Hiw to csrbonate first mead

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.

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.

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?

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

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

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.

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.

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?

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.

YeastieBoys said:

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?

Click to expand...

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

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?

What yeast did you use?

Sounds like this yeast has reached it's alcohol tolerance if it's been steady for months and still at .022.

You might want to mix in a 1/4 tsp or so of EC-1118 into the bottling bucket so there will be some viable yeast in the bottles.

after reading around i am just going to keg carb it. i dont want this thing exploding on me. i used 1056.