Bottling Mead Too Soon Successfully?

[Meadiator]

I am new to the forum, so if I posted this in the wrong section, or I have asked something already asked, feel free to delete this thread.

I plan to start a batch of JAOM in a 5 - gallon #1 water jug. My question is how soon I could possibly bottle this? I understand it usually isn't recommended until at least eight weeks have gone by, or until you have added chemicals to kill the yeast and stabilize the batch, but what if I were to cut down the honey to create a dryer mead and then crash cool it? Could I possibly bottle within three weeks?

I also need a little advice on something else. My first batch was done with far less research about six weeks ago, and I'm afraid that I may have bottle bombs on my hands because I bottled three weeks ago. does anyone have any suggestions as to what I can do to prevent them from exploding without having to empty the bottles and bulk age?

Thanks in advance.

 

[WVMJ]

I was going to predict your next post was going to be "why are my bottles exploding" but you already reached that point. First, the sorbate and KM dont kill the yeasts, they just knock them down pretty good and keep them from multiplying. As for your current bottles maybe putting them in the refrig might help? THose should be a warning to you to chill out a bit and let them age clear before bottling. If you are in a big hurry for a fast "wine" there are folks out there making skeeter pee and a weak table wine called Dragons Blood in just a few weeks. WVMJ

 

[nitack]

I'd carefully open up one of your bottles (preferably in an area that i easy to clean) and see if you have an eruption, even a small one. If it fountains, then there is a ton of pressure and you need to unseal all your bottles to vent the CO2. If it does not then you would probably be able to pasteurize all your bottles and call it safe.

Do not skip the test bottle. If there is pressure already built up you need to know about it and vent it. It is a good bet all your bottles are at about the same pressure. Pasteurizing won't fix that, it will actually make it worse for a highly pressurized bottle and may cause them to explode.

 

[Meadiator]

I have two more questions then.
1. Do bottle bombs look any different from other bottles? I would assume not, making them even more dangerous, but I don't know.
2. If I open it, and there isn't much reaction (which is highly unlikely, I used oxygen seal caps on 12 oz. beer bottles), are they safe to just recap and let sit around for a while?

I'll try to open them and pray for the best. If it works out, I'll cold crash and leave them alone for six months. My batch was just a small half gallon batch, and I had 16 fl oz. of honey in comparison to 48 fl oz. of water. Hopefully this made it dry enough to be alright.

 

[Inner10]

I have two more questions then.
1. Do bottle bombs look any different from other bottles? I would assume not, making them even more dangerous, but I don't know.
2. If I open it, and there isn't much reaction (which is highly unlikely, I used oxygen seal caps on 12 oz. beer bottles), are they safe to just recap and let sit around for a while?

I'll try to open them and pray for the best. If it works out, I'll cold crash and leave them alone for six months. My batch was just a small half gallon batch, and I had 16 fl oz. of honey in comparison to 48 fl oz. of water. Hopefully this made it dry enough to be alright.

If you bottled them in beer bottles and it's been three weeks you may just have fizzy mead on your hands. Pop a bottle and see if it gushes, if it's still you are fine, if it's fizzy then test the gravity and see how much residual sugar there is. But until you do that keep them in a rubbermaid bin else you may have a divorce pending.

 

[Meadiator]

Thanks! Checked a bottle and I heard the pop of carbonation, but I didn't have a mess to clean up! Time to let 'em sit for a while now Cheers!