Bottling Mead

[Jeff_beazley]

Hi,

Question of bottling a 5l demijohn of mead - would it affect the final product if I half full 750ml bottles?

Cheers,

Jeff

 

[pmunny]

my presumption would be yes due to oxidisation but happy for others to tell me i'm wrong....

 

[barls]

why not just use stubbies. ive just done a demi of mead into 500mls worked fine. id ether fill the bottle or leave it.

 

[Fat Rocky]

I do not like to leave more than 2cm space in the neck of the bottle. The space is called ullege. If you have a half bottle use a 330ml beer bottle.

 

[labels]

Oxidation can be a problem OR a deliberate part of the taste profile. For example, sherry is a deliberately oxidised wine and tastes really nice. If your mead is sweet and high in alcohol it may actually benefit from oxidation but if it's a fresh, low alcohol type it will probably destroy it. If that makes sense.

Steve

 

[Jeff_beazley]

Thanks all.

 

[Deep End]

Just thought I'd bring this old post back to life with a question.

Whats the preferred type/colour bottle for Mead?

From what little research I have conducted, old white wine bottles and corks seem to be the best method for long term maturation?

Thoughts, experiences, ideas?

Cheers

 

[Airgead]

I use old wine bottles and synthetic corks. Seems to work fine.

I tend to use white wine bottles (pale green) rather than the darker ones and I even occasionally use clear ones. Doesn't really seem to matter.

The synthetic corks are easier than the "real" ones and more consistent. You need a good corker though. Those double lever types just won't push them through.

Cheers
Dave

 

[AntonW]

use nice small beer bottles with crown seals. it's a good way to bottle aged mead even if you aren't running short.

edit: Keep it in the demijohn as long as you can. Someone told me that the conditioning process happens better on a larger scale. Maybe because of the amount of yeast?
How you store your mead is probably more important than the bottles you store it in.

edit2: got confused by the new question... mixed 'em up.

 

[Mr. No-Tip]

I've got a bunch of vintage coke bottles and regional soda bottles. They look great with mead in them.