Bottling sparkling mead

[ace21122112]

I'm going to try to make a batch of sparkling mead. Does any one have any tricks to making sure it's being bottled at the right time to carbonate but not too much to make a bomb?

 

[Yooper]

I'm going to try to make a batch of sparkling mead. Does any one have any tricks to making sure it's being bottled at the right time to carbonate but not too much to make a bomb?

You're not adding priming sugar to it to carb it up? I'm not sure I understand what you're asking about the right time to carbonate.

 

[Deafmeadmaker]

I'm going to try to make a batch of sparkling mead. Does any one have any tricks to making sure it's being bottled at the right time to carbonate but not too much to make a bomb?

I 'accidentally' made carbonated mead. the yeast wasn't fully used up when I bottled after two months and racking to secondary. The yeast cake on the bottom must have gotten stirred up when I racked. Two bottle bombs scared the dog, but the rest turned out okay. I fully admit I got lucky on that one. It's a guessing game, where to catch the yeast at the right time. Better to use CO2 and force carb.

 

[bernardsmith]

Better to ferment dry and add specific amount of sugar that you know will ferment a specific amount of CO2 and so will result in specific pressure on the bottle and cap/cork. To bottle when there is still sugar and active yeast is asking for exploding bottles.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

I understand that champagne bottles are made withstand a highly carbonated product... More cost (stoppers and cages) and less risk. No bottle bombs. I just bottled some fermentation had stopped, mead cleared. Primed with sugar and honey, not too much of either... I'll open a test bottle in about a month to see the results. I don't think you'll have to try too hard, as long as you don't kill the yeast with sulfites or have an environment with more alcohol then they can tolerate you'll have effervescence.

 

[Dragonbeard]

I don't think you'll have to try too hard, as long as you don't kill the yeast with sulfites or have an environment with more alcohol then they can tolerate you'll have effervescence.

Very curious for the result. I'd want to do a carbed mead in the future, but I'm scared there won't be any yeast left to eat up the priming sugar after a few months of secondary.

 

[bernardsmith]

Very curious for the result. I'd want to do a carbed mead in the future, but I'm scared there won't be any yeast left to eat up the priming sugar after a few months of secondary.

You can prime with added yeast (EC-1118 is good for that if good for little else) and Hoppy2bmerry, while champagne bottles can withstand many volumes of pressure the cap can still pop if there is enough pressure. I bottled some sparkling elderflower wine and lost several bottles to flying champagne caps (I used the plastic caps tied down with wire nets but the pressure was enough to send those corks across the room. You do need to be certain that the pressure build up will not be excessive.

 

[Dragonbeard]

You can prime with added yeast.

This may be a stupid question, but I'm assuming you add the yeast to the whole batch a couple hours before bottling so it can multiply and distribute?
Or would you add it moments before bottling and trust in your mixing skills?

 

[bernardsmith]

Depends. I would actually rehydrate the yeast thoroughly mix it in the rehydration fluid and prime each bottle using a syringe. Alternatively, there is a yeast that is sold encapsulated - designed for refermenting in the bottle and you add a capsule to each bottle.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

You can prime with added yeast (EC-1118 is good for that if good for little else) and Hoppy2bmerry, while champagne bottles can withstand many volumes of pressure the cap can still pop if there is enough pressure. I bottled some sparkling elderflower wine and lost several bottles to flying champagne caps (I used the plastic caps tied down with wire nets but the pressure was enough to send those corks across the room. You do need to be certain that the pressure build up will not be excessive.

Yes, point taken about those caps or corks flying out. I'd think that if one were to add additional yeast (as in chanpagne method) for that small amout of "priming sugar", one would not use as much yeast. Yes?

 

[bernardsmith]

That is my understanding. You are aiming to ferment a smidge of sugar not pounds of the stuff.

 

[MarshmallowBlue]

Just bottle in beer bottles. Even better the imported beer bottles that are 11.2 or 16ozs they tend ot be stronger glass. Or use champagne bottles.

Don't use regular wine bottles to carbonate . It might not explode. It might explode. Or most likely it will shoot the cork and cover your room in mead.

 

[Dragonbeard]

Even better the imported beer bottles that are 11.2 or 16ozs they tend ot be stronger glass.

Praise be the benefit of living in Belgium. I've been setting aside Barbar and Hoppus bottles for a while (clasped version of Duvel bottle), which I believe is able to withstand a fair amount of force, as I've once had to pluck a shard from my wrist, coming from a dropped bottle 10 feet away...