Birthday Mead advice

[UncleBilly88]

Ok I have been brewing beer and cider for years with a few years recent absence. I have never tried doing a mead till recently. I have a just finished a J.A.O.M. with another a couple weeks out. I am wanting to brew some more advanced " happy 21st " batches for my nieces, and have some questions. One is 2 years away, one is 5 years away and 2 are 15+ away.(hope I have the patience)
I haven't decided on specific recipes yet so just general ???
How long can I (or should I) leave a Gal. in carboy? I was thinking 6 mo. with another 6 in secondary, then bottling. Having one nice 750ml engraved bottle for them and the rest to taste throughout the time. Too long in carboy or too short?
Does aging happen as well in bottles or should I leave in bulk longer?
Should I invest in a corker or would screw tops seal well enough for long term (15+ years) aging? (think the answer is probably obvious here.)
Does a melomel age the same as a show?
Is 1 bottle enough for a really special gift? I do want to be the COOL uncle!

Just looking for advice and suggestions. If you think this is a dumb idea then tell me. Thinking a unique bottle with Happy 21st, brew date, and date of the actual birthday engraved on bottle would make a really awesome gift years from now.
Thanks Uncle Billy

 

[fatbloke]

The stronger the batch the longer the ageing. Bulk aging is better than bottle as it gives the home brewer consistency.

If you balance the must properly you could have the main ferment complete in a week or two....

It's not the smartest move to think in time frames.......yeasts don't wear a watch

Two years for the first one is plenty of time.....

Screw tops reuse isn't a good idea but cork and bottling wax look very smart......

Have a look over at gotmead forums. The "NewBee" guide is excellent and linked in the left side yellow box on the forums front page....

 

[thgirwa]

Gotmead.com is where I started when I first started meadmaking.
Since then, I have purchased the Compleat Meadmaker by Ken Schramm which I highly recommend (between 10 and 15 bucks on Amazon.
Also, check out this BrewingTV episode with Curt Stock http://brewingtv.com/episodes/2010/10/8/brewing-tv-episode-21-making-mead-with-curt-stock.html

Agree with Fatbloke - yeast don't wear a watch. But primary isn't that long, I typically rack before a month is up. If I want to add spices/fruit/etc I typically add to secondary, but if you don't add nutrients (I highly recommend adding yeast nutrient and energizer) you should add fruit to primary. It's better to bulk age then it is to bottle age.

Corks over screw tops for sure. I use #9 corks which will preserve your mead for up to 10 years and adding bottling wax gives more protection. Also, remember this is a gift, you want it to look as cool as possible. A hand-dipped clear bottle with a clear mahogany liquid makes for a great presentation.

I would recommend giving them two bottles, they'll probably want to drink one on their birthday but it'd be nice if they could hold on to one to age for a while as well.

Melomels are like red wines, and show meads are like white wines when it comes to aging.

I think its a great idea, definitely cool Uncle.

 

[UncleBilly88]

Thanks Fatbloke and Thgirwa! I hadn't thought of bottling wax, I am really liking that suggestion. I kind of figured I would have to buy a corker, now I can blame you guys on the expense. However I have plenty of time before bottling. Guess the batches will tell me when to rack, then bulk age for as long as needed.
As for two bottles as a gift... come on! Then what am I going to drink??? I want to be the cool Uncle. I'm not a saint!
Just started the first batch today, going for a Vanilla Blackberry Sweet Melomel. I'm really exited about it.
Can anyone say for sure that the yeasties don't wear watches? Pretty small... Maybe little bitty Timex?

 

[fatbloke]

Timex ? No. Yeast are classy like beasts and given most are of European origin, more likely Rolex or at least something Swiss

Given the bogey time for your first intended presentation, you've enough time for something nice...

If you find you want something that you want to age for longer, think about how and the types of reds like that i.e. drier and a bit more tannic etc. Stronger meads needs aging longer but the higher alcohol is more protecting etc.....

 

[gratus fermentatio]

As for two bottles as a gift... come on! Then what am I going to drink??? I want to be the cool Uncle. I'm not a saint!

Make 3 gallon batches, that way you'll have the gift bottles, plenty of testers & a couple of bottles for yourself...
Think of it as "research," and the rewards for said "research."
Regards, GF.

 

[thgirwa]

I agree with the three gallons.

I started off with a general timeline when I first started. I added fruit to primary not secondary, so I would rack off after two weeks, let it sit for another month, and then rack off again and let it sit there until I was ready to bottle (around 8 months). But my process has changed a little every single batch, so the time frame changes because they are ready a lot sooner now. And every batch is different. I did two batches the exact same way right before I moved out of the country, and my brother just bottled one batch for me. He said its fantastic but that the other way had a lot of higher alcohols, so I'm going to age it for a lot longer and maybe add something fun to it. So at the end of the day, its just how it plays out.