How long can mead sit in Primary

[James0816]

Funny story, so I'm mulling about in the basement last night when I make an interesting discovery. Two batches of mead! These were one of my first batches I made. One is a straight mead and the other is JAOM. Both are several months old and of course fermentation long stopped. Guess I got sidetracked when i ventured into ciders and wine.

Anyway, these should still be good right? I do plan on racking off the lees this weekend. I'm more interested in the JAOM as it has the fruit in it.

Thanks

 

[Andrew Hodgson]

If it doesn't have visible mold, taste them and see, don't see any reason why they wouldn't still be good there are a ton of stories of people forgetting about their mead and usually it seems age only helps the flavors meld. Cheers to finding them!

 

[James0816]

If it doesn't have visible mold, taste them and see, don't see any reason why they wouldn't still be good there are a ton of stories of people forgetting about their mead and usually it seems age only helps the flavors meld. Cheers to finding them!

It's actually kinda funny now that I think about it. I remember making it, I just don't remember moving them to where they were. Must've been gremlins playin a joke on me.

Well, all the fruit in JAOM is resting on the bottom so no concern with mold there. Will be interesting to see how they taste after sitting on the lees this long.

 

[bernardsmith]

IMO, and many disagree with this thought, the real problem with "aging" in a primary (apart from the potential problem of autolysis - where dead yeast cells break apart and allow all kinds of compounds from the yeast guts to spill out adding all kinds of flavors - many not considered improvements - to swamp the mead or wine) is the amount of head room that is likely to be present. If you fermented your mead in a container you thought large enough to contain any froth and foam (OK this ain't wort, I know) then when active fermentation ends and CO2 production ceases that space is now filled with air and air (O2) at that point is not your best friend.

 

[homebrewer_99]

At the end of Summer I racked a Perry (pear mead) out of it's primary...I made it over 4 years ago.

During fermentation, I used all the chemicals recommended and about a year (or so) ago I added bentonite because it was really cloudy. The bentonite really cleared it up.

Now it's in a secondary all nice and clear ready for bottling...when I get around to it.

 

[James0816]

At the end of Summer I racked a Perry (pear mead) out of it's primary...I made it over 4 years ago.

During fermentation, I used all the chemicals recommended and about a year (or so) ago I added bentonite because it was really cloudy. The bentonite really cleared it up.

Now it's in a secondary all nice and clear ready for bottling...when I get around to it.

Four Years! wow...i don't think i have anything to be concerned with then. =)

 

[homebrewer_99]

Four Years! wow...i don't think i have anything to be concerned with then. =)

That's between you and me. Someone else, on the other hand, will probably want to hang me for not bottling sooner.
That's THEIR issue...not mine. LOL!

I currently have 5 batches of ciders (oldest one was made in Jan 2018) and mead in primaries/secondaries and 3 beers in primaries. I set 1 primary outside last night (got down into the 30s) and should be racking it today. The other 2 may be ready for the same treatment also. We're expecting snow tonight and tomorrow.

(And, yes, I do have that many empty/cleaned wine bottles ready for filling).

 

[mopar440_6]

IMO, and many disagree with this thought, the real problem with "aging" in a primary...is the amount of head room that is likely to be present. ...when active fermentation ends and CO2 production ceases that space is now filled with air and air (O2) at that point is not your best friend.

Regardless of fermentable type, CO2 is heavier than air. So, assuming you filled the airlock after hitting 1.030 and it is still in place and full, there should have been little to no air changes between the headspace and the outside air allowing the headspace to remain full of CO2.

 

[bob1852]

Regardless of fermentable type, CO2 is heavier than air. So, assuming you filled the airlock after hitting 1.030 and it is still in place and full, there should have been little to no air changes between the headspace and the outside air allowing the headspace to remain full of CO2.

That's not the case. Attached is an interesting study on oxygen permeability through airlocks and bungs.

 

[mopar440_6]

That's not the case. Attached is an interesting study on oxygen permeability through airlocks and bungs.

I stand corrected. Great info AZ, thanks for posting!

 

[bernardsmith]

I was going to write that if CO2 behaved as you suggest then oxygen breathing , carbon dioxide exhaling creatures on this planet would never have survived long enough to reproduce as they would all have suffocated in their own CO2 while still in infancy.

 

[homebrewer_99]

I'm not concerned about it that much. It was degassed long ago, hit with CO2 (displacing the air after racking) and stopped with a solid bung (which has a "negligible" rating according to the study).

I don't live in a lab or brew in a "Clean Room". I brew, I bottle/keg, I drink. It's all good.