barleyfarm

Recipes 

Hi, I am making my first mead, and I am currently in the stage where it is sitting in the carboy with an airlock. The bubbling has slowed to about 1 bubble every 18 seconds or so. Now, I have seen places that say that I should bottle it after it reaches 1 bubble every 30 seconds, and other places that say leave it in for a few months or until bubbling stops. Which one should I do? (It's an orange raisin mead by the way.)

commonsenseman

Recipes 

Do not bottle it until it's completely done fermenting or you will have bottle bombs! Also, bubbling is not a sign of fermentation, it's just a sign that c02 is being released. Use your hydrometer to tell when it's done fermenting.

Check it with a hydrometer in a few weeks, then transfer it to a secondary container, top up with water/honey/mead & leave it for as long as you can stand it. Bottle when clear.

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fatbloke

Recipes 

Top man for saying that.

I'm starting to get really bored with advising the same thing.

It's almost as if some new meadmakers read a recipe, and as they don't know exactly what a hydrometer is, think that they don't need one..........

Until they hit problems and learn that it's a necessary piece of kit.......

regards

fatbloke

p.s. Oh and I also get tired telling people to use the search facility, and yet they say they have, but it's obviously not the case.... ah well, nothing is perfect is it.....

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cmuzz

Recipes 

Barleyfarm, when the bubbling has stopped completely, you can rack to a secondary. Let it sit another month and start taking your gravity readings. When the readings have not changed over 3 consecutive readings, I'd rack again and put it away until crystal clear. Then you can consider bottling.

This might be overkill in the waiting time, but the specific gravity reading part is critical.

Good luck.