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The CO2 has to go somewhere. My guess is your bucket lid doesn't seal as well as you think.

Maybe I'm missing something, but I've never seen the point of leaving the airlock off a mead fermentation. I'm not saying it's bad. I just don't see the advantage and I prefer the piece of mind of an airlock. Once fermentation starts, there is enough CO2 coming out that I can't imagine a...

No, just pour it in. If you haven't added sulfite and sorbate, you may need to pasteurize it later to prevent the yeast from eating the sugar. Pasteurization is typically done at two different stages. Cider mills pasteurize cider and juice to kill any wild yeast and other beasties that are in...

I don't mean to say you can't ferment dry and backsweeten, but port is traditonally made by adding the alcohol during fermentation. The ABV becomes higher than the yeast can tolerate, so fermentation stops and the port retains some sweetness from the residual sugar. I normally use a wine...

Ignore my earlier OG estimate. I misread your first post. I thought it said "total of 5 gallons". You can estimate gravities before you add all the water. Honey averages about 36 points of gravity per lb. Twelve pounds of honey would contain approx 432 points (12 x 36 = 432) Just divide 432 by...

If you continue to make cider, I would strongly recommend spending $10 on a hydrometer. Without it, we are only guessing at how much sugar is in your cider. I've never done it, but refrigerating the bottles prior to burping makes sense if you think the cider will overflow when you open the...

That gravity sounds low. I would have expected something closer to 1.086. Is it possible that the honey isn't fully dissolved? There could be a layer of honey in the bottom of the bucket or carboy. I wouldn't expect a fruit addition to raise gravity. Fruit does contain sugar, but it also...

Yes, the pressure will continue to build. The bottles can shatter from the pressure. Yeast eat sugar. It's what they do. They don't stop eating when your cider is carbed. If you characterized your cider AFTER bottling as being "too sweet", I'm going to guess that you have more than enough...

I wouldn't worry about it.

The heat increases pressure in the bottles, which could distend the caps.

Sorbate and sulfite are normally added to prevent renewed fermentation AFTER fermentation has been halted by other means. They are not meant to be used to stop an active fermentation. A fermenting 55 gallon barrel contains billions of active yeast cells. Sorbate and sulfite do not kill yeast, so...

Listen to the folks at your local brew shop. I imagine re-using corks is possible, but I would never risk my wine to save on a 25 cent cork. Glass can be cleaned and sterilized easily, so reusing wine bottles is fine. Re-using corks is not. They are porous and have a million nooks and cranies...

Most hydrometers don't even go to 1.190. I wonder if it could have been 1.090. I'm sure pear juices vary in gravity a bit, but I'd guess a gravity in the mid 40's (1.045?). 3 lbs sugar in 2.5 gallons should raise gravity by about 54 points, so I'd guess an OG of 1.095-1.100.

Sorbate (or campden, for that matter) will not stop fermentation. It is used to keep fermentation from restarting. Sorbate keeps the yeast from reproducing. An active fermentation contains millions and millions of yeast cells. Prohibiting them from reproducing doesn't do a lot because you still...

I would. You said fermentation ended a month ago. That's a long time for a beer, but not for mead, wine, etc.

Is it necessary? No. Can it improve a mead? Absolutely. I don't add it to all my meads, but I do add it to quite a few. Too little acid can leave a mead, cider, or wine dull and lifeless. A little acid can brighten the flavors. I look at it like adding salt to a dish or lemon to a piece of...

Yes, leave it sealed till you need it. No, don't rinse it (unless you are trying to lessen the bourbon flavor). The barrel contains some 80+ proof bourbon. Alcohol kills pretty much everything. There is no need to rinse, clean, or sanitize. In fact, it would most likely do more harm than good...

I wouldn't expect your OG to be that high either. I think your numbers might be off due to the fruit. The sugar is dissolved in the liquid portion of your wine, which is what you are measuring. The cherries contain juice that's probably 1.050-ish. In time that should average out. 1.110 is a...

Sanitizing with One-step was popular back when I first started brewing. Then again, so was sanitizing with bleach.

I use Oxyclean all the time as a cleaner. I would never, ever use it as a no-rinse sanitizer. A small bottle of Star san costs $8. Considering the time and expense that goes into a cider, mead, etc, is it worth the risk to save a few pennies?