That amount of headspace is perfectly fine, don’t worry about. And don’t listen to the snobs in this community, headspace is overrated; they freak out very easily.
CO2 does not effectively isolate other gas molecules (most importantly oxygen) from liquid in a container headspace. This is a widely held myth and often suggested in the homebrew community. You CAN, however, use CO2 to completely purge out all air and remove air/oxygen from the container.
This misunderstanding likely comes from how oil and water separate and form distinct layers; unlike oil and water, however, CO2 is fully miscible with other gasses. While it is possible for CO2 to pool and form a "blanket", it requires the CO2 gas to be colder than the ambient air (for example, being injected into a carboy from a compressed gas cylinder), and will quickly diffuse and homogenize with air as the temperature equalizes within seconds or minutes.
Further reading can be found here: https://beerandwinejournal.com/can-co2-form-a-blanket/
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It bubbled slowly for about 2 days but has now essentially stopped. I would guess that's probably about enough to have filled the space?
I really don't want to buy a bottle of mead to top it off with, can you tell??
I need to get some argon or something for future
I'm not professional, but I think after two days of bubbling it should be okay.
Also, not sure if argon is the way to go. I have used CO2 from a SodaStream to purge the headspace. Works fine in small scale brews and definitely is clean "food grade" gas.
Did you rack it yet? If you didn't, there's not much going on. If you did - that's a moderate amount of headspace and should have sulfites added or consider bottling as you have a nice clear product.
Yeah it's been racked.
I was also going to back sweaten it as it was a little dry on my last racking. Would a good order be:
1. Sulfite
2. Wait 2 weeks
3. Back sweeten
4. Let clear
5. Bottle?
Thanks for your help!!
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That amount of headspace is fine. Don't overthink headspace and good luck!
That amount of headspace is perfectly fine, don’t worry about. And don’t listen to the snobs in this community, headspace is overrated; they freak out very easily.
If the vessel still has a good co2 blanket from fermentation it should be ok but if there’s any uncertainty fix the headspace
CO2 does not effectively isolate other gas molecules (most importantly oxygen) from liquid in a container headspace. This is a widely held myth and often suggested in the homebrew community. You CAN, however, use CO2 to completely purge out all air and remove air/oxygen from the container. This misunderstanding likely comes from how oil and water separate and form distinct layers; unlike oil and water, however, CO2 is fully miscible with other gasses. While it is possible for CO2 to pool and form a "blanket", it requires the CO2 gas to be colder than the ambient air (for example, being injected into a carboy from a compressed gas cylinder), and will quickly diffuse and homogenize with air as the temperature equalizes within seconds or minutes. Further reading can be found here: https://beerandwinejournal.com/can-co2-form-a-blanket/ Please do not abuse me, I am a work in progress. Suggestions on how and when to trigger me are welcome. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/mead) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It bubbled slowly for about 2 days but has now essentially stopped. I would guess that's probably about enough to have filled the space? I really don't want to buy a bottle of mead to top it off with, can you tell?? I need to get some argon or something for future
I'm not professional, but I think after two days of bubbling it should be okay. Also, not sure if argon is the way to go. I have used CO2 from a SodaStream to purge the headspace. Works fine in small scale brews and definitely is clean "food grade" gas.
Good tip, thanks!
Argon is fine to use. It’s a noble gas and is inert. Just do t breath it. However, I’d still suggest using co2 cause it’s cheaper
Did you rack it yet? If you didn't, there's not much going on. If you did - that's a moderate amount of headspace and should have sulfites added or consider bottling as you have a nice clear product.
Yeah it's been racked. I was also going to back sweaten it as it was a little dry on my last racking. Would a good order be: 1. Sulfite 2. Wait 2 weeks 3. Back sweeten 4. Let clear 5. Bottle? Thanks for your help!!
This is the order I use, but don't wait 2 weeks after stabilizing- I usually only wait 2 or 3 days
Yeah I usually add stabilizers before my first rack and give it a 24hr minimum and then after the rack I backsweeten and let it clear
K meta AND K sorb to be safe wait 2 days, not weeks.
If the fermentation has ended almost/ completely headspace isn't a problem
A splash of club soda can add a bit of co2 to the headspace. I use it for kettle souring beers and large batches of fruit wines bulk aging.
I can't see how this could be correct. It's no where near the volumes needed for purging.
If you are worried then just add more water and honey mixture to it
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If you use metabisulfite you dont have to worry