Question from a newbie

Hey all,

I just bought my first brew kit and will be brewing my first batch of beer this weekend. After I bottle it in a few weeks I plan on brewing some mead. My question is this: After I ferment it for a few weeks in my secondary fermentor, can I transfer it to wine bottles/beer bottles and will it continue to ferment? Or is it best to leave it in the secondary for a long time? Any advice is helpful!

Mead takes time. Lots of time. Mead should sit in the Primary for 4-6 weeks, sometimes longer....Most of the fermentations is done before transfer to secondary, where is should sit for at least 4 months (6 months is better, longer is even better), with intermittant rackings whenever trub/sediment builds up on the bottom. Then you bottle. You do not want bottle bombs!

seconding the bottle bombs.

Bulk aging in your secondary, tertiary, etc. will also give you a much more uniform flavor with your mead when you do eventually bottle. You'll also reduce the amount of sediment that drops out of the bottles if you hang onto it for a year or so.

Thanks for the advice. I supposed it would be wise to invest in another carboy so I can still brew beer in between mead fermentation. :fro:

Yep! Get a another one! NurseNan is right, The only yeast which will not negitively affect flavor is D47 if left on the lees for over about 4 weeks. Mead is slow and takes time to age and mellow. It is well worth the wait! Make sure that it is crystal clear before bottling. The sediment will fall out in the bottle and have a nasty look and could affect the flavors.