1st Mead

Hello, here is a quick rundown of what I have done.

Smack the Wyeast sweet mead packet.
Brought 3 gallons of water to 160 F.
Added 15 pounds of clover honey.
Held at 160F for 30 minutes.
Added nutrient/energizer (DAP and food grade Urea)
Cooled to 85 F.
Pour in sanitized fermenter, add water to make 5 gallons.
Pitch yeast.
Ferment for 21 days.
Rack to clear plastic carboy.

And here we are. It's been in the secondary for about 10 days.
I forgot to take OG reading.
Also didn't take reading during racking.

Questions,
How long should it bulk age?
If sugar is added before bottling it should carbonate like a beer right?
If bottles are left to age for years and there is still honey for yeast to eat wouldn't it become carbonated without sugar added?

It's all I can think of for now.
Fun hobby.
Cheers,
BrewFace

I bulk age my meads at around 4 - 5 months but that is only because I want to free up carboys. I would have them sit for 8 - 12 months if I had the space.


Your sweet mead yeast will probably hit alcohol tolerance and stall out so carbonating will probably not work for you here. Your 15lb of honey would give you an approximate OG of 1.108. Your sweet mead yeast if lucky will take the gravity down to 1.018 maximum with an ABV of about 12%. However Wyeast Sweet mead yeast is nown to need 2 - 3 times the nutrients in primary to stay healthy and is easily stalled before hitting the rated alcohol tolerance. Give this another couple weeks and then start taking gravity readings. If over a 6 day period you have 3 identical readings then the yeast is done. Let us know how it goes.

Thanks for the reply. A still sweet mead will do just fine. When I racked it I got a taste, it tasted of alcohol. I didn't taste much sweetness. Yeah, I'll let it go for a few months then bottle it. I'm in no hurry here.

Cheers,
BrewFace

Mead can often have that harsh alcohol taste young. It goes away with time and the mead will taste sweeter and sweeter as it ages. Mead is a true test of patience.

During the bulk aging process do you ever rack to another carboy?
I ask because there is a small layer of sediment on the bottom of the carboy.
If it's going to sit for months would it make sense to rack every once in awhile to get it off the sediment, perhaps it will improve flavor?

Cheers

If there is a fine dusting I don't worry about it but if you get a good solid layer of yeast cake on the bottom then I rack. Usually when I transfer to secondary though probably 98% of the clearing was done in primary.

Thank you, I would say I have, as you put, a fine dusting.
It's hard to see unless you put your head near the floor.

Cheers