How active is a mead fermentation?

[bklynbrewer]

I will be making my first mead soon and was wondering how full I could fill a carboy and not risk a blow-over?
Also, I will be letting this sit for a good long time, at least a year. Is a better bottle the way to go or can I do it in bucket, I'm not sure about the oxygen sensitivity of mead.

[tavish2]

it doesnt really krausen cause that is mostly due to protiens that are in beer. and as far as O2, its good to give it plenty of O2 until it starts fermenting but since most meads have to age for a long time, oxygen after that is probably not such a good thing unless you like the flavor of cardboard.

[Bellmer]

I will be making my first mead soon and was wondering how full I could fill a carboy and not risk a blow-over?
Also, I will be letting this sit for a good long time, at least a year. Is a better bottle the way to go or can I do it in bucket, I'm not sure about the oxygen sensitivity of mead.

You can fill it way up, no krausen. Oxygenate for the yeast. Primary can be done in whatever, but it is best to transfer to a secondary off the trub into a glass carboy or better bottle with less oxygen permeation.

[BDawg]

+1 and don't forget your yeast nutrient.

[bklynbrewer]

Awesome, thanks for the input. I'm going to a local bee keeper in the next week or two and will try some of his honeys. I am leaning towards wildflower, but we'll see.

[Bellmer]

+1 and don't forget your yeast nutrient.

Yes! +2. Don't forget that, they really need it in mead. Also, generally it is advised that you not use wildflower/dark honey because it sometimes produces a really harsh flavor and you don't know what all varieties are used in it. However, I have heard of a few people who have had it work (depends on which wildflowers I guess). So, just know that there is a chance it may be a little harsh, but don't be afraid to experiment and let us know how it goes!

[bklynbrewer]

Wow, that is good to know. So should I stick to something like orchard blossom honey or a single fruit/berry?

[Bellmer]

Wow, that is good to know. So should I stick to something like orchard blossom honey or a single fruit/berry?

I don't want to scare you off from using it. It is entirely possible to get something good from it, it is just generally advised against because you don't really know what is in it.

Orange blossom, clover, toofaloe (I know I spelled that wrong), Sage, and some of the fruit honeys are the ones usually suggested to make mead when you are starting out since they are consistently good. Northern Brewer and a few other online sellers I just checked all sell wildflower honey and recommend it, but all of them specify that it is lighter. So, I would say if the wildflower you can get is on the lighter side, definitely don't be scared to use it. I just wanted to share that I have heard that it is not recommended to use it by some people. I don't think you would make a bad mead by any stretch, but since it is your first mead you may want to try one of the old go-tos first.

Or...

What I did the very first time I made mead was make a bunch of 1-gallon batches in the mini-carboys you can get at your LHBS. Then I spread out the vial of yeast I was using amongst them. This was a pretty good way to get an idea of what the different honeys I had tasted like. However, one turned out well and the rest sucked, so I wish I had made all that one kind instead (which is what I did the second batch and is still aging).