Q2XL

Recipes 

I have a number of meads and melomels that are in the secondary carboys for aging. I know that it is a good thing to get the mead of the lees. But my concern is that I know that I will lose some mead during the transfer to another carboy and the result will be more headspace in the new carboy.

So, what is worse...leaving the mead on a thin layer of lees(long-term) or having a bit more headspace after transfering for long-term aging?

MedsenFey

Recipes 

It depends on what you have. If you have a batch that had some sulfur odors, leaving it on potentially stinky lees may be worse. If you are using yeast that can be funky (like 71B) then leaving it on the lees may be worse. If there is fruit pulp involved the lees may be worse.

On the other hand, if you have something with delicate fruit aroma, too much headspace may cause it to deteriorate. Obviously it acetic acid bacteria are present, or some lactic acid bacteria, too much headspace may lead to a spoiled batch

The fact is, both options can be bad. My answer is rack off the lees and take some action to prevent air in the headspace. See this thread.

Q2XL

Recipes 

As always....Thanks Medsen.