Preferred Bottles for Mead

[SwampFoxBrewer]

What are your preferred bottling methods for mead making? I started brewing beer recently, and had considered bottling mead in the same 12 oz bottles. Well, not with beer in them too, of course…

 

[Rish]

If you're bottling still mead you can use regular corked wine bottles. If you're carbing you can use capped beer bottles or swing top. I like the swing top, just have to replace the gaskets occasionally.

 

[bushpilot]

I like the wine bottles with the poly screw caps for still meads, and 1 liter swing tops when carbed.

 

[Deadalus]

I have a collection of champagne bottles I use and also swing tops and regular bottles.

 

[MightyMosin]

All of my carbonated session meads go into 12oz beer bottles.

My higher gravity still meads typically go into wine bottles. The really high ABV stuff goes into 375ml or 500ml bottles. I use a Portuguese floor corker as I didn't even want to try hand corking.

Some of the mid-range sparking meads will go into swing tops that take a crown cap in addition.

This year, I'll be trying the general Tradition process for making a sparkling mead that will target ~5.5 volumes of carbonation. Those will get Champagne style bottles that will also take the crown caps.

 

[Maylar]

750 ml corked wine bottles or 350 ml with "tasting corks" for short time and gifts. I don't carbonate mead.

 

[CKuhns]

When I bottle - 12 oz or 20 oz beer bottles and crown caps.
- Easily available for free from friends and family and for the higher ABV Meads 12 oz is about enough
- Prefer keg for Session mead that is carbonated.

 

[Dan O]

All of my meads are still & go into Grolsch bottles & 1 liter flip tops. I bought a Portuguese floor corker, but, still haven't used it. I even bought corks, but, I don't even know what bottle to buy for them
One day, I will get some bottles & start using that.

 

[MightyMosin]

I carbonate my sessions and usually my melomels. The sessions are too thin and flabby without the carbonation and I enjoy them better with the added carbonation. It's personal preference and while Mead isn't wine, I do try for balance like a good wine has; the carbonation helps balance the session ones for me along with some tannins in primary.

 

[bushpilot]

So far, all I carb are the cysers.

 

[MightyMosin]

I do a Blueberry Cyser @ 12% that I also carbonate... I have about a case of that left and need to brew some more soon-ish.

 

[Todd Peterson]

I chose to go the crown cap route for simplicity purposes. I found a glass bottle supplier that sells me clear 12 ounce beer bottles along with 375 and 750 ml wine bottles that accept crown caps. I was not able to source the clear bottles locally and the shipping cost as much as the bottles. That said, I have been pleased with clear, crown cap bottles.

If you go this route, be specific with supplier. When I say “I’ll take 2” I’m referencing 2 cases. Supplier hears 2 pallets. It was impressed that the supplier would deal with the small order of a home brewer.

Todd Peterson

 

[Drewch]

I save 375ml wine bottles for still mead. Beer bottles, 750ml champagne bottles, or the little 187ml champagne bottles for sparkling.