Simple_Man1977
New Member
Actually, it is my first ever batch of homebrew, period. Also, I will admit right up front that (being my first ever foray into the hobby), I have purchased no specialized equipment beyond an auto siphon for racking. No hydrometers. No special yeasts. Nothing.
I used this recipe: http://www.stormthecastle.com/mead/fast-cheap-mead-making.htm, which is quite obviously far below the level of expertise in which those on this forum take pride. I hope that doesn't get me laughed off of here after my very first post.
I bottled my first batch of mead at the 12-week mark after racking it at 4 and 8 weeks, respectively. It was completely done with fermentation i.e. no more bubbling in the airlock, and I actually racked it again to be sure to get rid of the sediment before transferring to glass bottles. After bottling, however, something happened that I had not expected: it started bubbling again to the point where it appeared to be carbonated. During the bottling process, I back-sweetened with extra honey (as I have read is an option if you like your wines sweet) and my mead reacted just like you would expect beer to behave when being poured i.e. with a thick, frothy head.
I know that there are things you can do in order to make a wine into a sparkling wine, but I did none of those things. As of now, the bottles have their lids to keep gnats out, etc. (the little morons were drowning themselves in the airlock, trying to get at all that yummy honey) but I did not screw them on tight for fear of creating bottle bombs. I guess I am, more or less, just waiting now for the mead to "go flat" like a pop (soda, for those not in the South) with a loose lid, so I can secure everything and store them for aging.
Does everything I described sound normal or am I way off in left field somewhere? I am so new at this that I have no idea what to expect, so any input would be greatly appreciated. As I learn more about this stuff, I look forward to delving into more of the involved processes, but with my first batch I wanted to do it as simply as possible just to see if it is something I enjoy.
Also, the site I linked to above mentions waiting at least six months to drink the mead, but I have read on this forum that sometimes a year or even longer is better. I can attest that, at its current young age, it tastes like I could use it to run my car How much of a difference is there between a year and six months when it comes to taste?
Thanks in advance!
I used this recipe: http://www.stormthecastle.com/mead/fast-cheap-mead-making.htm, which is quite obviously far below the level of expertise in which those on this forum take pride. I hope that doesn't get me laughed off of here after my very first post.
I bottled my first batch of mead at the 12-week mark after racking it at 4 and 8 weeks, respectively. It was completely done with fermentation i.e. no more bubbling in the airlock, and I actually racked it again to be sure to get rid of the sediment before transferring to glass bottles. After bottling, however, something happened that I had not expected: it started bubbling again to the point where it appeared to be carbonated. During the bottling process, I back-sweetened with extra honey (as I have read is an option if you like your wines sweet) and my mead reacted just like you would expect beer to behave when being poured i.e. with a thick, frothy head.
I know that there are things you can do in order to make a wine into a sparkling wine, but I did none of those things. As of now, the bottles have their lids to keep gnats out, etc. (the little morons were drowning themselves in the airlock, trying to get at all that yummy honey) but I did not screw them on tight for fear of creating bottle bombs. I guess I am, more or less, just waiting now for the mead to "go flat" like a pop (soda, for those not in the South) with a loose lid, so I can secure everything and store them for aging.
Does everything I described sound normal or am I way off in left field somewhere? I am so new at this that I have no idea what to expect, so any input would be greatly appreciated. As I learn more about this stuff, I look forward to delving into more of the involved processes, but with my first batch I wanted to do it as simply as possible just to see if it is something I enjoy.
Also, the site I linked to above mentions waiting at least six months to drink the mead, but I have read on this forum that sometimes a year or even longer is better. I can attest that, at its current young age, it tastes like I could use it to run my car How much of a difference is there between a year and six months when it comes to taste?
Thanks in advance!