I am getting ready to bottle my first batch of mead and I wanted to know how most people go about it.
First of all, is it fine to use beer bottles (22 oz) with normal caps and a bottling wand? I am not looking to carb the mead, so I felt that I'd be leaving an unsatisfactory amount of oxygen in the bottle. How do you account for the bottle headspace?
One more thing, the gravity right now is 1.030. Without any extra fermentables in the bottling process, do I still need to worry about bottle bombs?
Background: I started at 1.100 with RedStar Montrachet yeast. I left it in primary until it had cleared (about 2.5-3 months) and dropped to 1.030 with no activity, then racked to secondary. Now it is crystal clear and still reads 1.030 in the secondary. The recipe was just 10 lb clover honey, water to 3.5 gallons, and the packet of yeast. No nutrients, so I think the yeast have mostly conked out.
First of all, is it fine to use beer bottles (22 oz) with normal caps and a bottling wand? I am not looking to carb the mead, so I felt that I'd be leaving an unsatisfactory amount of oxygen in the bottle. How do you account for the bottle headspace?
One more thing, the gravity right now is 1.030. Without any extra fermentables in the bottling process, do I still need to worry about bottle bombs?
Background: I started at 1.100 with RedStar Montrachet yeast. I left it in primary until it had cleared (about 2.5-3 months) and dropped to 1.030 with no activity, then racked to secondary. Now it is crystal clear and still reads 1.030 in the secondary. The recipe was just 10 lb clover honey, water to 3.5 gallons, and the packet of yeast. No nutrients, so I think the yeast have mostly conked out.
. We have some access to yeast nutrients and energizer. Would you recommend adding some to see what happens? Can you advise to how much of each and how to prepare it? Thanks!
