Bottle carbonating a melomel?

[brianpablo]

I've bottled a low-gravity melomel with the intention of carbonating it, but it doesn't appear to be working. It's dry so I don't have any bottle-bomb concerns. I did it the way I usually brew (I'm a better home-brew hack than a meadmaker) by just adding a bit of honey before I bottled it. Is the problem perhaps the lack of yeast nutrient? When I bottle beer it's generally no problem because it has the nitrogen and nutrients it needs. Would I need to add yeast nutrient along with additional sweetener before I bottle it to make it carbonate? I guess my concern there would be that not all of the yeast nutrient would be consumed, which could leave an unpleasant ammonia aroma to it. Appreciate any thoughts - thanks!

 

[gratus fermentatio]

What strain of yeast? What is the SG/ABV? What is the ambient temp? How long since you bottled?

 

[brianpablo]

I used WYeast 4632 Dry Mead, been bottled for about two weeks, had a specific gravity of 1.050 and got down to about 1.008 so I guess that would put it at about 5.5 pct ABV. My thought was that I could open the bottles up, add some priming sugar with yeast nutrient, then cap them back up. I made a similar mango-honey combo a few months back and had trouble getting them to carbonate. Maybe I just have to wait longer - a question of a few months rather than a few weeks - and hope the fizz up?

 

[botigol]

My limited experience is that honey as the priming agent takes longer, 6-8 weeks.

 

[noblesquirrel]

I wouldn't add nutrient. The amount is so small and the negatives outweight the positives. You don't want a mead smelling like ammonia & vitamins!

 

[Dr_Floyd]

I tried to bottle carbonate a mead once and while it had a little effervescence it wasn't even enough to form bubbles. I always wondered if the viscosity changed how much you need to carbonate it. Haven't tried it since.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[gratus fermentatio]

been bottled for about two weeks

There's the problem. It usually takes at least 4-5 weeks to bottle condition, if you prime with honey it may take a bit longer. I'd just wait & let the yeast do their thing. Check it in another 3 or 4 weeks.
Regards, GF.

 

[MMM2]

More than 3 to 4 weeks have passed. Did your mead develop to what you wanted?

 

[SKBugs]

Did you stabilise the mead before adding the fruit? Is there any sediment at the bottom of the bottle?