Fortified Mead: How Was It? -Pyment Port Finishing

[@CitySteadingBrews]

For some reason this video went partially public when released, so some of you may have seen come up as private. We apologize for any inconvenience and please know we would never start a series and put the rest behind any sort of paywall as that's just not cool.

[@thechaosgoblin]

FYI, you don't need to throw out the lees. It makes excellent hornet bait in a refillable trap. You can also pour it into a silicon tray and dehydrate the lees at a low temp to use as nutrient in future brews.

[@gryph01]

I have made 6 batches of mead now. It all started because I watched your videos. I will be starting a other batch this weekend, along with a couple gallons of cider.

[@CaioKaos]

Amazing idea! I live in Portugal and I'll maybe try this but using portuguese grapes, spirit and oak. I think the idea of adding honey is an amazing twist on the traditional recipe, as well as hibiscus and mandarin! Thanks for all your videos!

[@CaioKaos]

If you ever come to portugal, ask for other fortifies traditional wines as well! They have moscatel, abafado, madeira and carcavelos. You'll be delighted with all the different stories each one tells when you drink it :)

[@Caradepato]

Avisa-me como é que isso vai!

[@CaioKaos]

@@Caradepato Ainda não comecei porque tenho os fermentadores todos cheios, acho que vai ficar para o fim de abril :)

[@joeschlottach9074]

That little "That is very not bad" - Brian 2022 bit got me laughing. Thank you for that. Wonderful video too of course! Found this one very informative as well. :)

[@MatthewRivers]

I just made a weird batch of wine with some strange grapes and definitely going to fortify and sweeten it. I am very inspired by your videos. I certainly understand the happiness of making a delicious wine. I have a blackberry wine from this year which is the tastiest thing I have made so far.

[@UponGiantsShoulders]

I made a blackberry mead added oaked 2018 cab and white spirit. Best thing I have ever made, but I am oaking some of the original blackberry and will try adding nice brandy like you did. Sounds amazing.

[@spiritwolf1726]

This sounds absolutely fantastic! Going to attempt to recreate with my next brew.

[@bleedfreedom6528]

I can't say tku enough. The amount of knowledge I've absorbed over the years from your videos is extraordinary. Bless you both 🙏

[@BrianHolmes]

math at 4:24

[@scottaustin5290]

Love the breaking of rules first wine came out fantastic thx I’ll keep watching learning making mead next

[@JOCO1911]

Hello city steaders. Thanks for the new video!

[@richardwebb1537]

Really enjoy your videos Started making Cider 4 weeks ago Your fault lol followed by mead Got everything for your Pyment port and started it today Cheers guys Your lots of fun and educational

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Enjoy!

[@creightonbiddick9123]

I just bottled my first batch an hour ago, and I am already getting ready to do a 5 gallon batch. This stuff is wonderful! I cannot wait until it has aged a year!

[@debbiepieracci372]

How much did you make? Did you use the cognac measurement? If so would you be paying out close to over $100. Or did you do less? I have 3 gallons and had sticker shock.

[@creightonbiddick9123]

@@debbiepieracci372 I did a gallon batch. I used a different cognac than they used. I found a local cheaper one, but my next batch I will try a different one. I did not pay attention to how much everything cost but it definitely wasn't 100, I would guess 50-75 range

[@DaMotoVlogga]

Just made a cherry chocolate port, still again on oak at the moment. But i fortified it with grape spirit. Really looking forward to trying it. Cheers for the info and the motivation to have a crack.

[@foxhollerhomestead]

Much love to you and many blessings! Sincerely love your content and it’s helped me so much in my brewing endeavors!! Thank you Dusty

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Great to hear!

[@leonardackerman9739]

This looks delicious! Now on the honey do list!

[@adtausent1530]

It realy looks fantastic! I Will try it !

[@bolgerlake]

I fortified a plain mead with plum brandy, it was quite excellent. Thanks for the video!

[@Chewie-st1pi]

love your videos i just put my second ever mead into 2nd fermentation tonight (Aussie here so this was like 4 hrs ago) it’s a capsicumel habanero OG 1.120 gravity is at 1.010 now and added pineapple can’t wait to see how it turns out in a few more weeks.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Sounds great!

[@usafirst79]

I did the capsicumel recipe and added only one habenero. Take my advice, bottle it and don't touch it for about a year. The flavors meld and it's fantastic! When young the heat is pretty harsh

[@andrewberry9356]

Chewie that sounds epic! Would it be possible to share the recipe?

[@Chewie-st1pi]

@@andrewberry9356 the recipe is 1 habanero 3.5 to 4L /1 gallon of water 2 kg of bloodwood honey or any honey that has a golden syrup and caramel flavour And 1 fresh pineapple Mangrove jacks M05 yeast packet 1st fermentation just the Water honey Yeast with the habanero if u are using the bloodwood honey be careful as it was a very active fermentation I have to use over flow tube and bucket for my air lock the first few days. My 1st fermentation was 2 weeks but I am in a tropical environment 2nd fermentation just skin and cut up your pineapple and let it go until you the taste suits you I am about to re-rack and bottle mine today as I think is at the point of flavours you want I know ppl say pineapple is a pain to work but I believe that it’s only when you us it in the first fermentation

[@andrewberry9356]

@@Chewie-st1pi Thanks for sending! I'm a newb at this just down from you (NZ) so once primary fermentation is done, you rack into secondary and throw the p'apple in and let it go off again? Is it the pulp that's a pain after secondary is done, strain through cheesecloth?

[@petersteadman841]

Scaling up to 25ltr. I love port 😋

[@TheEvolvingAudioNut]

OK. You got me.... again. I need to get this one started three months ago.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Lol

[@johnshaw6702]

It sounds delicious. I love it when you both give it the same score. I consider it a win win. As always, thanks for the video. :)

[@adtausent1530]

I realy love you guys !!!!!

[@Anarcho-Zymurgist]

I started a pear and cardamom mead last week and your baking sheet technique saved me a huge mess, so huge thanks for that tip :) Also, it's always nice when your initial taste of a brew is "very not bad" haha

[@iFyre]

I cannot wait to make this

[@TheRscorp]

I've been doing this for quite a few years now and never made a fortified. I think this inspired me to do it, this looks delicious!

[@johngreystoneridge4813]

We love the channel. Can't wait to try this recipe.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@wesp3779]

Suggestions on a different wood since the one you used is not available?? Looking forward to this one thanks Brian and Derica!!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Any oak should be fine.

[@theastronomer5800]

Just when I thought I tried pretty much every brew that I ever wanted to try, I see this!

[@alexcan669]

Wow I so need to make this it sounds so good! Awesome job guys

[@the_whiskeyshaman]

Hell yes guys. I’m gonna start this ASAP.

[@baghdaddy202003]

Welch's Sangria juice is absolutely amazing. I made your sweet red table wine and used this juice instead of grape juice. It's one of my absolute favorite things I've made. Target and Walmart sells it non sparkling.

[@M4st3r0fN0n3]

I recently tried my hand at a fortified port wine using your "table wine" recipe. After all the figuring, i found 1 750 ml bottle of brandy to about 1 gallon of finished brew gives between 17 and 22% final ABV. It was quite good and only 1 bottle remains, but thats my 1 year taster

[@blackstarboys4719]

Ok that’s very good to know. I wasn’t sure if it would be good after a couple of times. Cheers mate 🇦🇺

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Hmm?

[@elricthebald]

I guess I'll have to put this one on my wish list. 🤤

[@Caradepato]

Just a little information - here in Portugal we add the spirits to the brew before fermentation is complete. This is what makes our fortified wines sweet rather than back-sweetening, since you cut off the fermentation early, there are more sugars left in the brew. Of course, in different places you do it differently, and I want to make it clear that I am not criticising the back-sweetening method, i just thought you might find it interesting. On another topic, I recently got my hands on some medium roast french oak chips - how would you recommend using them in a melomel? I've got two coming along, an orange one and a blueberry one.

[@LMvdB02]

I thought this too, isn't the point of fortifying to stop the fermentation before it's dry?

[@ghoppr71]

That's saying a lot for Brian to say this is the best thing he's ever made! Especially, with his Spiced Metheglin that was an 11.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

One of…. :)

[@ghoppr71]

@@CitySteadingBrews I stand corrected... Still a good testament.

[@buffalojoe78]

I made a pyment with Concord grape and black Cherry juice last year and it was delicious on its own but now you’re making me think I need to fortify and oak a batch

[@VincentHarrydragonphire]

When I went to Renaissance faire they had this drink that was black cherry cider with a float of chocolate port.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Interesting.

[@GippslandCNC]

So I made this up the other day, I like sangria so I plan on splitting the mix and only fortifying half of it, keeping the other half as it is and letting it age with the hope of having a sangria type wine at the end.

[@AdventuresCG]

Having asked Derica a few back whether or not you two ever did a video on making a fortified wine, like a Port. I was happy to see these videos. Though the I am sure the flavor is wonderful, I am not sure it would be a good first try brewing for me... Looks like I might have to start with your beginner brew. Thanks for the video.

[@TheWonderwy]

Hope this isn't a dumb question... could you put the remainder BACK on the oak without harming the brew, and then re-bottle later? Anyway, it looks beautiful and sounds wonderful. Good job at creating this one you two. Thanks for sharing.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Chance of oxygenation there but you could in theory.

[@TheWonderwy]

@@CitySteadingBrews I thought it might go that way. Next time,huh? Thanks. Oh! Still looks and sounds wonderful!

[@cathyrusyniak1592]

I have try this one! I have not been able to brew anything yet this year because my son moved back home for a while and space is at a premium right now. ☹️

[@zachburton4190]

I think I’ll be trying something like this in the future 👀

[@niktav1769]

I'm definitely gonna be trying this in the future, though when I learn how to distill I'll be distilling mead and seeing what fortifying the mead with distilled spirit mead would do, endless possibilities

[@benway23]

I'm doing my part!

[@wesp3779]

Brian, is spiced metheglin still a 10 after this?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

It was an 11, and yes. :)

[@CaveMan72]

Wooo hoo viewable, now I can make my decision on a fortified raspberry melomel

[@glennc1490]

I may have missed this step, but thought that I had taken note of the steps. You mentioned sweetening to taste, but I didn't see you do that?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

When tasted, we found it didn’t need it. We talked about it during the tasting part.

[@TheBoydClan]

I am making this exact recipe and I am so excited to try it. I just finished primary fermentation and it is sitting on the oak as I type this. I will probably take your advice and leave it on the oak for more than the 3 weeks you left it on, which stinks because I really want to experience this NOW but I think delaying that gratification would be best. I am considering having it sit on the oak for somewhere around 8 weeks and I would be interested in your thoughts if this is too much or about what you were thinking. Love the channel, see you on the next one!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

The best way to tell if it has been on the oak long enough is to take small samples along the way. It is a win-win as you get the perfect amount of oak for final bottling and you satisfy your impatience of wanting to try it right now! :)

[@Operator8282]

I am so using "That is very not bad".

[@terrycuyler5659]

I found the Vikings Blöd reminded me and my friends of a Sangria.

[@eddavanleemputten9232]

Definitely on my to-brew list! And now I’m seriously considering fortifying one of my fruity brews with cognac… and oaking it. Thank you!

[@VideoEngineering]

I'm so making this. Similar at least😁. Why not to throw some small bits of ok into the bottle? I do it for many of my experiments 😉

[@michaelhyde2118]

Hey guys, love your shows, I would love to see you both do a sweet muscat brew, or better known as a Sweet Muscat Pyment showing how to achieve a nice smoooth sweet flavor the recipes challenge has been set please please please🍷🍷👌🏽👍🏽

[@aqhan]

I'm about to oak my mead. Are these oaks reusable? Or are they just a one time thing?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I reuse them. Just know they get a little weaker with each reuse.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I don't go more than say 2 or three uses though.

[@milesfromnowhere1985]

So I've been hanging onto a gallon of step-feed sack mead which stalled (boy, I tried everything to get it going again...never had that happen before, EC-1118 did NOTHING!?). It's not going to be 'porty' by any means, but fortifying with brandy may be the difference between just hanging onto a batch of extremely sweet, low octane mead and getting something delicious in the bottle/my belly! Fingers crossed...

[@terrycuyler5659]

I wonder what a white pyment would taste like with Knight Gabriello Grappa Di Brunello brandy or with Kirschwasser.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Well... could be worth a try if you want to :)

[@terrycuyler5659]

@@CitySteadingBrews I'm considering doing this with the white wine I am working on.

[@antoniodmargiotta1954]

Have you tried the allspice berries? If yes, at what part of the conditioning and for howling? That’s for your time.

[@GaaraJunkie]

I’m curious about the ‘mead/wine with sangria ingredients’ project And do take the time that you need if you think that it will make your brews better It breaks my heart that you feel rushed Please have fun with your content

[@danrydzik3195]

I was searching Amazon for a bucket of some sort to use for sanitizing. Eventually, I just typed in “the red bucket of sanitization”. Your Trbos type bucket came up as option 3 or 4 on the list.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Lol

[@blackstarboys4719]

Quick question, do you save and reuse the wood? This looks amazing. Cheers 🇦🇺

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Usually once or twice, yes. Unless it was used with hops or something like that.

[@coreyeubanks7866]

Ugh well thanks guys. I had a schedule of brews I wanted to make, but this just jumped to the front of the line lol

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Hope you enjoy!

[@thedullohanvids]

Are those wood pieces one time use?

[@JoshRichardsonisanactor]

Have you ever made your own vinegars? Do you have any videos on it?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We have made our own vinegars but have yet to make a video on it. It is on the list, however.

[@carlsharpe2811]

I haven’t yet tried ‘wooding’ a brew so reading up on options for my Damson Port and of course going through your vids. Out of interest how do you feel about essences? i.e. Still Spirits Premium French Oak? Seems it could be a less faff alternative BUT can you get as flavoursome an end result 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I have never tried wood essences. I like using the actual wood.

[@carlsharpe2811]

@@CitySteadingBrews I think most people don’t lol, I can’t find any reviews on the stuff at all 😂

[@joshmulhall9082]

I now have 2 batches of mead under my belt but I have a problem. Both have nice notes, one is a traditional and one is a mango and peach melomel, however these flavours are completely overshadowed by the horrifically strong after mid and after taste of yeast. I have used lalvin k1-V1116 in both. I made a 1 gallon batch for both using only 1 packet of yeast, and when it came to rack and condition, I siphoned off the majority of the lees, like it was sparkling clear. Is this yeast just known to leave aggressive flavors behind or could this be due to other factors? I left each batch on the lees for maybe 4 weeks before reracking but dont think that would cause too much of an issue. love the videos btw :) Thanks

[@Zach-u7u]

Did you ever add the allspice berries? You mentioned you would add them in secondary but it was never shown??

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Wasn't needed :)

[@coltonrougeau33]

Hey guys just a quick question. Have you ever used any of the amoretti artesian natural flavors? If you have what was your experience? I put an ounce in a 1 gallon mead and think it might have been too much as it tastes like medicine. Hopefully it will age out but I’m not sure.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Nope, have not used them.

[@coltonrougeau33]

@@CitySteadingBrews thanks for the quick reply. Love the content. Keep it up

[@debbiepieracci372]

Hello, ok I ended up making 3 gallons. Now I am having sticker shock on the cognac. For 3 gallons I would need about 84oz according to the measurements. The cheapest congnac is $14.99 for 375ml or $27.99 for 750ml. If I am adding correctly I would need about 3 of the 750ml. That is close to $100. Does that sound correct? What do you think would happen if I used less cognac?

[@andrewlinke6312]

Did you back sweeten this fortefied mead before or after adding the spirit? I recall you mentioning earlier you would, then did not see you add more honey / stabalizer? I'm keen to replicate this one and keen to get it right.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Doesn't matter really, but for tasting purposes, sweeten after fortifying. No need for stabilizers if you fortify past the yeast alcohol tolerance.

[@TerryRomanko]

If you were to have back-sweetened, would you have had any concern about fermentation starting again given the ABV?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

No. We fortified past the yeast tolerance.

[@mythic_snake]

Don't they make little sticks of oak you can drop down into individual bottles? Might be something you could do for a couple of these.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

They do, but depending on the bottle and the stick, we have found they tend to swell to the point that you can not remove the stick once you are happy with the flavor.

[@chrisschmalhofer4348]

Are there any plans to revisit older brews (Klingon bloodwine, fey wine, etc) in light of what you’ve learned/experienced since those brews were made?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I answered this on another video where you asked.

[@chrisschmalhofer4348]

@@CitySteadingBrews sorry! Didn’t see the notification. Great looking brew BTW! Looking forward to starting it up as soon as I have a fermenter available.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

No worries, was just this morning anyway.

[@keithmcauslan943]

When did you stop the short sip\ long sip?

[@1boortzfan]

Not to be picky what about what you're doing here but the FAIRBANKS port I get at Publix has an 18% ABV. This sounds like something I'd like to try.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Port generally has 18-24% abv.

[@foothillwoman677]

Did you film, but not include the adding of honey or other sweetness?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I believe we showed everything we did.

[@robertengelmann2207]

You would get more oak flavor if you had skipped the hot water soak. If you were really worried about introducing bacteria or other nasties, you could have done a soak in the brandy.

[@zachburton4190]

I actually found the formula to calculate exact abv of fortified liquids. Or any liquids really! Comes in handy!! Let me know if anyone wants more info on the formula to calculate exact abv of any liquid (given you know the abv of every liquid going into the mix!)

[@tamertamer4930]

Hello friends ❤ Way we add water to watery fruits? I mean like grapes', watermelon etc, So what happened if we don't add water ? Also way some people add egg white ?

[@loshobittos959]

Did you sweeten this and also, what happened to those allspice berries you talked about last time, or do I remember incorrectly?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We showed every step we did. So, no, we didn't sweeten it as we said in the tasting, and the allspice was a judgement call and we opted to leave them out as it didn't need it.

[@loshobittos959]

@@CitySteadingBrews Great, thank you. This will definitely go on my list to do. Have nice spring you two.

[@wesleydeutscher9171]

Is there a reason that you couldn't add oak to the individual bottles? Obviously you'd need to add less to not overpower the drink, and the individual bottles might turn out differently, but are there any other reasons?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

You can, it’s just less convenient.

[@thenotsurechannel7630]

The timing of these "port" vids is interesting, as I recently bought 2 jars of the same concord grape juice. My original plan was to use 1 part juice and 1 part traditional mead must. One question... can oak chips/shavings be brewed like a tea to extract its flavor, mixed into a must, and still get a similar flavor as if it were oaked "normally?"

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I don’t think the flavor would be the same.

[@thenotsurechannel7630]

@@CitySteadingBrews that'd be an interesting experiment I'd like to see in one of your vids. =^_^=

[@kennyrazor81]

where do you get the barrel plank wood ? I've looked on amazon and haven't found much.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We try to put all the items we use in the description with links. Sherry Infused French Oak: www.etsy.com/shop/gnarlyapple/

[@bonsang1073]

this man is the Brad leone of alcoholic beverages. edit : best sauce to make with red wine is makaronia.

[@solame2350]

Butter pecan tart mead. Can u do it?

[@RedGhost1990]

So i have a question. I bought a Bottle of Titos Vodka and i went to my local brew shop and they had toasted wood cubes, and i bought some Medium Toast French Oak cubes and put about 5 of the cubes in there and put it in my desk. so its been sitting in the dark for a while and i forgot about it for about 7 years now, but what i didn't realize is that i didn't think to sanitize the cubes first. What should i do? should i even drink it? ok that was 2 question lol

[@CitySteadingBrews]

It’s probably fine but not sure it will taste good.

[@RedGhost1990]

@@CitySteadingBrews I SHALL DO IT FOR SCIENCE, and if it taste bad ill find something to do with it lol

[@tamertamer4930]

does activated charcoal effects the alcohol percentage ?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Not that I am aware of. Never used it in a brew.

[@tamertamer4930]

@@CitySteadingBrews thank you ❤

[@Benjamin150995]

do you stabalize a fortified mead? ( with potassium metabisulfide and potasium sorbate )

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I have never used those things to stabilize first off. We pasteurize. But... to answer your question, if you surpass the alcohol tolerance of the yeast with fortification, no need to stabilize, as it already is!

[@Leo-im6vv]

Hi I'm searching for advice and I hope this reaches you. I started my second batch 3 days ago but I forgot to add my Sultanas, is it too late? Being a Qualified baker I feel like i should know the answer since I work with similar ingredients but I need a second opinion x)

[@lokdwn2488]

I usually make fruit wines (blueberry, blackberry, because I get them for free, and apple from store bought juice) do you have a go to yeast that works well for these? I am presently using 71 Beast, is there anything that you would recommend that might be better?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Red Star has a great selection of yeast strains that work well for fruit wines. We have had success using Cote Des Blancs, Classique and Blanc. Here is a variety pack that has of lovely selection if you are looking to try new yeast strains: amzn.to/3dDY0NG

[@lokdwn2488]

@@CitySteadingBrews Thanks for your help, I will now go and thwack my packet.

[@BeerWineandShine]

I have a suggestion. It is for your shop. I think you guys should find a company or whatever that will put Your CS brews logo You're tasting and testing glasses. And like bar signage. I am trying to decorate my bar withGlasses and signage from from all the people who inspire me to make tasty things. A couple of the channels I watch have them. I don't know what it takes or what company they use or anything. But would be cool if you did because I would buy them. That is all thank you.

[@richardbreslin5111]

Really want to make this one, used your hyper link, unfortunately can’t find any sherry infused French oak. Any ideas

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Contact him to see when he will have more?

[@newt6205]

First I love the videos. I’m very new to this having only made my first lead about 6 months ago. But I have a question. Does anyone else get any intestinal distress when drinking their first mead? It wasn’t the clearest thing I’ve ever drank but I didn’t think it was all that cloudy either.

[@jacobcrab593]

Are u able to reuse ur oak ornisnot a one and done

[@CitySteadingBrews]

A couple times for sure, just get weaker each use.

[@jacobcrab593]

@@CitySteadingBrews is there any type of prep I used some French oak in done mead and now it sneaks like honey strong lol

[@XxdjforrestxX]

I was going to say…you could have weighed the volume by dividing your weight by your specific gravity to get your volume in milliliters…weighed in grams

[@brandaddy5150]

I think when Ports are fortified, they use clear spirits then age on oak. You used an aged spirit to fortify which will give it an aged flavor to begin with. IDK where I'm going with this, just rambling I guess? cheers!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We obviously couldn't make this a true Port for many different reasons. We were basing the concept off of the idea of Port. Inspiration comes in a multitude of forms and we encourage our viewers to experiment! :)

[@brandaddy5150]

@@CitySteadingBrews I agree! I love your channel BTW, Thank you!

[@PutitinDaramen]

as an april fools joke: make blue gatorade wine.

[@saintofchelseathomascarlyl5713]

1 liter of alcohol weighs 800 grams so 800 grams of alcohol in 10 liters would be 10% 3200 grams of alcohol in 10 liters would be 40% in the same way 14.8% would be 1200 grams of alcohol in 10 liters if we want 20% then it means we want 1600 grams of alcohol in 10 liters (or 160 grams of alcohol in every liter) we have 1 gallon or 3.78 liters that have 14.8% which is 120 grams of alcohol per liter 120*3.78=453 grams of alcohol if we add 1 liter of 40% then its like adding 320 grams so then we would have 4.78 liters with 453+320 grams of alcohol 453+320=773 grams so thats 950 ml of alcohol in 4.78 liters 0.95/4.78=0.2 (so 20% by volume) so the answer is we need to add exactly 1 liter of 40% alcohol to 1 gallon of 14.8% to get 20%

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Which is what we did, pretty much. However, you're just a little off on your calculation, really close but accuracy can diminish as you extrapolate the numbers. Pure ethanol is 789 g per liter. The problem comes when you try taking something like Cognac which has 40% ethanol, water and a million other things in there and trying to use weight to calculate it. There's few ways to truly get an accurate calculation here without a lab, so we went with simple.