# First mead Joe's Ancient Orange



## SuiGeneris (Feb 13, 2018)

Siphon away - you'll get a bit of oxygen, but it should be OK.

If you're really worried (and your friend is OK with sulfites) you can add a 1/4 teaspoon of potassium (or sdoium) metabisulfate to the bottling bucket and then siphon the mead onto that. The metabisulate will scavenge the oxygen and give the mead a longer shelf life.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

Is oxygen bad cause it might introduce wild yeast or start the yeast back up or are there other reasons it causes problems? 
Thanks
gww


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## SuiGeneris (Feb 13, 2018)

It can create off-flavours. They taste similar to that cardboardy-note that cereal gets when its old. Not tasty.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

SuiG....
Thanks, I have a quart of my first going just to see what it is like. Not quite a month in and not made with hydrometers or honestly even a vapor lock (just a lid with weight on it). Used bread yeast. It is clearing up and taste like rubbing alcohol or something but not really wine. I just did it to see what a rushed batch (say deer season) might taste like. So you can see that I am not too serious about it yet. I just have never tasted mead and so even a bad batch will be more then I have had so far.

I have been watching your other post on this subject and so thought this would be a perfect place for me to ask this question.

Thanks for taking the time to answer.
Cheers
gww


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## bevy's honeybees (Apr 21, 2011)

SuiGeneris said:


> Siphon away - you'll get a bit of oxygen, but it should be OK.
> 
> If you're really worried (and your friend is OK with sulfites) you can add a 1/4 teaspoon of potassium (or sdoium) metabisulfate to the bottling bucket and then siphon the mead onto that. The metabisulate will scavenge the oxygen and give the mead a longer shelf life.


I ordered some from Amazon, thank you!


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## SuiGeneris (Feb 13, 2018)

Just to clarify, use 1/4 tsp metasulfate per 5 US gallons (19L) of mead.


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