Carbonating Mead

My peach mead is in the tertiary right now, and will be for the next few months. I’m thinking I’d like to make it a sparkling mead. I normally use between 4.5 and 5 oz of primer sugar in my beer. Should I use the same amount in the mead, or should I dial it back a bit?

Paul T

Depends on the level of carbonation you are looking for. A vol. of 1-3.5 is recommended in most sparkling meads.

OK, thanks. I will try it with 3 oz.

Paul

You could carbonate it right up to champagne levels and use between 8 oz and 1 lb of sugar for a 5 gal batch, but that would require using real champagne-style bottles and going through the full riddling process to allow you to pour clear mead. In fact, any carbonation much beyond typical beer levels will result the sediment getting mixed with the mead once you open it.

After reading several online articles, and about exploding bottles, I think I’m going to lean towards the conservative, and use 2 oz of corn sugar to prime with. I will be bottling it in the same bottles that I bottle my beer.

Paul

Paul, my apologies for bringing up an older post, but how did your bottle carbonation go?

Ed

[quote=“Intheswamp”]Paul, my apologies for bringing up an older post, but how did your bottle carbonation go?

Ed[/quote]

I didn’t do it. What’s funny, is my peach mead, which I bottles 2 years ago, has carbonated itself. Pretty cool.

[quote=“paultuttle”][quote=“Intheswamp”]Paul, my apologies for bringing up an older post, but how did your bottle carbonation go?

Ed[/quote]

I didn’t do it. What’s funny, is my peach mead, which I bottles 2 years ago, has carbonated itself. Pretty cool.[/quote]

I’ve also been surprised to find a long stored still mead has developed some carbonation.

I’ve thought about sprinkling just a little yeast, and a little corn sugar in the bottling bucket, and see what happens.

[quote=“Rookie L A”][quote=“paultuttle”][quote=“Intheswamp”]Paul, my apologies for bringing up an older post, but how did your bottle carbonation go?

Ed[/quote]

I didn’t do it. What’s funny, is my peach mead, which I bottles 2 years ago, has carbonated itself. Pretty cool.[/quote]

I’ve also been surprised to find a long stored still mead has developed some carbonation.[/quote]
In these cases, the mead hadn’t completely finished fermenting before bottling. Without proper nutrient feedings during the early stages of fermentation, meads can take many months to finish…

[quote=“paultuttle”][quote=“Intheswamp”]Paul, my apologies for bringing up an older post, but how did your bottle carbonation go?

Ed[/quote]

I didn’t do it. What’s funny, is my peach mead, which I bottles 2 years ago, has carbonated itself. Pretty cool.[/quote]
I can understand the hesitation on bottle carbing. I’ve just got my first two batches of mead going and have never brewed or fermented (intentionally) anything before. I was looking at making a light sparkling mead but once I got into it I started reading about bottle bombs. I figured I didn’t need to be handing one of those to somebody as a gift, you know “Here try this…BOOM!!!”…not good for relationships. :shock: Anyhow, I got to looking at a basic kegging system to force carbonate and I’ll be going that route. Later, when I get a good bit of experience under my belt I figure I might try bottle carbing.

So…the peach turned out sparkling, eh? I bet that’s some good stuff!!! :smiley:

Thanks for the reply,
Ed

[quote=“Intheswamp”] Anyhow, I got to looking at a basic kegging system to force carbonate and I’ll be going that route. Later, when I get a good bit of experience under my belt I figure I might try bottle carbing.

So…the peach turned out sparkling, eh? I bet that’s some good stuff!!! :smiley:

Ed[/quote]

Hi Ed. It is more of the light fizz, maybe with a little foam. A real nose tickler. I have one bottle left that I’m saving. My other meads haven’t done that, so I’m thinking I may have let them completely finish.

So I can take it that you didn’t stabilize with sulphite and sorbate? That light fizz is what I’m looking for, hopefully the keg setup will do the trick. Of course I’ve gotta get some mead aged out to try it. :wink:

Ed

[quote=“Intheswamp”]So I can take it that you didn’t stabilize with sulphite and sorbate? That light fizz is what I’m looking for, hopefully the keg setup will do the trick. Of course I’ve gotta get some mead aged out to try it. :wink:

Ed[/quote]

No I did not. I did put citric acid in it.