Accidentally Carbonated

[Peter D Day]

Looking for some help with back sweetening a mead. I was bulk aging a gallon of mead and decided to back sweeten before bottling. I discovered it was slightly carbonated. Can I still use potassium sorbate and metabisulphate and back sweeten even though it is carbonated. I'm also wondering about bottling with corks...maybe I should use caps for this batch?

 

[Maylar]

I think it'd work, though stirring the stabilizers in will probably reduce the bubbles. And ya, crown caps or champagne bottles.

 

[Seamonkey84]

It can take months and months for wine to degas naturally. Just degas it, stabilize, then sweeten to taste.

 

[Peter D Day]

Thanks for the replies. OK, so I don't mind if the final product is carbonated. Did I just stumble on a way to carbonate and backsweeten without having to use a keg and force carbonate? Anyone else try this?

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

Thanks for the replies. OK, so I don't mind if the final product is carbonated. Did I just stumble on a way to carbonate and backsweeten without having to use a keg and force carbonate? Anyone else try this?

Back sweetening really doesn't have anything to do with carbonating. By letting CO2 escape the mead is potentially carbonated, but probably not in the way you are thinking (with a nice foamy head). Also, the fermenation CO2, unless a spunding valve was used, is probably much lower than the level of CO2 desired.

 

[Seamonkey84]

The co2 built up from primary will have all the nasty aromas and flavors in it. Even if you were to bottle carbonate, you should still degas it first before printing sugars.