[Hayseed]

Can plastic pop/soda bottles be used to bottle sparkling mead? Yeah, I'm cheap. I jst don't know how much pressure to expect from wine vs pop/beer.

Dale

 

[BEES4U]

Home made root beer has been known to explode.
Getting a good seal on the plastic might be a challenge.
You need some better answers as I am not doung the mead to date.
Ernie

 

[rwlaw]

If your going to drink it w/ in a short amount of time, I can't see why not. But as pointed out by bees4u pop bottles are not good sealers.

 

[Ben Brewcat]

Absolutely. Be careful to sanitize well (which also means CLEANING well, if the bottles weren't rinsed enthusiastically right after use, dried-on sugars will need to be removed first). Understand however that plastic is oxygen-permeable, so these bottles aren't well-suited to long-term storage. But if you want to try it on something you'll consume in less than a year, they're inexpensive and readily available.

 

[mattoleriver]

Home made root beer has been known to explode.

I wouldn't worry too much about the plastic bottles exploding. I often fill two liter bottles from a keg and then top off the CO2 with one of these gizmos http://www.liquidbread.com/carb.html I crank the pressure up a whole lot higher than would ever be produced naturally inside the bottle and have never seen any indication of bottle failure.
About 40 years ago (when Blue Ribbon Malt, bakers yeast and white sugar were the only ingredients available) I made a batch of bottle bombs. It's pretty scary to find glass stuck in the walls and realize that any bottle could do the same at any time. That was a good inducement to learn a little about good procedures and following recipes.
George

 

[Jack Grimshaw]

you can stop/slow fermentation by storing in the fridge short term when it has reached the desired carbonation.