne
yeast that was kicking about. At about 5.5l with 1.5kg honey and 650g of
frozen blackberries I got an OG of 1.095 from the honey. Dunno what the
berries added as far as sugar though. Some recipies specify a red wine yeast
for this type of brew.
It's been cranking out about 2% a day so far (4 days in the bucket). I
expect it'll finish at around the 12-14% mark.
Mike
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Date: 27 Jul 2006 05:37:43
From: Dick Adams
Subject: Re: How low will it go?
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M Lawson <a@b.com > wrote:
> "Don Levey" <Don_RCB@the-leveys.us> wrote:
>> rdadams@smart.net (Dick Adams) writes:
>>> I would not be surprised if it goes to just over 14% ABV.
>>> My limited knowledge of yeasts tells me that 14% is the
>>> alcohol toxification drop-dead point for all but high ABV
>>> yeasts.
>>>
>> When I was making meadd years ago, I was able to get at least 18% from
>> champagne yeast. I guess that qualifies as one of the high ABV strains?
Yes
> I guess starting out with a certain yeast for it's flavour and, once that
> has died from alcohol toxification, switch to a champagne yeast to get a
> 18+% brew.
>
> I'm currently doing a blackberry mead (melomel?) using some old champagne
> yeast that was kicking about. At about 5.5l with 1.5kg honey and 650g of
> frozen blackberries I got an OG of 1.095 from the honey. Dunno what the
> berries added as far as sugar though. Some recipies specify a red wine yeast
> for this type of brew.
I suspect you have a 4.8 liter batch. If so, the blueberries
should add .003 to the gravity.
> It's been cranking out about 2% a day so far (4 days in the bucket). I
> expect it'll finish at around the 12-14% mark.
If you are racking onto the blueberries in the secondary, most
of their gravity may be in the sweetness. If it ferments dry,
you will get 12% ABV. I use the following rule of thumb for
estimated ABV: ABV = (O.G. - F.G.) * 130. That give me the
upper limit of ABV.
Dick
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