Just like other meads, except more so. When I speak of high-gravity meads, I mean mead in the 4-lbs-honey-per-gallon-of-water range. The added sugar means it'll take longer to ferment. It also makes it very likely that you'll need a yeast nutrient.

Another issue to consider is that most yeasts don't do well under high-sugar conditions. The things to remember are the same as for other meads, but you'll need to expect longer fermentations (having to wait three or more months for fermentation to slow is typical), and once the fermentation is done, these meads typically take longer to age. Given enough patience, you can make some very tasty, very strong meads of a traditional style.

Meads of this style were traditionally started in the summer for consumption in the winter or spring. This will work out nicely from a temperature standpoint, as you'll have warm temps to start the yeast off quickly, and then cooler temps to age the mead once it's mostly fermented. However, these meads are not for everyone. With this type of mead, you'll probably want to rack the mead (transfer it from a primary to a secondary fermenter) twice, as having the mead sitting for prolonged periods on the dead yeast will add off flavors to it. The results are typically worth the wait, though.

A way to speed the process is to add the honey in smaller batches. For example, if your recipe calls for 20 lbs of honey in a five-gallon batch, start out with 10 lbs initially. Once the fermentation starts to slow down, rack the mead into another fermenter and add 5 more lbs of honey. Wait for the fermentation to slow, rack again, and add the last 5 lbs. If you take this approach, make sure to leave some room in the fermenter for the added volume of honey. Adding the honey a little at a time like this will keep from hitting the yeast with high-sugar conditions which aren't good for them. The yeast will repay you by doing their job more quickly, and you won't have to wait as long for a finished product.

This is a good area to get into once you've made a few lighter gravity meads and have gotten some extra equipment, since you'll be tying up a carboy for at least six months.

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A common question when fermenting mead is When is it done fermenting? Well, it's an art not a science, you see....

On a more practical note, there are two methods I use.

The first is highly scientific. I measure the gravity of the mead with a hydrometer. For a recipe like Hangover Cyser, it'll finish up very near or below 1.000 in gravity. There's more on using a hydrometer in the next chapter.

The second method is my more typical one. I let the mead ferment until I think it's done (if it doesn't bubble once in the time it takes me to microwave and eat dinner, that's a pretty good sign), and then wait another week to be sure. At this point, it's either gotten mostly clear, or there's enough suspended goo that I don't want to bottle yet. If it's clear, it gets racked into a bottling bucket and thence to the bottles. If it's cloudy, I rack it into another gallong jug (or into the bottling bucket, and then back to the original jug, after making sure to wash it out well), and let it sit until it does get clear.

The main points of the second method are: the fermenter is not still bubbling and the mead has cleared.

Sometimes a mead just won't clear. Then I grumble and hide it in the closet and come back to it in a month or three. If it's still cloudy, I shrug and bottle it cloudy. More impatient sorts add various items to the mix to clear the mead, but that's another discussion.

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