Sparkling Water Bottle For Sparkling Mead?

[BigManJames]

Relatively new brewer here, just a few questions:
1. I know that using regular wine bottles to make sparkling mead is a great way to make a ticking time bomb, and I don't care to spend big bucks on champagne just for the bottles. Can I use sparkling water bottles (S. Pellegrino, Topo Chico, etc.) to make sparkling mead for my next batch? Will they blow up?
2. What's a good ABV% to bottle at if I am to make sparkling mead (assuming I'm using D-47 yeast)?
3. Any recommendations on good champagne corks/wire cages?
4. About how much additional time is needed for decent carbonation to take place?

Thanks all in advance. I just finished my first 2 batches of wildflower mead & a blueberry melomel, and was wondering how to take these to the next level

 

[Blacksmith1]

I'm no expert, but I would think that any bottle with a carbonated product in it would hold against the pressure of an alcoholic carbonated beverage, Beer, cider, mead, or wine.

 

[RPh_Guy]

1. Yes you can use plastic bottles.
2. ABV is irrelevant. You need to determine how much sugar will ferment in the bottle. How you do this depends on your process.
3. No, sorry... But I think I think "Belgian" corks are best for this, and all cages are probably the same. Put an Allen wrench in a drill to tighten them
4. Bottle carbonation can take days to weeks, sometimes months. It depends.

Hope this helps.

 

[BigManJames]

Thank you! Though I guess I probably should have specified for my first question that I meant glass bottles. I like to save the plastic bottles so I can fill them up with water & freeze them, to keep my meads in a cool bath during the summer months (gets to be 120°F where I live). Thanks for the other tips though, I'll definitely take them into consideration

 

[RPh_Guy]

Any bottle designed to hold pressure will hold pressure. Still, every container has its limits.

A glass sparkling water bottle may not hold as much pressure as a "champagne" wine bottle.

 

[laughing jack]

Another option for bottles is a restaurant. If they have a champagne brunch, you might be able to get their empties pretty cheap simply by asking. Also, they might be crown finished as opposed to cork, saving you the effort of corking and caging.

As for improving your meads, staggered nutrient additions improved mine noticeably as well as shortening the aging time to make them drinkable.

RPh Guy- thanks for the Allen wrench idea. That sounds much easier than doing the cages by hand.

 

[S-Met]

Champagne isn't all that pricey, you can often get deals on Mumm for 12-15 a bottle. Korbel can be found for 8-10 and is sort of drinkable. Decent Prosecco and Cava can be had for the $8-15. Empty bottles and shipping will cost $6-8 each. I'd rather enjoy the bubbles.

Plastic corks and wire cages are relatively inexpensive. .10per cork and about the same for the cages.

 

[Shine0n]

My Lhbs has bottles and they're inexpensive and so are the corks and cages so maybe look at yours and see what they offer.
I do also get empties from my favorite bar, I give the owner and bartenders mead so they save me the bottles. Win Win