Who racks? Who doesn't?

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rocketsan

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Yooper is legend around here and I know he does...

Curious to know who does and doesn't rack off primary...
 
"He" is a she...;)

I rack mine from primary into a keg. Unless you are making something from true cider apples, my personal opinion would be that you can drink it around 1 month+.
 
I rack my cider several times to make sure it is crystal clear before I keg it. I'm more of a wine guy than a beer guy, and when bulk aging wine you generally rack it a few times.
 
I do a warm, fast ferment. I rack after 3-4 days into a fermenter with a good seal, but then leave it a few months before bottling. A bit of lees is supposed to help with MLF, and can also soak up a bit of oxygen. I think it is good to leave cider on the lees for a while, even up to 6-9 months.
 
He is a she???




Then I love her.




Big time.

I am definitely a she. :D

I rack whenever I get really thick lees in primary, and then rack only when needed after that. Some ciders have a ton of pectin I guess, and drop a ton of lees, and some don't. It probably depends on how well I press the apples too, I think!
 
I racked from carboy to carboy after 1 month due to ~1" of lees buildup (including original pressing gunk). Now a month later, I have another 1/4 - 1/2" of lees buildup and the cider is nearly still. From what little I've read as a rookie, I've been anxious to rack again to get off the lees, yet keep things as-is in hopes of MLF.

Based on the responses so far, can I conclude that sitting on some lees for an extended period is ok, and potentially even beneficial?

--SiletzSpey
 
Based on the responses so far, can I conclude that sitting on some lees for an extended period is ok, and potentially even beneficial?

--SiletzSpey

No, but some yeast strains are better than others. Certain yeast strains get pretty foul from aging on the lees, but others are far more neutral.

There is no benefit from aging on the lees, though. Even sur lie aging in wine means stirring the lees to avoid unpleasant off flavors.
 
Yooper is legend around here and I know he does...

Curious to know who does and doesn't rack off primary...

I am brand new at this and haven't bottled a full batch yet. I racked two batches of crabapple cider after primary and then racked again after about a week. I'm letting them sit in carboys for awhile...haven't decided how long yet. I have a third batch in primary. I did a test bottle of each of the first two when I was racking them. I do have a question though...I'm using Munton's CarTabs to prime for cyser and I'm getting some white floaters suspended in the bottles. After several days, they don't seem to be settling. Any suggestions or experiences like this?
 
You should always get it off the bulk of the lees early after primary as this can cause unwanted flavors and offers no benefit. Small amounts of sediment settling out over time aren't as big of a concern.

With multiple rackings you need to be more concerned with oxidizing. If your not racking with C02 your more likely to cause problems than prevent them.
 

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