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SenorPepe · 12-09-2011, 06:49 PM

I have a few meads in gallon jugs that I would really really like to bottle soon. I was planning on racking each onto a gallon of campden to prevent oxidation. When I went to do this last night, I found my autosiphon not up to the task. I can go and get another one relatively soon but it would be really nice to be able to bottle tonight when I have more free time. So I wanted to elicit some advice from experienced winemakers. Since I'm using the campden and all have been racked a few times and have little to no sediment in them, could I pour them as carefully as possible into the bottling bucket or am I definitely better off siphoning? I'll just wait it out if this is going to negatively affect the mead but as I said if someone who has experience with this gives me the go-ahead it would be nice for me. Thanks, folks.

DoctorCAD · 12-09-2011, 08:09 PM

I wouldn't worry about the 10 minutes of air exposure, especially since the campden will be doing its job fending off O2.

I'd be more worried about carrying some sediment with your method than anything.

SenorPepe · 12-09-2011, 08:18 PM

Yeah I'm not worried about the time of exposure, more about the total cumulative effect of oxidation. If one tablet of campden will produce enough free SO2 (or whatever is doing the job) to de-oxidize (?) a pretty good amount of splashing, then I should be good. I just don't know if one campden tablet is only good for a gallon of mead that has been carefully tended. There's really not much sediment to carry over. Maybe the one with the most I'll let sit until I get another autosiphon

WIP · 12-09-2011, 09:39 PM

Do you have a piece of tubing? Just mouth siphon it. If you are using so2, it will be fine.

We use this method at the winery for smaller projects. It won't hurt anything.

SenorPepe · 12-09-2011, 09:40 PM

Huh...why didn't I think of that? The dosing is the same as stabilization levels, right? Great idea.

Cambone · 12-09-2011, 09:49 PM

Just make to sanitize your mouth with some nice bourbon

SenorPepe · 12-10-2011, 01:13 AM

lol that's too funny that's exactly what I did. I racked the mead right after adding some Wild Turkey 101 to my Denny's BVIP and sampling some.

Cambone · 12-10-2011, 03:20 AM

Wild turkey will get the job done. I tend to use Rebel Yell like Starsan. No rinse formula, just swallow

huesmann · 12-10-2011, 09:49 PM

You guys are too funny!