A few questions about stablizing

Okay Ive got a cranberry/lemon mead that has been going for about 3 1/2 months.I want to bottle it still in beer bottles with caps. i took an gravity reading tonight and it was at 1.012.I don't have a SG because this is only my second batch of mead. The first one didn't get bottled it just kinda got drank. I received some sorbate and k-meta(campden tablets) in the mail today. I plan on racking into a clean jug onto the k-meta wait two days add the sorbate, wait a week then bottle.

Now for the questions

1.is this the right way to stabilize?
2.Is this a sure fire way to avoid bottle bombs? I have a house dog and the last thing I want is to come home to an injured pet
3. I have read that some people are allergic to sulfites.Should I be overly cautious when I drink my mead with people?
4.The batch is a little less than a gallon. Should I still use the amount of campden tablets for a full gallon or will it give off flavors or ruin my mead?

Thanks in advance for reading my post. I'm just a newbie that wants to do it right and have zero bottle bombs

PuffTheMagicDragon said:

Okay Ive got a cranberry/lemon mead that has been going for about 3 1/2 months.I want to bottle it still in beer bottles with caps. i took an gravity reading tonight and it was at 1.012.I don't have a SG because this is only my second batch of mead. The first one didn't get bottled it just kinda got drank. I received some sorbate and k-meta(campden tablets) in the mail today. I plan on racking into a clean jug onto the k-meta wait two days add the sorbate, wait a week then bottle.

Now for the questions

1.is this the right way to stabilize?
2.Is this a sure fire way to avoid bottle bombs? I have a house dog and the last thing I want is to come home to an injured pet
3. I have read that some people are allergic to sulfites.Should I be overly cautious when I drink my mead with people?
4.The batch is a little less than a gallon. Should I still use the amount of campden tablets for a full gallon or will it give off flavors or ruin my mead?

Thanks in advance for reading my post. I'm just a newbie that wants to do it right and have zero bottle bombs

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1. Not really. Wait until the mead stops fermenting, and is the same for at least a week or so, and is clear. Then it can be stabilized if you plan on sweetening.
2. Nope. See number 1. If it's done, then yes, you can bottle. But if it's not done, sorbate won't stop it.
3. Sulfite allergies are extraordinarily rare. If someone is sensitive or allergic to sulfites, they can't eat raisins or hot dogs or any sort of dried fruit. Most people blame red-wine headaches on sulfites, but that is incorrect. In fact, there is no such thing as a truly "sulfite-free wine" as sulfites are a natural by-product of fermentation. So even if you don't add extra sulfites as a preservative/antioxidant, there are some in your wine or mead.
4. Campden dissipates and won't ruin anything. Sorbate does have a taste, though. I would not use sorbate unless I was sweetening the mead after fermentation ends. Depending on where this started, I would expect it to finish at .990-.996. It's possible that it's done at 1.012, though, but I'd give it more time to make sure before bottling. You can rack onto the campden anytime, as it's an antioxidant and preservative and it can be added at racking. If it's still at 1.012 and it's clear, then it would be safe to bottle. The thing is, without knowing where it started, you don't know if it's finished or if it's stuck. If it's finished, then you'll be fine. If it's stuck, you could have bottle bombs.