Aging Mead Question

[B3nj@m!n]

Hello all! I’ve made my first batch of mead and it is currently sitting and aging in a glass carboy. I had to use glass marbles to displace the mead to reduce the headspace. So here’s my question.

I can see sediment on the bottom of the carboy sitting on the marbles. We want the mead to be sparkling when it is all said and done so what I’m wondering is can I rack the mead into a keg, force carbonate it and then age it or should I age it first with enough CO2 to keep O2 out and force carbonate after the appropriate aging time?

I’m struggling to find answers and this mead was quite costly to make so I desperately want it to be successful but I can’t find any info that says aging the mead AFTER carbonating it is bad.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Maylar]

I haven't carbonated mead but it should be fine to age it in a keg.

 

[bernardsmith]

Hi B3nj@m!n and welcome.
Have never kegged but I would have thought that kegs are scarcer than carboys with wine makers (or brewers) and so aging in a keg forces you to give up that keg for a relatively long period of time while force carbonating, I would have to presume, that the carbonation does not need to be replenished after a few months because of out-gassing or leakage. Your call, of course, but I would have thought that if you are going to force carbonate you would want to do that very shortly before you planned to serve the mead. Moreover, carbonating a wine (or mead) before it has time to fully clear means that you will be serving a cloudy drink rather than one that is clear and bright...
To minimize oxidation, you want the mead to be right up into the neck of the carboy and if you are force carbonating then there is no good reason from a wine maker's perspective for not adding K-meta. The free SO2 will inhibit oxidation but the amount of free SO2 is dependent on the pH. A higher pH means you need more free SO2.

 

[madscientist451]

what I’m wondering is can I rack the mead into a keg, force carbonate it and then age it or should I age it first with enough CO2 to keep O2 out and force carbonate after the appropriate aging time?

Interesting question, but the question for you is: How long do you want to have your keg out of service while you are using it as an aging vessel?
6 months? One year? Two years? If you have plenty of kegs, then go ahead and use it for aging. Kegs are a great aging vessel, they keep out air and light.
You'll get an accumulation of more sediment in the bottom of your keg, so you may want to cut and inch or so off the dip tube.
I'm not sure if carbonating the mead first has any detrimental effect, but you'll have to add at least some Co2 to seal the keg. Attach the Co2 tank to the "out" side of the keg, let the gas bubble up through the mead and purge off the air in the headspace.
My thoughts would be to not carbonate now. If you need to make any adjustments to the mead, you'll have to open the keg and then the Co2 will be wasted. Depending on how it tastes, you may end up blending it with something else, so its best to keep your options open.

 

[Steveruch]

If you're sure fermentation is done you can bottle and age. If it isn't clear yet it will be and all you need to do is pour gently.

 

[dwhite60]

You'll find your mead is a lot better after six months of aging. Better still after a year and longer. I've had some go five years and had still improved.

Bottle it and leave it for at least three months. No need to tie up a keg.

All the Best,
D. White

 

[SKBugs]

Yep. Age it. 6 months +
Kegging is fine BUT once it’s in the keg you have to drink it. If it is 5 gal of %15 mead? Boy, no matter how it tastes, that’s a lot of booze to be drunk.
I would totally recommend carbing/conditioning in bottles - but you will probs need to add yeast to each bottle as well as the sugar - to ensure refermentation occurs properly.

 

[B3nj@m!n]

Thank you everyone for your responses. I've decided to let it continue to age and just bottle it when clear. I appreciate all the help.

 

[dwhite60]

Like SKBugs said, bottle it.

All the Best,
D. White