Stabilizing and bottling

[turtlescales]

Getting ready to bottle my first batches, just a few questions.

I intend to stabilize my meads. They were stuck in the fridge a couple days ago, for whatever good that will do. Saturday is the bottling day. Just 4 months old, sucks but I'm moving and I think this is best.

I plan to use per gallon-

1 campden tablet
1/2 tsp sorbate

Have 3 batches, each is a gallon. I intend to use a small amount of hot water to help disolve the stuff, is that ok?

*My big question- How long do I have to wait to bottle after adding this stuff?

One of the meads fermented dry. Do I need to bother with that one? The other two, have to check my notes but I think I have a 1.02 and a 1.015 or something. The SG's haven't changed in months.


For bottling, using a double lever hand corker/torture device. Thinking I will just dunk the corks in starsan to make them pop in easier.

Just want to make sure I'm doing this right.

Cheers!

 

[biochemedic]

If you aren't going to backsweeten, and you've been at a long-standing stable FG, you don't even need to stabilize.

I also use a double lever hand corker, and I find that it helps if the corks are warmed up...they are softer and just squeeze in easier. I put my corks in a small pot with water, and heat it up to simmering...I use a big flat spoon to push the corks down around into the water, then let it start to cool naturally. You have to be a bit careful plucking the first few out, as they can still be a bit hot.

I've bottled nearly all of batches this way, and never had any contamination/infection or other issues.

 

[cyberlord]

You can stabilize and bottle the same day if your mead has been clear for a while even if you back sweeten. But the mead has to have been racked and cleared so there are as few as possible yeast in suspension as they will continue to ferment until they die. If you stabilize, the few that remain do not carbonate so don't worry about that.

To be absolutely sure there is no tertiary ferment in bottles waiting a week before bottling is added insurance.

 

[turtlescales]

I don't have any desire to back sweeten. I enjoy dry mead, as well as the occasional sweet one.

Biochemedic... 3 months of no change, I don't have to bother with it at all? I'll post more detailed information on the SG's when I get off work.

Also.... I plan to use sealing wax on the bottles. Is it still ok to warm the corks up in water a bit? I had planned to bottle and seal on the same day.