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Accidental Carbonation

Barrel Char Wood Products

PDonn63

NewBee
Registered Member
Aug 22, 2010
56
0
0
Cleveland, OH
Last winter I started a one gallon pear-ginger batch. It was 1/2 gallon pear juice, 4oz juiced ginger, 3lbs Trader Joe's Mesquite Honey, and a vanilla bean. I then topped with tap water. I used 71B-1122 for the yeast, and staggered the nutrient addition. I bottled 4 months after fermentation stopped, after racking twice. Starting Gravity: 1.099, Ending Gravity: .991 I went to open a bottle yesterday (the bottles are screw top) and heard a fizz. Upon tasting, it was fully carbonated. I added sulphate before bottling according the package instructions, and figured the end product was dry enough to not add sorbate.

I did not bottle in champaign bottles, but have some on hand. Does anybody have suggestions as to the best way to transfer the wine? I was thinking about siphoning all four bottles into a bottling bucket, and then again into the champaign bottles. Also, I have been periodically unscrewing the bottle tops to release the built-up pressure. Any help is greatly appreciated!
 

Medsen Fey

Fuselier since 2007
Premium Patron
Ending Gravity: .991 I went to open a bottle yesterday (the bottles are screw top) and heard a fizz. Upon tasting, it was fully carbonated. I added sulphite before bottling according the package instructions, and figured the end product was dry enough to not add sorbate.

More proof that sulfite alone is not enough to stabilize meads. It is a bit surprising with a gravity of 0.991 it was not fully dry. Out of curiosity, what is the gravity reading of a DE-gassed sample now?

You can put these bottles in the fridge and when they are ice-cold, you can siphon them to an ice-cold Champagne bottle, and you may be able to keep it carbonated.

If you want it still, you can either pour them back into a carboy to DE-gas and clear, or you can just keep opening the caps to release pressure until it stops.
 

PDonn63

NewBee
Registered Member
Aug 22, 2010
56
0
0
Cleveland, OH
I took your first suggestion. I put the bottles in the fridge, and the champagne bottles into the freezer. I siphoned from the original bottles to the champagne and left them in the fridge. The gravity reading I got was .985; so there was a little activity after bottling the first time.
 
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