backsweetening/priming questions

TAKeyser · #21 03-17-2012, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hepcat

Wow my local LHBS sells 5 gallon refurb ball lock kegs for $45! Not bad! And I've already got two 20# CO2 cylinders. I see one of these in my future

You'll also want a counter-pressure bottle filler so that you can fill your bottles from the keg. your LHBS should have them if they sell kegging equipment, but if you want to check it out you can look here http://morebeer.com/view_product/182..._Bottle_Filler

tuumi · #22 03-17-2012, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hepcat

Interesting Tuumi,....sounds risky though, I'd be concerned about creating bottle bombs.

It can be. You just have to practice and do a few trial runs to get your process dialed in.
Here is a link that discusses the procedures. It's a long read but worth it if you have time.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/easy...g-pics-193295/

TAKeyser · #23 03-17-2012, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tuumi

It can be. You just have to practice and do a few trial runs to get your process dialed in.
Here is a link that discusses the procedures. It's a long read but worth it if you have time.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/easy...g-pics-193295/

OK actually it doesn't look too hard

Legitapotimous · #24 04-28-2012, 05:49 PM

So any good lactose to sugar honey ratios out there? So with out kegging equipment to carbonate and backsweetin, adding both honey and lactose to a must late in life would get you a sparkling sweet mead. I gotta say it once to make it sink i guess, but sounds the best route for little batches..might use plastic till i trust my self... I have seen the pasteurization stove top done in caning but not cider/mead i would asume that they are similar.

that link really is a good method

skunkboy · #25 04-28-2012, 05:59 PM

Biggest issue with lactose is that it isn't very sweet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetness

HowardVic · #26 11-24-2012, 10:24 AM

Greetings everybuddy. Long time no see.

Originally Posted by hepcat - I don't see why I couldn't add enough honey to make it a little sweeter than I want then not stabilize and bottle so it makes a sparkling mead?

If bottled in champagne bottles, would the above procedure avoid bottle bombs and produce a sweet, sparkling mead?

I found two articles on making sparkling mead that weren't so complicated which simply advised to use champagne bottles.

Chevette Girl · #27 11-24-2012, 11:19 PM

Howard, if you want it 14% and a little sweet but used a 16% yeast, the yeast will eat all your priming honey and will start into your backsweetening honey and will keep going until it's reached its tolerance, which will be way more than a safe amount of priming sugar... and you'll find as you make lots of meads that yeast's estimated tolerance is just that - an estimation. Sometimes a 12% yeast will hit 14% and sometimes a 18% yeast will stall out at 15%. You'll have no real idea exactly where the yeast will stop, and .005 (SG) of sugar converted to alcohol can be the difference between pleasantly carb'd beverage and dangerous bottle bombs... the yeast will eat all it can, whether it's safe to do so or not.

The safest way is to ferment it dry AND under your yeast's tolerance, then prime and bottle it. That's the simple one. Trying to also have it be sweet is when things get complicated.

HowardVic · #28 11-26-2012, 09:37 PM

Greetings Chevette Girl.

I greatly appreciate your feedback.

I was just about to turn off my pc when I remembered having posted this question and was happy to have gotten a reply.

Ok, so it will have to be a dry mead in a champagne bottle. It's been a loooong time since I last drank champagne but I have a remote memory that I tasted a semi sweet champagne once or twice. I think they referred to it as being demi-sec or something like that.

By the way, my mead with Passion Fruit, Rosemary and Cardamom is tasting VERY good. It has a strong honey scent. I drink it room temp in a snifter to better enjoy the fragrance. I'm still searching for that illusive ingredient to add mystery to a future batch. Something that was served on Mount Olympus. Pine resin, ground pine needles, organic Spikenard essential oil? I have a small amber bottle containing organic Spikenard essential oil and I think I am going to try a small one gallon batch with a few drops. Spikenard is a very ancient aromatic oil going back before Biblical times. It smells like an aromatic and "dank" forest after a rain.

Later...

Chevette Girl · #29 11-27-2012, 12:38 AM

There certainly are sweet sparkling wines out there, but I'd bet you dollars to doughnuts, they were stabilized, backsweetened and then force-carbonated.

That sounds like an interesting idea, but do make sure the stuff is edible, some essential oils shouldn't be taken internally.

HowardVic · #30 11-27-2012, 05:40 PM

I just did a Google image search for Wamssler Sparkling Mead and I noticed the bottles are not punted. Nor do the bottles look to be thicker like champagne bottles. What's up with that? From all I have read recently on making sparkling mead, champagne bottles are recommended to avoid bottle bombs. Seems this sparkling mead is from a centuries old recipe. I just don't get it. I am planning on buying two dozen, green, punted 750 ml champagne bottles for my next experiment on making a sparkling mead and these new pix and info on Wamssler sparkling mead has me confused.

Although, I found the following info on Spikenard being edible, I will contact the manufacturer of the organic Spikenard essential oil I have to ask if it can be used for flavoring beverages. I didn't post the link to the following info because, if am not mistaken, I remotely recall there being a rule against posting links in Gotmead.com . (?)

"...The edible roots of these plants are consumed to treat health disorders like epilepsy and hysteria.
Paste made from Spikenard root and water is used to cure inflammation and burning sensation of skin.
This root and its oil extraction are used for fighting many skin conditions like allergies and rashes.
This herb is useful in the treatments of cholera, hepatitis and enlargement of liver.
Its expectorant properties make it useful to cure cough, cold, asthma and fever.
This essential oil is used for alleviating headache, insomnia and other stress related conditions.
It is widely used by Tibetans for making healing incenses.
It is used as herbal remedy for numerous health disorders in countries like India and China..."

Later...

skunkboy · #31 11-27-2012, 05:47 PM

You can carbonate mead like beer, in beer bottles, I do it on and off. Just have to make sure that you don't overpressurize them.

HowardVic · #32 11-27-2012, 07:13 PM

Thanks. Skunkboy.

I will Google search on how to carbonate beer and other alcoholic beverages, as well as, force carbonating as mentioned by Chevette Girl.

Chevette Girl · #33 11-27-2012, 08:49 PM

The thing with a normal bottle carbonation is that you have to make sure you're completely out of sugar in your must before you prime and carbonate. There are ways to sweeten and stabilize a bottle-carbed batch but it's a lot more work than just leaving it dry.

I've got a bunch of bottles I saved from sparkling ciders and juices that aren't punted either, but it's possible these aren't carb'd to the same extent as champagne is, which is why champagne bottles are so thick and heavy. Beer bottles aren't punted either... <shrug>

skunkboy · #34 11-28-2012, 09:36 PM

Champagne is carbonated to a higher pressure, then like pop, than beer.

champagne = 4-6 atmospheres
soda is about 2-4 atmospheres
beer about 1 atmospheres

corny kegs are rated to like 10 atmospheres or something crazy? would be nice if all of the industries used the same standard, I'm trying to compensate to one...

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Hmm...I might not have been paying enough attention in my last post, I sparkle dry (fermented out) product like mead/cider like I do beer, but I match my container to
the pressure I am trying to obtain [ see above ].