We’ve been having so much fun with our new hobby!!! ;D I would like to thank all of you for the help you’ve been whenever we needed it. And, guess what?! We need help again! :
We have bottled 6 different variations of mead into 53 bottles. Most of them had a Camden tablet added to them a few weeks before bottling. We sweetened them shortly before bottling too. You guessed it! 6 of the bottles have popped their corks. Sadly, 4 of them were of a divine pear melomel that we were very sad to lose! :'(
So, I have come up with some ideas on how to avoid this in the future. Perhaps some of you can comment on what you do to keep from mopping!
1. add Potassium Metabisulfate (powder, instead of tablet) and Potassium Sorbate a few weeks before sweetening. Then wait a few more weeks before bottling to make sure fermentation does not start back up.
2. chill newly bottled meads to 40 degrees or less for 3 days after bottling
3. use heat shrinkable PVC capsules on bottles to try to keep the corks in
Let me know what you think.
We have bottled 6 different variations of mead into 53 bottles. Most of them had a Camden tablet added to them a few weeks before bottling. We sweetened them shortly before bottling too. You guessed it! 6 of the bottles have popped their corks. Sadly, 4 of them were of a divine pear melomel that we were very sad to lose! :'(
So, I have come up with some ideas on how to avoid this in the future. Perhaps some of you can comment on what you do to keep from mopping!
1. add Potassium Metabisulfate (powder, instead of tablet) and Potassium Sorbate a few weeks before sweetening. Then wait a few more weeks before bottling to make sure fermentation does not start back up.
2. chill newly bottled meads to 40 degrees or less for 3 days after bottling
3. use heat shrinkable PVC capsules on bottles to try to keep the corks in
Let me know what you think.