• PATRONS: Did you know we've a chat function for you now? Look to the bottom of the screen, you can chat, set up rooms, talk to each other individually or in groups! Click 'Chat' at the right side of the chat window to open the chat up.
  • Love Gotmead and want to see it grow? Then consider supporting the site and becoming a Patron! If you're logged in, click on your username to the right of the menu to see how as little as $30/year can get you access to the patron areas and the patron Facebook group and to support Gotmead!
  • We now have a Patron-exclusive Facebook group! Patrons my join at The Gotmead Patron Group. You MUST answer the questions, providing your Patron membership, when you request to join so I can verify your Patron membership. If the questions aren't answered, the request will be turned down.

Possible Bottle Bomb?

Toggle sidebar
Barrel Char Wood Products
G

GoneWhaling

NewBee
Registered Member
Apr 18, 2011
2
0
0
Hey Guys

So I just bottled my first mead yesterday when it dawned on me that I might have created potential bottle bombs. I decided to prime it with some corn sugar in order to make a sparkling mead and then let it age in the bottles. As far as the recipe goes,

1 Gallon batch
3 lb Honey, lemon, nutmeg and some tea.
1 packet Ale yeast
5 weeks in primary
rack on to ~26g corn sugar and then bottle into beer bottles (and one sparkling wine bottle)

Unfortunately I haven't gotten around to getting a hydrometer so I have no idea what the gravity is. After some searching it seems like I might be right on the limit of what the beer bottles can handle due to possible unfermented sugars left over and the addition of new sugars. Do you think that they could explode, or is safe to leave it in the bottles? Thanks in advance
 
AToE

AToE

NewBee
Registered Member
Jun 8, 2009
4,066
3
0
Calgary AB Canada
Without having taken a hydrometer reading before adding priming sugar you have no way (and neither do we) of knowing whether it had gone dry before priming. Thus, no way to know if you're safe.

I'd get the bottles in the fridge immediately, and if these were in my house I would open them all and put them back into a jug under airlock until I got my hands on a hydrometer to figure out whether I'd be in danger bottling them.
 
G

GoneWhaling

NewBee
Registered Member
Apr 18, 2011
2
0
0
Thanks for the quick response! I didn't realize the significance of a hydrometer when making mead, especially sparkling, so it is now number one on my to buy list.
 
AToE

AToE

NewBee
Registered Member
Jun 8, 2009
4,066
3
0
Calgary AB Canada
It's definitely the single most important tool in the arsenal. It lets you understand how fermentation is progressing, what alcohol level to expect/what level you ended up at, how much sugar is left at the end, whether it's safe to prime, all kinds of good info!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Barrel Char Wood Products

Viking Brew Vessels - Authentic Drinking Horns

Top Bottom