I have some mead fermenting. It is the first time doing it and I have no idea how would it be bottled. I have one sweet and one dry version
- Should I use beer bottles that can resist pressure?
- Is carbonation using sugar needed/recommended/possible?
You can carbonate or not, depending on your preference. You do so by adding priming sugar to the bottling bucket, just like with beer. If you choose to carbonate, you will need a bottle that can handle the pressure:
If bottling still (uncarbonated), you can use any of the above, or ordinary wine bottles with corks. You will not be able to carbonate if you have:
Notes: If you exceeded the alcohol tolerance of the yeast, adding a new yeast may overcarbonate and cause the bottles to explode. It is possible to refrigerate or pasteurize once the desired level of carbonation is reaches. Here's some more information: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/easy-stove-top-pasteurizing-pics-193295/ (I've never done this; please be careful)
Other options for sweet mead are to pasteurize or stabilize first, then add additional sugars, which won't ferment. It is then no longer possible to prime the bottles, but you could force-carbonate in a keg.