When should I rack my mead for secondary?

cscala · 09-28-2010, 02:44 PM

I am making my first mead according to Ken Schramm's Compleat Meadmaker book. We substituted the yeast with something my local brew shop recommended, which I regret (and in fact once I clean out my fermenter I will be making a batch with the proper yeast). The instructions in the book are somewhat vague as to when to transfer the mead to a new container - at least to someone like myself who is a bit nervous about getting it right...

We started this batch on Sept 12, so it's been just a bit over two weeks. At it's most active, the airlock was bubbling more than 1x per second, now it's slowed to roughly 1x per 2-3 seconds... Should I wait longer or let it keep going until it slows down more?

I have tons and tons more questions but for now I'll just leave it at this...

Thanks in advance for your assistance!

MedsenFey · 09-28-2010, 03:20 PM

As a general rule, I suggest racking when the mead is finished (or nearly so). The best way to judge this is by taking a gravity measurement. You can't really determine it by watching bubble rates because that is quite unreliable, and even fermentations which are just stuck stop bubbling.

It may also be helpful to know what the starting gravity was, and which yeast you used.

Medsen

cscala · 09-29-2010, 12:49 PM

I looked up the yeast, and I believe it is the red star premier cuvee yeast. In hindsight, I really regret not being patient and ordering the Lalvin 71b-1122 recommended by the recipe... but as I said I plan another batch almost immediately so I will have two batches to compare soon enough!

As for the specific gravity, I didn't have a hydrometer when I started the process (although I do now). If it helps, the recipe called for 15 # honey + 5 Gallons of water, plus nutrient and energizer. I believe the expected value is in the book, and I try to be as conservative and exact as possible whenever I do something from the first time, so I shouldn't be too far off provided the honey and other ingredients fall in line with the expected values. I'll see if I can find that and post itlater.

It's still slowing down, I timed it last evening at around 1 x per 4 seconds now.

Schramm's recipe says "after a couple weeks" and mentions something about after vigorous fermentation has ended. As I said, it's pretty vague. My inclination is to wait until this coming weekend, and transfer it then - but I'd certainly like a second or third opinion!

Is there any way to test the SG without losing product? I don't have a test flask, just the hydrometer.

cscala · 09-29-2010, 02:52 PM

After reading some more, I used the calculator spreadsheet & came up with 1.085 OG if that helps.

Tread82 · 09-29-2010, 03:40 PM

Ive learned to take my LHBS suggestions with a grain of salt after they gave me some pretty suspect info.

WheresOurFish · 09-29-2010, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cscala

Is there any way to test the SG without losing product? I don't have a test flask, just the hydrometer.

I use a bucket as my primary fermenter, and just float my sanitized hydrometer in it directly. You do have to make sure to be very careful not to break the hydrometer, of course. Also, if you use this method, make sure there aren't a lot of bubbles or yeast on the hydrometer, as this can slightly change the reading. I just use the tip of the hydrometer to gently clear a spot on the surface to insert through, and then give it a spin once it's in the must to help remove any bubbles.

If you're using a carboy as your primary, I wouldn't recommend floating the hydrometer in it. If I need to take a reading from a carboy, I bought a special test tube that can be inserted to take a sample, and it has a release valve on the bottom to easily drain the sample back into the carboy when I'm done. Some people don't recommend returning the sample, because of the possibility of contamination, but the way I see it, I have to put something in there to pull the sample, and it's just as likely to contaminate the entire batch when you dip it in. If you're strict with your sanitation, the risks can be minimalized.

cscala · 09-30-2010, 12:39 PM

Hmm. My fermenter is a beer carboy (6+ gallons to leave plenty of headroom for foam and whatnot), my intended secondary is 5 Gallon glass carboy (18.9 liters I believe) so dropping the hydrometer in sounds kind of chancy...

I just realized that I have some glass tubing that I can make into a makeshift test jar (Another hobby is glassblowing) so I don't end up wasting a lot of product... which is a relief.

From what I'm reading, the only downside to racking twice or more is the possibility of contamination, which can be minimized by appropriate sanitation...so if I rack too early and get lots of junk precipitating out I can rack again and it should be ok, right?

Sadly, despite the fact that I live in a very well-populated area, home brewing does not seem very popular here. Getting a second opinion is well-nigh impossible, and even a first opinion can be a hassle! The "local" brew shop is an hour's drive away. There's another one about the same distance in the other direction but given a choice I'll avoid Miami traffic, thank you.

Ahh well.

So where can I find good information about back-sweetening without additional fermentation? I think this batch is going to turn out a bit dry!

**biochemedic** · 09-30-2010, 04:46 PM

Here's my theory...the reason I like brewing mead is I can largely forget about it. If the primary is 13 weeks, so be it. I had a cyser that I kept in primary for 7 months...it had cleared so well I bottled straight from there, and it was great.

That being said, the wisdom that I live by is that "primary is for fermenting, and secondary is for aging." I second Medsen in that you should not rack until your fermentation is complete...I would go further and add that you should wait at least a week or two after that. This may hold true more for beer, but probably has some bearing in mead also, but even once the sugar fermentation is done, the yeast are still active, and during that period after the main ferment completes, the yeast "clean up" after themselves, and end up metabolizing a lot of the compounds that can cause off flavors. As can be attested to by my cyser experience, no harm will come to your mead from an extended primary...

MedsenFey · 09-30-2010, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cscala

From what I'm reading, the only downside to racking twice or more is the possibility of contamination, which can be minimized by appropriate sanitation...so if I rack too early and get lots of junk precipitating out I can rack again and it should be ok, right?

The biggest problem with racking too early is that you may leave behind a lot of active yeast, and can sometimes have a fermentation stall as a result. Generally speaking, I try to let it finish, then rack. I'll then rack every time it accumulates a layer of lees more than 1/4 to 1/2 inch, until it is clear. That may be 2-4 times in most cases. If you rack carefully, and sanitize properly the risks of contamination or oxidation are minimal.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cscala

Sadly, despite the fact that I live in a very well-populated area, home brewing does not seem very popular here. Getting a second opinion is well-nigh impossible, and even a first opinion can be a hassle! The "local" brew shop is an hour's drive away. There's another one about the same distance in the other direction but given a choice I'll avoid Miami traffic, thank you.

Tell me about it.

Since Brewmasters closed, the options are few and far between.
You might try the Fort Lauderdale Area Brewers (FLAB) meetings.

cscala · 10-10-2010, 12:50 AM

Ok Update time:

Measured the SG, it's dead on 1.000, so I think it's done... Schramm's book said that it should be anywhere from 1.03 to 1.01, I'm guessing that the low SG is due to the yeast attenuation. I racked to my glass carboy. I have a sample in the fridge to taste in a bit...

edit: Missed something when taking SG reading. The temperature was 75, so SG reading should have been 1.002.