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Can I bottle this yet?

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crystal

NewBee
Registered Member
Sep 4, 2007
11
0
0
My first batch of Mead:
1. SG is a little under 1.000
2. Forgot to measure my initial SG (doh!)
3. It has been brewing for a month and stopped bubbling a week ago.
4. A cyser that tastes dry (1.5 lb honey: 1 gallon batch) but for the most part tastes like an alcoholic beverage.

So do you think it is OK to bottle at this point? I mean there doesn't seem like there's anything left for the yeasts to eat right? Or are those famous last words? Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you in advance.
 
U

ucflumberjack

NewBee
Registered Member
Sep 4, 2006
839
0
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i would wait a while unless you want to drink it soon. i try to wait as long as possible before bottling. as oskaar said its easier to manipulate the batch if its in bulk, add spices or oak or sweeten or whatever. also the temp will fluctuate less and it will have a chance to clear all the way. usually even after its "clear" it will drop more sediment and its not pretty when that happens in teh bottle. i

f you do really want to bottle, and it is really completely dry, then you should be ok to go ahead and do so.
 
Yo momma

Yo momma

NewBee
Registered Member
Jul 14, 2007
934
3
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52
Flint, Michigan
How clear is this batch. I bottled my first batch too early and I payed for it later with a serious amount of sediment in 20 bottles of Blackberry Mead. It looked clear but evidently it was not. I would say wait about 2-3 months before bottling. You can drink it now but it will have a harsh taste until aged a while. Oskaar says (and I quote) "patience, patience, patience" end quote. :icon_thumright: Good mead and/or wine is all about patience! I couldn't on my first either. :drunken_smilie:
:cheers:
 
C

crystal

NewBee
Registered Member
Sep 4, 2007
11
0
0
Update...I stuck it in the fridge and it is clearing up nicely. It pretty much looks like apple juice now (but doesn't taste like it which I thought was strange for a cyser). I think I will re-rack and keep it at room temp for another month before bottling. Better safe then sorry. Next up...JAO! I am very excited to try this mead thing again, maybe with a bit more honey this time. Thanks for all the advice.
 
Oskaar

Oskaar

Got Mead Partner
Administrator
Dec 26, 2004
7,874
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The OC
Dude,

You should to give this several months before bottling unless you're going to filter, or sulfie/sorbate. You're seeing something that looks clear but isn't completely devoid of yeast in suspension. I get several meads a month from people who rush to bottle and then their mead undegoes renewed fermentation during shipping due to temperature variances, or bacterial activity (MLF) or infection. Be patient. Let the mead stand for at least two months before you try cold crashing it, then rack it and let it stand another month. Measure the SG weekly. If the SG is not changing over each of those weeks, then cold crash it, rack it and bottle.

Cheers,

Oskaar
 
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