Bottling conditioning a mead?

For those making mead and related drinks
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Paddy Bubbles
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Bottling conditioning a mead?

Post by Paddy Bubbles » Fri Nov 07, 2014 1:16 pm

I've got a plain mead on the go that I started fermenting about 5 weeks ago. It's long finished its primary fermentation, so I racked it to secondary last weekend. Plenty more yeast has flocced out, but no more signs of fermentation.

My question relates to bottle-conditioning. Is it okay to bottle this now with carb drops? The problem is, I've been reading some horror stories about mead bottle bombs where the yeast takes off again in the bottle. I don't want to bulk age it, because there's a lot of head space in the demi-john. Maybe I'd be better off bottling without priming sugar and hope that some further fermentation in the bottle will provide the sparkle. I really don't want to drink a still mead. Would love to hear some opinions from experienced mead makers.

Cheers! :)

wmk

Re: Bottling conditioning a mead?

Post by wmk » Fri Nov 07, 2014 7:01 pm

I think the only issue people usually have with bottling mead is that it drops so much sediment until it's crystal. If you are happy with the look of it then go ahead and bottle. So long as it's been in a warm location and the SG is static you are good to go.

I've never had bottle bombs with mead, but then I leave it in the primary for months. I never bother racking. I figure it only introduces oxygen exposure as does bottling considering how much each bottle has in head space.

fatbloke

Re: Bottling conditioning a mead?

Post by fatbloke » Sun Nov 09, 2014 6:03 pm

wmk wrote:I think the only issue people usually have with bottling mead is that it drops so much sediment until it's crystal. If you are happy with the look of it then go ahead and bottle. So long as it's been in a warm location and the SG is static you are good to go.

I've never had bottle bombs with mead, but then I leave it in the primary for months. I never bother racking. I figure it only introduces oxygen exposure as does bottling considering how much each bottle has in head space.
Meh! Traditional meads aren't easy to oxidise. Hell, oxidation isn't a quick process anyway. Think of it like rusting (which is exactly what it's like), some steels will rust quickly and that's like meads with a fruit element - it's not actually the mead/honey part thats happening too, it's the fruit element. Whereas traditionals are more like "stainless steel", they will get affected, but it takes a lot longer.

Bottle conditioning/carbonation will mean (usually), no sulphites or sorbate (both of which help to reduce product damage), so even if it's been racked properly, with nice well sanitised kit, maybe even cold crashed to try and get any sediment to drop out, any addition of extra fermentables to allow any yeast cells to carbonate it, is likely to also form some sediment, which generally looks bloody horrible in the bottle/glass.

Carbonation is really better done as either "methode champenoise" i.e. extra fermentables, a tiny bit of yeast and then "bottle riddling" from upright to upside down, then doing the disgorging part, before corking and wiring, or by kegging a clear mead, and then chilling the hell out of it before force carbonation (if done properly, you should be able to keep enough CO2 in the product and get it into a bottle).

Generally, carbonated meads are like Champoo i.e. dry and light. If it's gonna be sweetened, it's likely gonna have to be sweetened with a non-fermentable sweetener.

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Laripu
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Re: Bottling conditioning a mead?

Post by Laripu » Sat Nov 29, 2014 6:21 pm

When l make mead that's at or above 12%, I leave it in secondary, racking every few months for a year, then bottle.

I never worry about headspace, and they were never oxidized that I could notice. (Since they're still slightly fermenting, they produce a CO2 cap. That keeps oxygen away.)

The meads I've carbonated were 11% (maybe slightly below) metheglyns with ginger (120 grams in 23 litres), and sometimes galangal. Those were aged 6 months, racked twice in that time, then once more at bottling. No extra yeast was added. Bottling sugar was plain household white sugar. They carbonated just fine, and were best several months after bottling, and on. Also no problem with oxygenation. I called those "Old 11-ish". :)

One piece of advice: siphon gently, and avoid splashing after the primary fermentation.
Secondary FV: As yet unnamed Weizenbock ~7%
Bulk aging: Soodo: Grocery store grape juice wine experiment.
Drinking: Mostly Canadian whisky until I start brewing again.

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