I made my first simple mead, 3.5 pounds honey, 1 tangerine (peeled), 20 raisins, a packet of red star pasteur champagne yeast in a one gallon jug. It bubbled vigorously for 15 days I racked it, now it been in the secondary for 6 weeks. It measures 1.00 and is very very clear. It has a few tiny sparkly bubbles but very few now. Do you think it is ready to be bottled in bellisima bottles with corks now?
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bottling question
- Thread starter C.Stod82
- Start date
Not really in a hurry, I did taste it and it was dry and definitely on the sour side. Mostly was wondering if it sounded safe to bottle at this point.
Are there a lot of lees (sediment) at the bottom? Is it clear? (As clear as a white wine lets say more or less)
You should rack again in a couple of weeks, leave it another month and bottle or so. Alrernatively you can bulk age which means closing the jug for a few months, but i recommend you rack at least one more time before doing either
You should read the newbee guide, it will teach you a lot about the basics
People dont usually rack so early, its beneficial to leave the yeast there for a while longer. Since you already did its ok, but for the next time
Also try to give sg with 4 digits. For example, 1.000.
Most people tweak the recipe when the ferment is done. Adding some spices fruit or more honey. Also the sour might come from the tangerine
You should rack again in a couple of weeks, leave it another month and bottle or so. Alrernatively you can bulk age which means closing the jug for a few months, but i recommend you rack at least one more time before doing either
You should read the newbee guide, it will teach you a lot about the basics
People dont usually rack so early, its beneficial to leave the yeast there for a while longer. Since you already did its ok, but for the next time
Also try to give sg with 4 digits. For example, 1.000.
Most people tweak the recipe when the ferment is done. Adding some spices fruit or more honey. Also the sour might come from the tangerine
You're probably good as you likely won't ferment much at all below 1.00. In my opinion one of the benefits of waiting to bottle is you get to taste it periodically as it bulk ages without having to open a bottle. Also the longer you wait the more it will clear. I also like to add clearing agents prior to bottling because you may think it clear but once you bottle you realize not so much. Also if you do back sweeten I think the clearing agents help because it cam cloud up again on you depending on what you use to sweeten it. Just make sure you add the necessary potassium sorbate and potassium metabusulphite when back sweetening. The longer you let this thing ate (bulk or in bottle) the more it will smooth out
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You did rack too soon. You see if you stir every 2-3 days after fermentation is over it serves a useful purpose.
While the yeast may be done fermenting, but the yeast have glycogen stores to keep them alive.
With these stores and periodic stirring to keep them in an active state, the yeast will actually assist you in helping to clear the mead. It is good to do this 3-4 weeks after fermentation is over.
Yes there are some who are overly paranoid about yeast autolysing and releasing yeast innards. This is only half the story:
This happens if you let the yeast sit at the bottom months (not days) without stirring!
In addition there is the concept of sur lie ageing where you can go 4-9 months (depending on yeast strain) with regular stirrings to enhance the taste of the mead.
This is done a lot with wine. Like oak ageing neither is done enough with mead.
While the yeast may be done fermenting, but the yeast have glycogen stores to keep them alive.
With these stores and periodic stirring to keep them in an active state, the yeast will actually assist you in helping to clear the mead. It is good to do this 3-4 weeks after fermentation is over.
Yes there are some who are overly paranoid about yeast autolysing and releasing yeast innards. This is only half the story:
This happens if you let the yeast sit at the bottom months (not days) without stirring!
In addition there is the concept of sur lie ageing where you can go 4-9 months (depending on yeast strain) with regular stirrings to enhance the taste of the mead.
This is done a lot with wine. Like oak ageing neither is done enough with mead.
