Deployment Mead

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LightninHOPkins

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I want to brew a mead and let it sit in a secondary fermenter for 6 months while I'm deployed. Any guesses on whether it not it will still turn out well?
 
One concern I would have is making sure the fluid in the airlock doesn't evaporate away on you over the 6 months. The Starsan in my airlocks needs topping up once in a while. Not sure if cheap vodka would have the same requirement. How long before you leave.
 
You could get a liquid-less airlock, they run a few mire bucks but seem like it might be worth it.
 
For that length of time if you have no one to top off the airlocks or can't find liquidless locks, sterilize a balloon and put that on top.
 
Thanks for all the help! My wife can replenish the airlock for me so it looks like I'm gonna do this after all. Now I'll still be brewin' even though I'm gone!
 
Someone posted an image in the mead pics thread that they had said sat in PRIMARY for some insane amount of years. They reviewed it as fantastic. I've left mead on the lees for six months without any consequence. I think a lot (a lot, not all) of the fear of autolysis is based in impatience rather than results. Of course there are certain yeasts where this is a definite no-no, but I think most people would be surprised with the outcome if they'd just give it a chance.
I think the idea of letting a mead run while you're deployed is a fantastic idea. Especially if your lady will replenish the airlock!
 
Sitting for 6 months should not be a problem at all, in fact it might be better for your mead without you constantly tasting it ::) Make sure your alcohol content is high enough, try to choose a yeast that is suggested for sur lee (cant spell) aging. It will be nice to give you something to daydream about when you have a few free minutes. WVMJ
 
Awesome! I feel like this will work out great. I made a ginger mead and will be putting it into the secondary next week after 7 days in the primary. I got a 5 gallon carboy and will use sanitized glass marbles as necessary to make sure I only have 1 inch of headspace. Thanks for all the advice, well wishes, and service appreciation!
 
Yep, it'll be fine. Just before I left for a year in Afghanistan, I made about 8 beers and 4 meads. The wife was willing to babysit the airlocks, so I used a mix of glycerin and water in some, rotgut vodka from base in others (don't drink it; I swear it's a carbon group short of kerosene). The glycerin mixture lasted quite a while longer than the vodka. When I got back, I'd only lost one batch (a westy 12 clone...zero body and tasted like wet newspaper. Pretty sure that one oxidized).

Your mead will definitely benefit from being left to its own devices while you're gone; I have two meads bulk-aging and a Christmas ale bottle-conditioning while I'm deployed this time. Good luck!
 
I made a chocolate mead and left it on the gross lees for a year. Then racked to a secondary and it has just finished a year there.

Have a good deployment.
 
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