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Old 04-30-2010, 01:36 AM   #1
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Default When to rack to secondary?

I started a strawberry melomel last weekend. Fermentation started up the next day and it's doing great. Strawberries in the primary. I'll add more later for flavor as needed.

7# clover honey
1.25# sage honey
3.5# strawberries (cut and frozen)
WLP720

The questions I have are - I remove the strawberries when they turn white correct? So then do I rack to secondary or leave it? Also racking to secondary, will fermentation continue?

Just not completely sure how to proceed.


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Old 04-30-2010, 10:15 PM   #2
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I never add fruit to primary, only secondary.

You do not want to move to secondary until you've hit the expected final gravity. Racking early removes a lot of yeast and you could easily stall your fermentation since mead is higher ABV and low in nitrogen (a bad environment for yeast)
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Old 05-01-2010, 01:07 AM   #3
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I work more with sugar than honey, but I add strawberries to my bucket primary, and then pull them after a week and rack to a secondary. It helps get rid of the head space. There will be plenty of sugar and yeast still suspended that fermentation will continue. Since you already added the strawberries from the sounds of it, that is what I would do.


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