An intensely sweet, high-alcohol sack mead built on raw wildflower honey. Sack mead is a traditional high-gravity style with 15%+ ABV and significant residual sweetness. Requires careful nutrient management and extended aging. Targets 16% ABV with a sweet finish. 5-gallon batch.
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Batch size
5 gallons
Target ABV
16%
Fermentation
8–12 weeks
Conditioning
12–24 months
Responsible use: These recipes produce alcoholic beverages. Ferment and consume responsibly. Verify all quantities, equipment, and safety procedures before beginning. Consult local regulations regarding home fermentation.
High honey-to-water ratio for sack mead. Raw preferred.
Yeast rehydration nutrient. Critical for high-gravity fermentation.
Yeast
Lalvin Lalvin EC-1118 — 2 packets
Use 2 packets for high-gravity must. Rehydrate in Go-Ferm.
| Timing | Nutrient | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 0 (pitch) | Fermaid-O | 3 g | |
| 24 hours | Fermaid-O | 3 g | |
| 48 hours | Fermaid-O | 3 g | |
| 1/3 sugar break | Fermaid-O | 3 g | |
| Day 0 (pitch) | Fermaid-K | 6 g |
Prepare no-rinse sanitizer. Sanitize all vessels and tools.
Rehydrate EC-1118 in Go-Ferm solution at 104°F. Allow to cool to within 10°F of must temperature before pitching.
Proper yeast rehydration is critical for high-gravity fermentation.
Warm 1 gallon of water to 100°F. Dissolve honey. Cool to below 80°F.
Add honey solution to fermenter. Top up with filtered water to 5.5 gallons.
Record original gravity. Target approximately 1.122.
Pitch rehydrated EC-1118. Add Day 0 nutrients. Ferment at 65–72°F.
Follow TOSNA schedule. Degas before each addition. High-gravity fermentation requires careful nutrient management.
Check gravity every few days. High-gravity fermentation may take 8–12 weeks or longer.
Rack off lees.
Condition for 12–24 months. Sack mead requires extended aging.
Bottle in wine bottles.
Ensure fermentation is fully complete before packaging. Extended aging is essential for sack mead quality.
Honey and water scale linearly. Nutrient additions do NOT scale linearly — recalculate using TOSNA for any batch size change. High-gravity batches require more nutrients per gallon.
Enter your desired finished batch size to scale ingredient quantities. Press Enter or tap away to apply.
Target ABV
16%
Original gravity
1.122
Final gravity
1.020
Sweetness
sweet
Finished volume
5 gallons
Gross starting volume
5.5 gallons
Expected loss
0.5 gallons(9%)
| Ingredient | Quantity | Unit | Scaling notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw wildflower honey | 18 | lbs | |
| Filtered water | 4 | gallons | |
| Fermaid-O | 12 | g | ⚠ review |
| Fermaid-K | 6 | g | ⚠ review |
| Go-Ferm Protect Evolution | 10 | g | ⚠ review |
⚠ Ingredients requiring review
Initial record. Phase 4C Batch 10.
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