21 replies to this topic

[hz3gzy]

Would like to make Mead but do not want to dilute the Brix with water. Rather would like to use apple cider to dilute the Brix. Does anyone know the ratio of how much cider needed to dilute a 5 gallon, 60lbs pail of honey? I would like the starting point to be around 24 Brix.

Thanks

[lawpaw]

I would guess around 60 gallons of cider, assuming a brix of around 12.5 for the cider.

http://www.gotmead.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=745&Itemid=16

That's a lot of cyser. You may want to consider a few different styles.

[hz3gzy]

I would guess around 60 gallons of cider, assuming a brix of around 12.5 for the cider.

http://www.gotmead.c...d=745&Itemid=16

That's a lot of cyser. You may want to consider a few different styles.

couldn't quite make the calculator work the right way. If I was to use Honey water ratio, I was looking at 15 gallons of water vs 60lbs of honey. The water Brix is 0. I am good with a total brix of 25.5, which is what the calculator has. How did you come up with 60 gallons of cider?

[lawpaw]

Check the box for "additional sugar" and use Apples and gallons.

You will also want SG checked at 25 and honey checked at 5 gallons. Uncheck volume.

Remember that cider has a brix around 12.5 and that a good part I'd your honey will be absorbed without adding much volume.

I used 6.5lbs. Honey to get 4 gallons of cider around 14% so at least 50 gallons for 60lbs. Of honey seems about right.

[hz3gzy]

Check the box for "additional sugar" and use Apples and gallons.

You will also want SG checked at 25 and honey checked at 5 gallons. Uncheck volume.

Remember that cider has a brix around 12.5 and that a good part I'd your honey will be absorbed without adding much volume.

I used 6.5lbs. Honey to get 4 gallons of cider around 14% so at least 50 gallons for 60lbs. Of honey seems about right.

It looks like, under additional Sugar's, that it gave me a volume of 7.87 gallons of apples after I plugged in the 5 gallon of honey in the Blue area

[Medsen Fey]

Hmmmm.
If you use the formula (V1*G1)+(V2*G2) = (V3*G3) you can calculate the answer

V1 = Honey volume = 5 gallons for 60 pounds
G1 = Honey gravity = 1.417 (for normal honey with 18% moisture)
V2 = Volume of cider which is the variable here
G2 = Gravity of cider = I'll use 1.045 but you can plug in the real number
V3 = total final volume = V1 + V2 (and yes, the honey will add nearly 5 gallons of volume)
G3 = your target gravity = 1.100

So you need to solve for V2.
With a little algebraic rearrangement you get V2 = (V1G3-V1G1)/(G2-G3)
Plug in the numbers and you get 28.8 gallons of juice required with a total volume of about 33 gallons; a rough estimate so you'll be wanting to use your hydrometer when it comes to mixing things together. That's a good sized batch. Yum.

[lawpaw]

It can be a little confusing at first.

Here's how I calculated, and it coincides with the ratio I saw with my hydrometer when adding about 6lbs. Honey to 4 gallons cider.

I checked SG (and others) so that the system would use my entry for calculation. I switched the SG box to brix, this time I entered 25.5.

I made sure the "volume" blue box was unchecked so that the system will calculate this amount. This number should automatically change whenever you adjust your other entries.

I checked "Additional Sugar 1" and put in 5 gallons of honey.

I checked "Additional Sugar 2" and entered 50 gallons of apples.

When I then clicked something else "volume" automatically changed to around 51 gallons. Since 50 gallons of cider should absorb most of the volume of 5 gallons of honey into itself this seems like a good approximation.

Notice that if you entered 7 gallons of cider the volume would change to 20+ volume. The system assumes you are using water to fill the extra volume.

[lawpaw]

Medsen, I missed your post before my last.

I'm sure you are right about honey and volume. I hadn't considered that honey already has water in it. It is hygroscopic, so it is probably partially dissolved into the water.

[hz3gzy]

Hmmmm.
If you use the formula (V1*G1)+(V2*G2) = (V3*G3) you can calculate the answer

V1 = Honey volume = 5 gallons for 60 pounds
G1 = Honey gravity = 1.417 (for normal honey with 18% moisture)
V2 = Volume of cider which is the variable here
G2 = Gravity of cider = I'll use 1.045 but you can plug in the real number
V3 = total final volume = V1 + V2 (and yes, the honey will add nearly 5 gallons of volume)
G3 = your target gravity = 1.100

So you need to solve for V2.
With a little algebraic rearrangement you get V2 = (V1G3-V1G1)/(G2-G3)
Plug in the numbers and you get 28.8 gallons of juice required with a total volume of about 33 gallons; a rough estimate so you'll be wanting to use your hydrometer when it comes to mixing things together. That's a good sized batch. Yum.

Thanks, this will be easier than trying to use that calculator chart!

[hz3gzy]

Hmmmm.
If you use the formula (V1*G1)+(V2*G2) = (V3*G3) you can calculate the answer

V1 = Honey volume = 5 gallons for 60 pounds
G1 = Honey gravity = 1.417 (for normal honey with 18% moisture)
V2 = Volume of cider which is the variable here
G2 = Gravity of cider = I'll use 1.045 but you can plug in the real number
V3 = total final volume = V1 + V2 (and yes, the honey will add nearly 5 gallons of volume)
G3 = your target gravity = 1.100

So you need to solve for V2.
With a little algebraic rearrangement you get V2 = (V1G3-V1G1)/(G2-G3)
Plug in the numbers and you get 28.8 gallons of juice required with a total volume of about 33 gallons; a rough estimate so you'll be wanting to use your hydrometer when it comes to mixing things together. That's a good sized batch. Yum.

Medsen, when using your formula with a SG = 1.10, I came up with a total volume of 20 gallons! 5 gallon of honey and 15 pails of Cider. The cider SG = 1.053. V2 = 12.538

[lawpaw]

I don't think you gave the cider any SG. 60 lbs. honey would give 15 gallons of water a SG higher than 1.1 in my experience.

Last weekend I started a 5 gallon cyser batch. I started by adding 6.5lbs. honey to 4 gallons cider and got a SG above 1.1. That comes out to about 40 gallons cider if you want SG below 1.1 in my experience.

[hz3gzy]

I don't think you gave the cider any SG. 60 lbs. honey would give 15 gallons of water a SG higher than 1.1 in my experience.

Last weekend I started a 5 gallon cyser batch. I started by adding 6.5lbs. honey to 4 gallons cider and got a SG above 1.1. That comes out to about 40 gallons cider if you want SG below 1.1 in my experience.

I will rerun the formula. Maybe Medsen's left something out on it or maybe I just did something wrong. Thanks

[lawpaw]

I'm pretty sure Medsen's formula is correct.

It looks to me like you used "1" as the gravity of the cider (G1) instead of measuring your ciders original gravity and putting it in G1. My cider had a gravity of 1.048ish.

Your results are almost exactly what I would expect from water (G1 = 1).

[hz3gzy]

I'm pretty sure Medsen's formula is correct.

It looks to me like you used "1" as the gravity of the cider (G1) instead of measuring your ciders original gravity and putting it in G1. My cider had a gravity of 1.048ish.

Your results are almost exactly what I would expect from water (G1 = 1).

I will rerun it. the ciders SG is 1.053

[lawpaw]

G2 for cider, sorry.