Newbie with back sweetening issue

[codywatkins]

Made a 5 gallon session mead. I put in sorbate and sulfites after 4 months and waited a week and back sweetened in gallon batches with either maple syrup, brown sugar or honey. I opened one of the honey bottles today and they blew foam and are carbonated but when I cracked the other bottles no issue. Being new to this not sure what the issue is.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Was the mead fully clear and racked off the yeast before adding the sorbate?

How clear was the honey?

Did you add enough sorbate and sulfite to account for the dilution when backsweetening?

How old was the sulfite? Was it stored in an air-tight container? Was the mead also kept in an air-tight vessel under airlock with minimal headspace? No splashing when racking and bottling?

 

[codywatkins]

No it wasn’t racked
It looked clear
No I didn’t take into account adding more sugar to the mead
I see I have d much to learn

 

[RPh_Guy]

No it wasn’t racked

The sorbate won't work if you add it with the yeast still present.

 

[Seamonkey84]

The Sorbate and sulfites prevent the yeast from reproducing, not stop fermentation. If you had racked a fully clear mead first, there would be very little yeast left to restart the fermentation.