How to Track Mead Fermentation

To track mead fermentation, record your original gravity before pitching, take specific gravity readings every day or two while it’s active, log temperature and every addition, and compare readings over time. Fermentation is finished when gravity stops changing — not when the airlock goes quiet.

Last updated October 15, 2026

What to record for each mead batch

A consistent record turns one-off batches into something you can learn from and repeat. At minimum, note:

• The recipe: type and amount of honey, water, fruit or spices, and the target batch size.
• Yeast strain, how it was rehydrated or pitched, and the date.
• Original gravity (OG) and, if relevant, your target final gravity.
• Nutrient and other additions, with dates and amounts.
• Fermentation temperature, ideally at each reading.
• Gravity readings with dates, and when you rack, stabilize, or back-sweeten.
• Observations: activity, aroma, clarity, and anything unusual.
• Tasting notes as the mead ages.

How and when to take gravity readings

1. Take OG before pitching. Honey can settle, so mix the must thoroughly first. Record the reading and the sample temperature.
2. Check every day or two while fermentation is active, then every few days to weekly as it slows. Many nutrient schedules key additions to time or to a point partway through fermentation, so early readings help you time them. Follow your yeast and nutrient manufacturer’s guidance.
3. Sanitize everything that touches the mead, including the sample tube and hydrometer.
4. Degas the sample. Dissolved CO₂ lifts a hydrometer and makes gravity read higher than it is. Swirl or stir the sample before reading.
5. Read at eye level at the bottom of the meniscus, and correct for temperature if your hydrometer is calibrated for a different temperature than the sample.

Comparing readings over time

Plotting readings reveals the shape of fermentation: a fast early drop, a slower middle, and a flat finish. This example, which is illustrative rather than a real batch, shows a mead starting at 1.110 and settling around 1.006.

What trends can and can’t tell you

What they can tell you

• Whether fermentation is progressing, slowing, or stalled compared with earlier readings.
• When gravity has stabilized: the same value across several checks spread over days.
• How much sugar the yeast consumed, and the estimated ABV once you have OG and FG.

What they can’t tell you

• Why a fermentation slowed. Temperature, nutrients, pH, alcohol tolerance, and yeast health can all play a part, so use your notes to investigate.
• Whether the mead tastes good, is clear, or is microbiologically safe.
• Whether it is safe to bottle or sweeten. Confirm gravity is stable first; bottling while fermentation is still going can build pressure in the bottle.

Keep observations and tasting notes with the readings

Numbers only tell part of the story. Write down aroma, activity, and clarity at each check, and keep tasting notes as the mead ages. Over several batches you’ll see which honeys, yeasts, and schedules give the results you want.

How BrewNote helps

BrewNote is an Android homebrewing app that supports mead alongside beer, cider, wine, and kombucha. For each batch you can log hydrometer or refractometer readings over time, and a gravity chart appears once you’ve added a couple. You can also keep temperature logs, dated entries, and tasting notes, and calculate ABV from OG/FG or refractometer Brix. Everything stays on your device; there’s no account. You can also try the free ABV calculator on this site.

References

• American Homebrewers Association — How to take an accurate hydrometer reading
• John Palmer — How to Brew