Just bottle it already??

[wendelgee2]

Hi folks,
This is my first mead, and frankly, I'm sick of having my fermenter occupied. It's been sitting in there for 2.5 months now (racked after the first month or so). When I racked, the fg was at 1.016 (seems high), and it tasted like honey and jet fuel. I'm using one of the premium Orange Blossom kits from Northern Brewer, so I didn't bother taking an og reading...I figured they knew what they were doing.

Can I just bottle this thing already and let it mellow in the bottle, or do I need to keep racking/clarifying until it's yummy?

thanks.

 

[Tusch]

Is it even clear yet? Is it done fermenting? You should have taken an OG, since you now don't know if you should expect it to finish around 1.016 or if it should drop all the way to .990. Is the kit designed to be sweet, semi-sweet, or dry?

If its not clear, don't even consider bottling. If you are unsure about whether or not it is done fermenting, don't even consider bottling until you know its done.

You don't need to let it bulk age, the only real benefit is consistency from bottle to bottle. Because it is all aged together, as opposed to separately in the bottle. However, if you choose to bottle age instead, you still should bottle it when it is crystal clear, unless you want sediment in your freshly bottled batch. And you absolutely must be sure that fermentation is complete.

 

[DUCCCC]

I've got a 5 gal glass carboy on the workbench right now full of a simple basic mead. I mixed it up in Dec of '07. It's been racked 3 or 4 times (I've lost count) but it really didn't truly clear up until it had sat for over 10 months. I find it difficult to believe that your's is ready at only 2.5. I'm not calling you a liar, just pointing out that it really will eventually clear enough to read a book page through the carboy, small print. It can be frustrating having it take up space and a fermenting vessel for that long, but it should pay off in the long run letting it bulk age in the fermenter rather than bottling it up early.

 

[wendelgee2]

Holy Cow, FatDuc. I didn't realize it got that clear!

Patience is a virtue with this stuff...it really doesn't make sense until you do it.

Sounds like it's just time to buy another carboy and be done with it.

 

[digdan]

You can never have too many carboys. Your other option which I highly recommend against, is killing your yeast and using a clearing agent. This would set the mead up to be bottled, but I've heard that interrupted yeast leaves off flavors.

 

[david_42]

DO NOT BOTTLE!

It has a long way to go and if you bottled now without killing the yeast, you'll have about 100% bottle bombs.

 

[jmorriso]

Carboy's are cheap, just bite the bullet and buy one. If you're looking for a really cheap carboy, my local natural foods store sells spring water in a 5 gallon glass jug (carboy). Its a $7 deposit for the carboy and $12 for the water. I went in the other day and all they had was empties so I asked if I could just pay the $7 on an empty and they let me!!! You might call around to some of your local stores and give it a shot.

 

[summersolstice]

Holy Cow, FatDuc. I didn't realize it got that clear!
.

Your mead will eventually clear. Do yourself a favor and wait a few months. There's a lot of pride in bringing out a bottle of sparkling crystal clear mead. This is a simple and inexpensive mead made from frozen cranberry/grape concentrate that everyone loves:

 

[ibrewdou]

it's gonna be a while!, buy a carboy, or two. dont forget to add your nutrient, lots of great help here for first time mead makers. mine's been going since last aug.! im hoping to bottle.... this fall. good luck.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Your mead will eventually clear. Do yourself a favor and wait a few months. There's a lot of pride in bringing out a bottle of sparkling crystal clear mead. This is a simple and inexpensive mead made from frozen cranberry/grape concentrate that everyone loves:

That's PURDY!!!

Where's the recipe???