Hi From Hull , Having Mead Problems ...

[spaiel]

So I made a basic homebrew mead about 7 weeks ago with clear honey , Lalvin D-47 yeast and strong black tea and lemon juice as the yeast nutrient in 2 5 gallon jugs. One has almost stopped bubbling.At the time I didn't know anything about measuring the specific gravity, hydrometers or anything. I just had two 2 5 gallon jugs , 2 airlocks Lalvin D-47 yeast and a whole lot of honey.
I 've been googling for the last week or so about when to bottle the mead as I want a bunch ready for Christmas but I can't find any clear instructions . One thing I do know how to tell is by using a hydrometer, however, obviously didn't take any initial readings . All I know right now is that the fermentation in one jug has completely slowed down and that it's looking pretty clear so I have 3 main questions.
1. All the yeast etc. that's settled in the bottom does that get left out during bottling?
2. Is it ready for bottling, if not how do I tell when it is without using a hydrometer?
3. How long should I wait to drink it after bottling?

 

[johncrobinson]

Well mead is a slow drink to make can in fact take months
So question
(1) Do NOT include the rubbish.
(2) If its clear and finished fermenting its ready to be bottled
(3) As long as your patient good mead can take years to reach its peak but most will be (Drinkable) once its cleared.

Hope this helps

 

[An Ankoù]

You need some proper yeast nutrient, tea and lemon juice won't do it. they're there to give a bot of tannic astringency and some acidity. Get a proper wine nutrient and use a teaspoonful per gallon to start with and then more later on. Honey is notoriously low in nutrients.
Amd as JCR says, it takes ages. I make 4 or four gallons at a time and it stays in the fermentor for a year. I top it up with more honey when the airlock stops bubbling until it doesn;t restart again- and more nutrient. Then it needs a year or more in the bottle.
The stuff we neck down in Valhalla, on the other hand, comes in a barrel with a foamy head on it as it is fermenting at full pelt.

 

[johncrobinson]

Good advice An Ankou.

 

[Banbeer]

Hi, welcome to the forum

 

[steveinUS]

Hydrometer readings would still be helpful to you. Take a reading now from each of your jugs, and for the next 4 weeks or so. If the reading doesn't drop, it's probably done fermenting out the sugars and you could bottle some for Christmas enjoyment. Also, tasting it now will tell you if you will want to serve it at Christmas. The flavors will mature with more aging, but if it doesn't taste good now, it won't change materially between now and Christmas. Sometimes it takes me a long time to learn a lesson, but one thing I have taken to heart is that a lousy tasting early mead will probably still be a lousy tasting mead in a year, whereas a good tasting mead will be a GREAT tasting mead in a year.