3lbs per gallon, so 15lbs.
Discussion
The best meads I made were 12 pound meads but I wonder if that’s because I wasn’t pitching enough yeast (I was using champagne yeast). My 15 and 18 pounders were just too sweet.
18 pounds would be insanely sweet for sure. This last batch I thinned even more, close to two pounds per gallon but added fruit for the yeast.
For the stronger batches, I find that champagne yeast is a must to consistently hit above 13%.