Ferment mead for 3 months then bottle?

Cattleskull · Sep 5, 2012

Hey all, I am making a 4 and half gallon batch of traditional honey mead, no flavors added but the honey itself! right now the mead is in the bucket bubbling and then we are going to transfer the mead into a 3 gallon glass jug and the other gallon into a plastic carton.

Is it possible to let the Mead only ferment for 3 months, then bottle and drink during December of this year?

Thanks! :mug:

TyTanium · Sep 5, 2012

It's possible, it just probably won't taste very good.

My advice: Buy commercial mead this year, and save yours for next year. It'll be worth the wait.

NoHawk · Sep 5, 2012

TyTanium said:
It's possible, it just probably won't taste very good.

Agreed. My first batch was a three-month fermentation, and then it took about 5 more months before it tasted good.

Also, if you're making a show mead (just honey, no fruits/spices/whatever), I would recommend at least adding some yeast nutrient, just to make sure you don't get a super-slow or stuck fermentation.

JFK · Sep 6, 2012

As a rule of thumb I let my mead sitr in fermentor for six months and in the bottle for another six months to a year. Some stay in fermentor for a year.. it all comes down to what quality you want. The longer it sits the better. Best mead I ever had was a multi berry melomel that was aged six years.

Cattleskull · Sep 11, 2012

Alright thanks guys!

Right now its been a week and I dont know how much Longer I should keep the mead in the bucket and then transfer it to the glass jug for its long fermentation process.

when does the bubbling stop? I live in a cold house, around 70 degress to 60.

JFK · Sep 11, 2012

Every batch is diffrent. The first stage you are in now is called primary. When to transfer to secondary. You watch the bubbling in you air lock. When it slows waaay down is when you switch to secondary. Primary fermentation is where the consumption of most wort sugar takes place.

Here is a great explanation of each stage and can help you judge when to switch.

Www.wyeast.com/he_b_fermentation.cfm

Cattleskull · Sep 12, 2012

Thanks guys, great help. Its my first time. So far the mead has been in its primary stage for a week, it's still bubbling.

delvorak · Sep 12, 2012

Most people don't like to store mead in plastic containers for long periods of time because almost all plastics are oxygen permeable, which can oxidize the mead. Try to find another glass container for the remaining gallon.

Cattleskull · Sep 13, 2012

Alright I thought so, I never would of used it anyway considering what you just said also helps haha

Ferment mead for 3 months then bottle?

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