Bulk ageing and then...???

[Commander Toasty]

I normally age my melomel in one gal containers, and drink from same when aged. But often I want to give a bottle away (aren't I nice!). Rather than bottle a specific number up front, I am wondering if I can safely go bulk for say months or a year, and open a one gal to go into a couple of bottles as I choose? Will the air hurt it if the bottle is then not opened for some time?

[Greenblood]

I bulk age almost everything I make for 6 to 8 months, then bottle. I try to leave as little air space as possible in the carboy when doing this. If you bulk age in a one gal jug, the principle is the same. However, after bottling from a jug, you will be left with quite a bit of airspace in the jug. I would then recomend either bottling the rest of that jug, transfering it to a smaller jug, or drinking it soon to eliminate the chance of oxidation.

Greenblood

[Oskaar]

If you have a CO2 canister you can fill the carboy with CO2 before you fill it, and as you fill the excess will be pushed up and out by the rising volume of liquid, leaving you with a nice blanket of CO2 to keep your mead nice and safe. Pop on an airlock and your good to go.

Cheers,

Oskaar