Aging in Bulk or bottles?
- Thread starter McJeff
- Start date
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I try to bulk age in glass carboys as long as possible before I bottle. My understanding is that it can provide more consistent aging than in individual bottles. It also provides a longer time for making adjustments. That being said, you can bottle any time after you are certain that fermentation has stopped, you have stabilized the mead, and you have confirmed that the gravity is stable for a few weeks. Make sure that you do not bottle without confirming that the mead has been stabilized. If you still have any fermentable sugars in your mead, that is a recipe for bottle bombs.
Hello McJeff:
Both aging are good. But you have to understand what happen during each one. For example, during bulk aging alcohol react with acids and some esters are obtained, esters give to your mead what use to be called "bouquet", at least they improve it, and as you know, part of the tasting senses occurs not in your tongue, but in your nose. Because of this, I don't use airlock during bulk aging, I prefer esters' force condensation, in my home town temperature reach 97°F, so I prefer to seal my barrels.
Before bottling I use to bottle only one bottle, after two or three months I verify if there is any sediment. I repeat this procedure until no sediment, it is a very pleasant procedure ... believe me. Also, this procedure help me to follow how aging goes.
Saludes,
As a sparkling wine fan and from the info I've gotten from many tastings when I lived in Chicago area. Bigger is better. A fair champagne in 750ml will be good in magnum. This has borne out in my experience....not that I can afford magnums any more. My guess is mead would work the same as wine or champagne/Cava/proseco. Maybe the experts will correct still in earlier newbee stages myself.
Bulk aging gets my vote
I strongly agree with Noe. My experience has been with fruit wines and even after many months after all fermentation has ceased they are still dropping fine sediment. That, coupled with the interaction of the alcohol on the esters means that I am going to get greater consistency if I allow the wine to bulk age rather than divide five gallons into 25 individual bottles.
Like many folk, I have limited patience and so I sometimes chaff at the bit to bottle sooner but a year of bulk aging is really not a long time.
I strongly agree with Noe. My experience has been with fruit wines and even after many months after all fermentation has ceased they are still dropping fine sediment. That, coupled with the interaction of the alcohol on the esters means that I am going to get greater consistency if I allow the wine to bulk age rather than divide five gallons into 25 individual bottles.
Like many folk, I have limited patience and so I sometimes chaff at the bit to bottle sooner but a year of bulk aging is really not a long time.
I think as long as it is aged, whether in bulk or bottle, you will get the benefits and the development of bouquet. My reason for bulk aging is mainly because I don't want to waste time bottling something that isn't good. As long as it is still in bulk I can keep tweaking, backsweetening, fining, acidifying, tanning (is that the right word for adding tannins?), oaking and blending until I am sure that little wifey and/or I like it. Then it's worth bottling.
Bulk aging also takes up less space.
Bulk aging also takes up less space.
im learning something new myself every day. Its usually when i do something wrong
McJeff:
I'd been there ... Oh yes, I'd been there.
Saludes,
