Mead needs some sweetness if my wife is going to enjoy....

[Otterbrew]

So I have made my first mead, purchasing a More Beer kit for "Sweet Mead" in Feb. After following all of the instructions, and adding a can of Oregon Cherry Puree, I am left with a beverage at .995 gravity. I need to add some sweetness back into this before bottling (can't keg it our I loose a spot for my soon to be completed Double IPA). What can I do? Was there something I should have done earlier to stop the process at a sweeter level?
Let me know.
Thanks,
-Greg

BTW This stuff started at 1.110, so I am trying to get my wife to drink a lot....

[BadRock]

Stun the yeast and add back some juice. This will give you some sweetness and flavor.

[DannyW]

Blend it in the glass with something sweet, sort of like the cider guys do. My wife loves our homemade ginger ale mixed with either mead or wine, not so much for the spiciness but for the sweetness.

Hrm. I guess simple syrup would work just as well!

[yabodie]

Add honey to it!! It is a mead after all!!!

A pound per gallon will raise the SG to about 1.037. So use that to determine how much you should add. Also keep in mind what the ABV tolerance of your yeast is.

Before you add anything make sure you can read a newspaper through the carboy of mead. Rack it then add the honey to the racked mead. This way the yeast might not start up fermentation again.

Just a couple thoughts...

[Otterbrew]

Thanks for all of the input. This stuff is brilliantly clear, so much so that I am almost willing to not dick with it, sacrificing flavor for appearance. There still is some activity going on though since there is C02 being released. I do not want bottle bombs.
By my calcs, this stuff should be around 12% alcohol, how far will the White Labs sweet mead yeast go?
Take care,
-Greg

[yabodie]

Well a simple look at the White lab page for wine yeast says that the yeast you used has a tolerance to 15%.

So if it is clear then rack it off the yeast cake at the bottom of your carboy in to a new carboy. Try not to get any cake in your transfer. If you add 1 pound honey /gallon you will raise the SG to about 1.037 with the possibility of adding an additional 5%abv. This will go beyond your 15% ABV tolerance for your yeast and shut them down IF fermentation restarts. I doubt it will because you already have dormant yeast, assuming your mead is clear to read print through it, sitting in 12%ABV. A hostile environment to begin with...

Once you mix everything up take a SG reading, wait a week and take another one. No change you are good to go.

Also meads are best after they have aged at least 6 months in bulk, if you can wait longer try to hit a year…

Also keep in mind the title of your post… Need to sweeten IF your wife is to drink it…

I think I hear a whip crackin’…

[jeremymm]

Diamonnium Phosphate will bind with any sugar added to your mead before bottling, making said sugar un-fermentable. You can buy this in crystaline form and blend it with your sugars, or buy it pre blended as "Wine Conditioner". Addition of more sugars without DAP or pasteurization will most likely result in re-fermentation, especially when shelved for a long period of time(which should be done with a good mead). If you have anyone with good wine knowledge at your LHBS store they should be able to explain this.

[jeremymm]

Whoops.......I meant to say potassium sorbate, not Diammonium Phosphate. It is also called "Sorbistat K".