kickrjason

Recipes 

Since this is my first batch. I am Leary of the bottling. I have made many batches of beer but I think for some reason the residual sugars in the mead has me nervous. I don't want bottle bombs. What's the best procedure to carbonate mead?

And for the record the auto correct on my iPhone is to blame for my title. I can't edit it.

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Tap#1 Summer Saison
Tap#2 Amarillo Pale Ale

Primary English Mild
Secondary -Vanilla Chai Mead

Kegged Haüs Hefeweisen #4, Speckled Heifer Cream Ale
Bottled - Cherry Oatmeal Stout, Burbon Vanilla Oatmeal Stout, Blueberry Hefeweisen, Stubborn Baby Pale Ale,

roadymi

Recipes 

what is SG now? What is your ABV? What yeast did you use? Are you going to use beer bottles? Do you want a sweet or dry mead?

So many variables to consider.

Basically if you want sweet carbonated mead......you sweeten to taste add another 3/4 cup per 5 gallons and pasteurize when properly carbed. The easiest way to tell this is to fill a plastic soda bottle and when it is good and hard it is time.

if you want a dry carbed mead.......confirm it is finished fermenting (3 consecutive SG readings the same over a week or 2 period) add 3/4 cup sugar / 5 gallons and bottle.

__________________
Reality is an illusion that occurs due to the lack of alcohol.
Give a man a beer, he'll drink for the day.Teach a man to brew, he'll be drunk the rest of his life.
I have 8 carboys, 8 cornies, 5-1 gal jugs, 200 wine bottles, 10 cases of beer bottles and a nice assortment of flip tops....My goal is to keep them at least 50% occupied

kickrjason

Recipes 

the SG right now is 1.022 the OG is 1.113 ABV is 11.9%

It has been steady for months so i am sure fermentation is done.

I like how it tastes now, it is a Vanilla Chai Mead. i know weird recipe for a first mead. Its brilliantly clear and i plan on using beer bottles. how do you pasteurize mead?

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Tap#1 Summer Saison
Tap#2 Amarillo Pale Ale

Primary English Mild
Secondary -Vanilla Chai Mead

Kegged Haüs Hefeweisen #4, Speckled Heifer Cream Ale
Bottled - Cherry Oatmeal Stout, Burbon Vanilla Oatmeal Stout, Blueberry Hefeweisen, Stubborn Baby Pale Ale,

hwilshusen

Recipes 

I haven't pasteurize mead but this works for cider.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/easy-stove-top-pasteurizing-pics-193295/

roadymi

Recipes 

If it has been steady SG for a month or longer I wouldn't pasteurize. I would use campden and degas real well before bottling. As you bottle fill a plastic soda bottle, use this as a monitoring device. If it becomes rock hard then you will need to pasteurize your beer bottles using the above mentioned link.

BTW.....your mead looks wonderful.....awesome bright color.

EDIT: just noticed you want carbed mead....you will have to pasteurize. Your mead is either stuck or has exceeded your yeast tolerance to finish at 1.022. Either way I would prob use 1118 and 3/4 cup per 5 gallons of priming sugar than pasteurize. The 1118 should restart fermentation and the priming sugar will allow you to maintain your current sweetness.

__________________
Reality is an illusion that occurs due to the lack of alcohol.
Give a man a beer, he'll drink for the day.Teach a man to brew, he'll be drunk the rest of his life.
I have 8 carboys, 8 cornies, 5-1 gal jugs, 200 wine bottles, 10 cases of beer bottles and a nice assortment of flip tops....My goal is to keep them at least 50% occupied

roadymi

Recipes 

one more edit.....unfortunately when you bottle carb you will lose some of your pristine clearness as the lil yeasties will settle out in your bottles.

__________________
Reality is an illusion that occurs due to the lack of alcohol.
Give a man a beer, he'll drink for the day.Teach a man to brew, he'll be drunk the rest of his life.
I have 8 carboys, 8 cornies, 5-1 gal jugs, 200 wine bottles, 10 cases of beer bottles and a nice assortment of flip tops....My goal is to keep them at least 50% occupied

YeastieBoys

Recipes 

Why do you need to pasteurize to carb a mead? I'm planning on carbonating a mead in a couple of months, but doing it through force carbonation through a keg, then bottling. What would pasteurizing do?

TheBrewingMedic

Recipes 

They are pasteurizing to stop the process, once a certain level of carbonation is reached to stop bottle bombs, thats what the one in plastic is for to monitor how much pressure is building.

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Watch and Listen to your Mead....It will tell you when the next step is.

roadymi

Recipes 

Are you wanting to leave it sweet? If so you need to stop the fermentation process with chemicals or heat

__________________
Reality is an illusion that occurs due to the lack of alcohol.
Give a man a beer, he'll drink for the day.Teach a man to brew, he'll be drunk the rest of his life.
I have 8 carboys, 8 cornies, 5-1 gal jugs, 200 wine bottles, 10 cases of beer bottles and a nice assortment of flip tops....My goal is to keep them at least 50% occupied

kickrjason

Recipes 

i think ill go the bottle carb route. if its stopped where its at should i try and do anything with the gravity or is it where a back sweetened mead would be?

__________________



Tap#1 Summer Saison
Tap#2 Amarillo Pale Ale

Primary English Mild
Secondary -Vanilla Chai Mead

Kegged Haüs Hefeweisen #4, Speckled Heifer Cream Ale
Bottled - Cherry Oatmeal Stout, Burbon Vanilla Oatmeal Stout, Blueberry Hefeweisen, Stubborn Baby Pale Ale,