How to Bottle Mead - Quick Guide

[MrRubenRibnik]

Well, about a year later and I now have 17 bottles of some fairly decent mead. Thx for the videos and advice, they were a great help throughout the whole process. :)

Next project: Better than fairly decent mead.

[epicfantasy]

@MrRubenRibnik Grats on the mead and grats on having the patience to wait for it!

[MrRubenRibnik]

In your experience, is it normal for fining agents to re-activate the fermentation process somewhat?

[epicfantasy]

@MrRubenRibnik no, not tupically. But the act of bottling or racking stirs things up and that can be the cause.

[robot797]

how many bottles broke when you were corking them?

[Adol666]

@robot797 Really. Ive never used one of those hand corkers(Portuguse floor corker here)but they look like they do a shitty job. Doesnt even get the cork all the way in and it looks like alot of effort. Imagin doing 5 gallons like that. No thanks lol

[Mortaryan]

Questions:

Alcohol content is directly related to the sugar content?

The higher amount of sugars in the initial fermenting process the higher Alcohol content?

If I wanted to make a stronger mead...would adding a corn-starch be a Kosher way to raise the alcohol content...could i use cane sugar...or would the higher honey to water ratio be the best way?

[epicfantasy]

Alcohol content is more directly related to the type of yeast you use. Each type of yeast has a tolerance for alcohol. Once that tolerance is reached the yeast will die off and stop the ferment. So, if you want ot achieve a certain alcohol percentage you will need to choose an appropriate yeast.

[whirly22]

How long can the mead stay bottled and still be good? Shouldn't the alchohol kill off any yeast so you can't have a second fermentation? Last question I promise, how sweet do you usually make your water because I have tried brewing before and it always fails I think because of not enough sugar

[epicfantasy]

Theoretically the mead should stay bottled for years. although it does have a life span and will peak then decline. Varies a lot by recipe, honey, yeast etc. Yes, the alcohol kills off the yeast and prevents a second ferment. although it is hard to know when it is at that point. I typically use three pounds of honey per gallon of water.

[whirly22]

And does that make it a dry mead or will it still be sweet once its done?

[DarthHobo23]

Quick question:

If i was to make the batch of mead and then let it sit for about a week should i siphon it to a carboy or move it differently?

[epicfantasy]

You should always siphon it. And wait about two weeks.

[1stpimpking]

what is mead ? alcahol?

[maglinjosvinn]

mead is a very old and traditional alcoholic beverage. I personally have the most amount of exposure to it in the viking re-enactment things i do, and there it plays a historical role in the nobility of the land.

It does have an alcoholic content, but that is varied based on the the process used to make it

[MrGoodno]

Do i have to add anything to my mead befor i bottle it to stop the frementaion. its been about 6 months now and i dont want the cork to blow out of the bottle.

[itsgus]

You do know your stuff when it comes to making mead, and you've inspired me to make a batch myself. However... you appear to be using real cork corks, not synthetic ones. Real cork needs to be soaked before corking, and will be ten times easier to put into the bottle, I noticed you struggled with it, it took you much longer than it should, and the end result was a cork sticking half way out. This should never happened with pre-soaked or synthetic corks.

Anyway thank you again

[CapelaArcana]

great video!! thank you!!, i have a question if i may: i made mead yesterday in a 10 liter tank but i think i used too much yeast, it said use 3 grams of yeast per 10 liters of water, since i didn't have any way of measuring 3 grams i just put in a tea spoon of yeast, could that ruin my mead?, and i also think i filled the tank too much, can i open it and pour some out?

[epicfantasy]

Sorry for the delay but I am sure your mead is ok. Should be just fine. Has it been bubbling away?

[SilvanestYband]

thank you for the reply!. yes it's bubbling a lot and already smells like wine after only 3 weeks!

when will it be ready to drink?

should i wait a year?

or can i open it in six months?

[epicfantasy]

In about six months it should pre ready. Will be drinkable much sooner but will hit a very nice peak around six months. You should at some point siphon it into a new jug to get it off all the sediment. Check my website for info on how to care for you mead - thanks for watching my vid and good luck with your mead!!!

[unfun72]

Is it necessary to refrigerate soon after bottling? Can you age at room temp after bottling?

[epicfantasy]

thanks for watching my videos. Absolutely no need to refrigerate at all. You should let it age at room temp or a bit cooler.

[unfun72]

Thanks for the response. Kinda new at Mead making (im normally a beer brewer). Another recipe I saw that I had did as my first mead, said it was crucial to refrigerate the bottles 2 weeks after bottling or the bottles could possibly explode). There is nothing being added at bottling that would reignite fermentation.

Anyway, thanks for the info. and great videos btw. I just bought ingredients yesterday to make your orange cinnamon mead on your site.

[soulintent]

They may explode only if they were bottled before fermentation was actually finished. In theory the refrigeration would slow down or stop the yeast from fermenting in the bottle if this were the case, which is why it's crucial to make sure fermentation is finished. Refrigerating a batch before bottling can be convenient, as it will help the mead to clear.

[maglinjosvinn]

fermantation is done with the air lock stops bubbling, i assume?

[robot797]

@maglinjosvinn or when it gets clear

w8 til it is clear

[id3m0l1shu]

my mead is much lighter then this :\ is that bad? :\ its been sitting for eight months

[epicfantasy]

Mead will vary quite a bit in color because of the type of honey used. Your mead should be absolutely fine. You just used a different type of honey than I did.

[wolvenblacktalon1]

can u make a non alchoholic mead

[willssonglist]

I have a non alcoholic mead recipe on my website . Pretty fast to make too.

[IQpizza]

To avoid the sediment from coming into your bottles, wouldnt it be smart to transfer your mead over to some sort of sanitised tap bucket through a filter?

Get what i mean? only for extra "sediment/particle security". :P

[pureraver91]

Your videos are great thanks. You made a comment about one of your videos that you talk about how to know when its done and when to rack, could you reply a link to me on where I can find them. I have been all over your site and your youtube page and I think they are great but I can't seem to find those videos. Thank you for your time.

[epicfantasy]

Lot of debate about filtering mead. I think its better to just siphon it off the sediment into a new jug. knowing when the mead is done is all about using a hydrometer. You should be able to find a vid or stuff on my website about using a hydrometer. Hope this helps, so much stuff on my website, can be hard to find things.

[itachi1303]

Can you just use a plain, one way tube?

[da2uth]

nice video, as always :)

just one addition:

you do not need to throw away the good mead at the bottom just because it is polluted with the yeast sediment!

Just put it into a high but lean bottle (you can build one out of a plastic tube too). let it settle down again and you should be able to save most of it.

we always use this method and you can easily save about 500 - 1000 ml per batch of mead that way

[epicfantasy]

Sounds terrific. But what is a high lean bottle? Have a pic maybe I could see? Would love to save me all that mead that I usually throw out. I will do a video on this process too.

[rasoros]

maybe even something like one of the graduated plastic cylinders that come with hydrometers... those are usually tall and lean.  pretty cheap for a couple of those.

[ArwenLune]

I think da2uth means a tall narrow bottle, so that when it settles again, the layer of clean mead above the sediment is 'tall' enough that you can syphon it out without disturbing the sediment. .

[habenod]

what is Mead?

[epicfantasy]

It is a wine brewed from honey rather than from grapes.

[kelsie0marie]

ok i thought this said bottle feed lolz

[terrainaholic]

Is there anything you DON'T know how to do? Man I hope your having the time of your life in Japan. Things are starting to really ramp up and I want to thank you for taking an interest in me an my work and I hope I can generate additional interest for you and your web site. Thanks for being such a COOL GUY and sharing your knowledge with the rest of us!!!:)

[epicfantasy]

Howdy! thanks, Just got back from Japan and am seriously jet lagged. i see you have got a bunch more videos out! Dang, your motor revs and a high rpm!!

[terrainaholic]

GREAT to hear from you Bro!!! Hope you had an AWESOME time in Japan:)! YA I have been getting addicted to how tos of late and pumping out projects. Can't wait to see your goodies!!! Take care Will:)!

[TeddyTek]

I Might try this when im older?

[milo655321]

Thanks. I've enjoyed your mead videos. I prepared my first batch two weeks ago and it's fermenting in the basement.

[epicfantasy]

You are welcome and congrats on the mead!. The waiting is the hardest part!

[heehaw756]

whats mead??

[JasonDelWraa]

Honey Wine.

[iamsmert123]

vass?

[epicfantasy]

ist ein trink so wie wein aber is gemacht mit honig.

[iamsmert123]

me iiennn no spakken en destuchenn harr dee harrene..