Little Tiny Bubbles

Howdy All,

Relative newbie here. Made my first batch of Dry Mead using the Antipodal Mead from "Joy of Brewing" about a year ago, used Wyeast Dry Mead Yeast and about 8 lbs of honey and nectar (from my hives) for 3 gallon recipe. Being new and cheap no pre or post gravity readings were taken. I was patient waiting for fermentation to end and clearing to occur in the secondaries (3 separate but equal 1 gallon glass juice jugs). All went well and over time became tasty with the tiniest bit (almost not noticeable as carbonation) of effervescent natural carbonation and (luckily?) no bottle bombs. I have 2 bottles left and opened the last about 3 months ago, the bubbles not seeming to be more or less than any bottles opened previously.

I mixed up another batch of a more or less identical recipe last week. I want to capture that very slight amount of carbonation. What's the best way to do that without risking bottle bombs? Small amount of bottling sugar? Bottle at not quite finished FG? Pray?

When I open the next bottle of the original batch I plan to check the carb and the FG if that helps know anything.

thanks.

With that honey level (~2.6 lbs/gal) you have a mead that didn't start too high (I tend to average at least 3 lbs/gal and have an average OG in the 1.1teens). I know that yeast strain pretty well, I'm sure you finished bone dry (FG less than 1.004). If you're getting a tiny amount of petulant carbonation, it may just be dissolved CO2 from the original fermentation coming out of solution. I've encountered similar phenomenon with some of my meads (and I've never intentionally bottle conditioned a mead).

If you want to reproduce results, follow your same procedures, and see how it goes! (Report back upon completion........)

Ya without gravity readings, it might just be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Your best bet is to follow your prior procedure, but I suspect that there are going to be variables out of your control.

Patience, no aeration after the initial pitch, no staggered nutrients, no bottle conditioning it is then. Wait until it clears then and we'll see what happens.

I assume keeping the rackings to a minimum (last time just 1) is more likely to keep the dissolved CO2 in solution?

Will the gravity reading I get from the next opened bottle of the initial batch provide me any useful info or will it likely/possibly changed enough to be useless?

FYI - The Sg of the second batch was 1.077 and I imagine the original batch was similar as the honey is from the same source (though different years).

Appreciate the input.