Set strength & sweetness, get the whole recipe — including a yeast that can finish it.
Live calculator · updates as you type
Your batch
Batch size
Finish / sweetnessYeast strain
Honey load is estimated from target ABV, finish gravity, and a standard honey extract of 35 points per pound per gallon. Confirm your real original gravity with a hydrometer after the honey is fully mixed.
Your recipe
Honey2.61lb1.18 kg
Water (top up to volume)0.78gal
Original gravity (OG)1.091
Target final gravity (FG)1.000
Fermaid-O (TOSNA total)4.5 g
Yeast (5 g sachets)1
Selected yeast tolerance14% ABV
Honey & yeast by mead style
StyleABVHoneyYeast pick
Session dry8%1.7 lb/gal71B or D47
Standard dry12%2.6 lb/galD47 or K1-V1116
Semi-sweet12%2.9 lb/galK1-V1116
Strong14%3.1 lb/galK1-V1116 / EC-1118
Dessert sweet16%4.1 lb/galEC-1118
Mead recipe guide
Three targets. One complete recipe.
Batch size, strength, and sweetness are all you need to size a mead. This guide shows the math behind the numbers, how to pick honey and yeast, and how to brew the recipe cleanly.
Beginner target10–12%
A forgiving ABV band that ferments clean and drinks sooner.
Rule of thumb2.6 lb/gal
Honey for a dry 12% gallon of traditional mead.
Don't skipNutrients
Honey is nutrient-poor — staggered Fermaid-O keeps yeast happy.
Core formulahoney = (OG pts × vol) ÷ 35
Your ABV and finish set the original gravity; honey’s 35 points-per-pound-per-gallon extract turns that into a weight. Everything else on the page follows from this one relationship.
01
How to use this mead recipe calculator
Start with the three numbers that define a batch: how much mead you want to make, how strong you want it, and how sweet it should finish. Enter your batch volume in gallons or liters, set a target ABV, and choose a dry, semi-sweet, or sweet finish. The calculator instantly returns the honey weight, the water needed to top up to volume, your estimated original and final gravity, a nutrient dose, and how many yeast sachets to pitch.
Then pick a yeast strain from the dropdown. Each option shows its alcohol tolerance, and the results panel flags you if your target ABV is higher than the strain can finish. This turns a recipe you found online — or one in your head — into exact quantities for your kettle, with no guesswork and no by-hand gravity math.
02
How the recipe is built from your targets
Alcohol in mead comes from yeast eating the sugar in honey. The relationship brewers use is ABV ≈ (OG − FG) × 131.25, where OG is the original gravity of your must and FG is the gravity once fermentation finishes. Your sweetness choice sets the FG — roughly 1.000 for dry, 1.010 for semi-sweet, and 1.020 for sweet — and the target ABV then fixes the OG you need to hit.
To reach that OG, the calculator uses honey’s standard extract of about 35 gravity points per pound per gallon. It multiplies the gravity points you need by your batch volume and divides by 35 to get the honey weight, then subtracts the volume the honey itself occupies to tell you how much water to add. The result is a must that starts at the right gravity to finish at your chosen strength and sweetness.
More honey means a higher starting gravity and more potential alcohol, but only if your yeast can ferment that far. A dry 12% mead needs about 2.6 lb of honey per gallon; push to a 16% dessert mead and you are closer to 4 lb per gallon. Any honey works, though lighter varietals like clover and orange blossom are forgiving for a first batch while buckwheat or wildflower add bolder character.
Match the strain to the job. Lalvin 71B softens acidity and suits fruit meads; D47 is a clean traditional choice for dry to semi-sweet; K1-V1116 and EC-1118 tolerate up to 18% for strong or sweet meads and can restart a stuck ferment. If you want a mead that stays sweet without back-sweetening, a low-tolerance strain like Wyeast Sweet Mead is the exception that finishes early on purpose.
04Brew-day checklist
Nutrients and the brew-day method
Honey is nutrient-poor, so yeast needs help to ferment cleanly. The calculator gives a total Fermaid-O dose using the TOSNA 2.0 method — sugar concentration times a yeast nitrogen factor times batch size. Split that total into four equal additions at 24, 48, and 72 hours after pitching, with the last at the one-third sugar break, rather than dumping it in at once. Warm the water, dissolve the honey fully, and confirm your OG with a hydrometer before pitching.
Rehydrate your yeast, pitch into a must at 18–21°C (65–70°F), and add your first nutrient dose after the ferment is visibly active. From there, take gravity readings every few days; when it holds steady for three days you are at FG. Stabilise and back-sweeten if desired, then rack and age — most meads reward at least a few months of patience.
HoneyDissolve fully in warm (not boiling) water to protect aroma.
WaterUse dechlorinated or spring water; top up to your batch volume.
NutrientsStagger the Fermaid-O dose across the first 1/3 of fermentation.
YeastRehydrate, then pitch at 18–21°C for a clean, steady start.
05
Troubleshooting your recipe
If your measured OG comes in under target, stir in a little more honey; if it is over, add water to bring the gravity down. A ferment that stalls short of FG usually points to a yeast at its tolerance limit or a nutrient shortfall — check the strain warning and confirm you staggered nutrients.
A mead that finished sweeter than planned often means the yeast quit early; a bone-dry result when you wanted sweetness means you either under-honeyed or used too tolerant a strain. Log your OG, FG, yeast, and honey each batch and the recipe gets more repeatable every time.
Download the free Mead Brewing Playbook
Save your honey, water, gravity, and yeast numbers plus fermentation notes on one printable recipe sheet.
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Free Mead Brewing Playbook (printable PDF guide + calculators companion)
FAQ
Mead recipe questions
Common questions about honey load, target strength, yeast, and gravity.
How much honey do I need for 1 gallon of mead?
For a dry mead around 12% ABV, plan on about 2.6 lb (1.2 kg) of honey per gallon. Sweeter or stronger meads need more — up to roughly 4 lb per gallon for a 16% dessert mead. The calculator sizes it exactly from your ABV and sweetness targets.
How does the calculator work out the honey amount?
It converts your target ABV and finish gravity into an original gravity, then uses honey’s standard extract of about 35 gravity points per pound per gallon to back out the weight. More honey means a higher OG and a higher potential ABV.
What target ABV should a beginner pick?
Aim for 10–12% ABV with a dry or semi-sweet finish. That range ferments cleanly with common yeasts like D47 or 71B, avoids the stress of a high-gravity must, and is drinkable sooner than a big 16%+ mead.
Why does my yeast choice matter?
Every strain has an alcohol tolerance. If your target ABV is higher than the yeast can handle, fermentation stalls and leaves unplanned residual sugar. The calculator warns you when your target exceeds the selected strain’s limit.
Do I really need nutrients?
Yes. Honey is nutrient-poor, so yeast fermenting a plain honey must often produces off-flavours or stalls. The calculator gives a Fermaid-O estimate you can stagger across the first third of fermentation (a TOSNA-style schedule).
Is the original gravity from this calculator exact?
It’s a planning estimate based on standard honey extract. Honey variety and moisture shift the real number slightly, so always confirm OG with a hydrometer once the honey is fully dissolved, then adjust with a little more honey or water.
