How do you bottle your mead?
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loveofrose
Well-Known Member
On a normal basis, I use one liter flip tops because I hate bottling. If it is a really high quality mead, I do capped champagne bottles (yes, it's possible).
Carbonation and sweetness are entirely dependent on the recipe. I do all of the above.
Carbonation and sweetness are entirely dependent on the recipe. I do all of the above.
12 oz capped beer bottles filled from the keg I aged it in. Keg is purged with co2 every time I fill, but is not kept under any significant pressure as I prefer a still mead. I want to taste the fruit/honey, so usually a sweet, sack mead.
12 oz crown capped beer bottles and still.
Do not use any of the yeast inhibitors (React to them) and a bit afraid of them taking off on their own after bottling.
I drive the yeast until they give up wait and rack, then wait and rack a couple times more, cold crash and or KC Super Kleer.
16 batches of about 50 bottle each and only had 1 batch that had a half dozen bottles get a little fizzy. Guess I am being over cautious but better safe than messy!
Do not use any of the yeast inhibitors (React to them) and a bit afraid of them taking off on their own after bottling.
I drive the yeast until they give up wait and rack, then wait and rack a couple times more, cold crash and or KC Super Kleer.
16 batches of about 50 bottle each and only had 1 batch that had a half dozen bottles get a little fizzy. Guess I am being over cautious but better safe than messy!
I had a stash some old crowns that has a cork seal that I got from my dads old supplies, they worked great, but I have not been able to find them anyplace in the last 20 years, all gone to plastic.
I now use wind bottles and a hand corker (remember to soak your corks). I think of Mead as honey wine, it needs time to age. Primary for standard fermentation, secondary for about 2 months, then into a third for about another 8 months, then into a corked bottle for another year (store on the side to keep the cork wet), then it is good to drink if you like them young. No substitute for time and only one way to get it.
I now use wind bottles and a hand corker (remember to soak your corks). I think of Mead as honey wine, it needs time to age. Primary for standard fermentation, secondary for about 2 months, then into a third for about another 8 months, then into a corked bottle for another year (store on the side to keep the cork wet), then it is good to drink if you like them young. No substitute for time and only one way to get it.
Zymomancer
Well-Known Member
I use swing-top bottles, mainly 750mL ones but I have a few smaller ones, too, when the last bit of a batch isn't quite big enough.
I prefer having a high liquid-to-glass ratio so I spend less time cleaning and so there's just less stuff to handle at every step of the process. Storage is also a bit more efficient, I have a single shelf in a storage closet consecrated to my brewing, so thinking about that is actually important. I would never use anything smaller than a 500mL bottle without a good reason.
I bottle them still and dry, but I've noticed that they've kept quite a bit of carbonation for whatever reason. I think it's a welcome addition to a dry mead.
I prefer having a high liquid-to-glass ratio so I spend less time cleaning and so there's just less stuff to handle at every step of the process. Storage is also a bit more efficient, I have a single shelf in a storage closet consecrated to my brewing, so thinking about that is actually important. I would never use anything smaller than a 500mL bottle without a good reason.
I bottle them still and dry, but I've noticed that they've kept quite a bit of carbonation for whatever reason. I think it's a welcome addition to a dry mead.
