Posted: 2/23/2011 1:28:21 PM EDT
| I put together a batch of mead using this recipe Quick Mead back on 1/20. The bubbles in my airlock are over a minute apart now. I was wondering if I should rack it to a secondary now or wait a few more weeks. I opened it up the other day to smell it, to make sure nothing spoiled or anything, and it smells awesome. If I do rack it, do you need to add water or anything to the secondary to make up for lost volume from the fruit and leeds or just leave it short? Think I'm going to get another batch going after I rack this one, so kinda wanted to get that one going awhile. The recipe makes it sound like you don't even have to rack this one until you're ready to bottle, but i wanted to help the clearing along a bit. |
|
This is the recipe thread over on homebrewtalk.com.
Looks like you don't HAVE to rack it at the point your at. I have a batch of the same stuff going and it is clearing up nicely so far. I need to read that topic a bit more myself to figure out whether or not to top it up with water or mix a little honey with water to do it. |
|
Quoted:
This is the recipe thread over on homebrewtalk.com. Looks like you don't HAVE to rack it at the point your at. I have a batch of the same stuff going and it is clearing up nicely so far. I need to read that topic a bit more myself to figure out whether or not to top it up with water or mix a little honey with water to do it. I'll have to read up on that later tonight. From what I understand, if you add honey without stunning and stopping the yeast, it will start fermenting again. I think I would only add a small amount of honey to it right before bottling it for storage. You know more than I do though. I only did a 1 gal 1st batch that I short filled to begin with. I hate to loose even more volume after racking. It is what it is I guess. All those months for just a few bottles. Hope it turns out. I really think something with vanilla is going to happen next for me. Just have to research on how to flavor it. I read that making your own vanilla extract can be key to awesomeness. Thanks for the info. |
|
I used to make mead pretty regular. That was ages ago though.
I rarely racked except into bottles...but you have to be careful and make sure the fermentation is done else you have created grenades...waking up to the sounds of bottles exploding in the downstairs bathroom is an interesting experience...so I got to where I was waiting until i was SURE it was done, then waiting another week. But then I usually just made mead, not melomels (mead with fruit). A friend that made melomels regularly racked into a new carboy to let some of the sediment settle out. I also never added anything to up the volume later on. |
| Yeah, probably going to even let it go till the fruit settles to the bottom and then rack it. Maybe even twice. I am reading that the bread yeast is a bitch to rack because it stirs up so easily. I'm looking to do something with apples or apple cider. Can I just use my above recipe and replace the water with a store bought cider and and apple to make a cyser? Can that just be left go the same as the above recipe? I'm still researching. |
|
Quoted:
Yeah, probably going to even let it go till the fruit settles to the bottom and then rack it. Maybe even twice. I am reading that the bread yeast is a bitch to rack because it stirs up so easily. I'm looking to do something with apples or apple cider. Can I just use my above recipe and replace the water with a store bought cider and and apple to make a cyser? Can that just be left go the same as the above recipe? I'm still researching. I have heard that the bread yeast doesn't flocculate well... The orange slices are still floating in my JAOM recipe about 7 weeks in... one or two of the raisins have sunk, and the whole bottle is clearing up quite a bit. I also have a blackberry melomel I started with the bread yeast, but my third batch is using Lalvin D-47, so hopefully that stuff will flocculate better. I'm thinking about doing a few traditionals and then adding some liquid flavor extracts from the LHBS just to see what they come out like. |