When to rack?

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Dagobah

Dagobah

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My first batch has been fermenting for a little over two weeks. I'm using the orange blossom recipe from "The Complete Meadmaker".

It says to rack after 2-weeks. However it still seems to be fermenting at a pretty high rate. I'm getting bubbles in the airlock every 7-8 seconds. I've read elsewhere to wait until that's closer to every 30 seconds or more.

Any harm in doing it now vs waiting? I'm in no hurry if it won't harm the mead.
 
1. Do you have a hydrometer or refactometer?
a. If you do, take readings for a few days, if the reading is steady for 3 days or so, you've probably completed primary fermentation and you're okay to rack to secondary.
2. Honey has been known to ferment fairly slowly, let it take it's time.
3. You'll see all over this forum that airlock bubbling is not necessarily related to fermentation activity... which is true. Temp changes, floor vibrations, barometric pressure variations can all lead to increased perception of fermentation due to increased bubbling in the airlock.

You're in good shape bud, just let it sit if you have the time to wait it out. In the meantime, buy a refractometer to take readings, but just be careful to avoid oxidation or contamination each time you remove the bung to take your readings.
 
I always wait until it's done fermenting before moving my mead. Plus, unless you plan on adding more sugar sources after racking (like fruit) then you won't get another fermentation. Post primary, you're racking to brite tanks.

For how long it will take, it depends on the OG, honey, yeast, temperatures, how much nutrient you gave it, and several other factors (those are the major ones IMO). I have a batch that's been fermenting for just over two months now. It's slowing down, finally, but it's still going. I had two other batches (much lower OG) that were finished in just under a month.

Unless you're making a pretty low OG/ABV mead, chances are you're looking at a month, possibly/probably more (3, or more, is not uncommon) before it's actually ready to be racked.

BTW, what's the batch OG? Did you give it nutrient? How did you oxygenate/aerate/degas it? What yeast is it using?
 
gypsyhead said:
You're in good shape bud, just let it sit if you have the time to wait it out. In the meantime, buy a refractometer to take readings, but just be careful to avoid oxidation or contamination each time you remove the bung to take your readings.
Click to expand...

Picked one up this weekend! What's the best way I should go about getting the mead from the fermenter into the test tube so I can use the refractometer?

Considered using a hose/racking cane setup. But seems like there might be an easier way I'm not thinking of...
 
Dagobah said:
Picked one up this weekend! What's the best way I should go about getting the mead from the fermenter into the test tube so I can use the refractometer?

Considered using a hose/racking cane setup. But seems like there might be an easier way I'm not thinking of...
Click to expand...

Wine thief, beer thief, turkey baster to name just three easy methods.
 
What if I fermenting traditional with 71B yeast? Its taking its sweet time. Should I rack it or leave it alone untill fermentation is completed? I've heard its bad for mead to sit on 71B lees for too long
 
paraordnance said:
What if I fermenting traditional with 71B yeast? Its taking its sweet time. Should I rack it or leave it alone untill fermentation is completed? I've heard its bad for mead to sit on 71B lees for too long
Click to expand...

How long has it been? "Normal" time frame with 71B is about a month, or within a week (or so) of fermentation finishing. As lomg ad it's still fermenting, I'd leave it alone.
 
Its been 3 weeks and about 30-40% sugars left, now its really slowed down though, I suspect it will take at least a full month. I fermented blueberry mead with same yeast and its finished in a month and tasted good from primary.
 
All other meads with 1116, 1118 and cyser with 71b ferment out in less than a week usually. D47 takes little longer, but no more than 2-3 weeks. I notice that fruit or juice speed up fermentation dramatically.
 
Went ahead and racked last night. Specific gravity was between 1.001 and 1.000 when I took the measurement.

Took a sip, very sweet and boozy, but good flavor. (Pic below)

How long should I expect to wait for it to clear before bottling?

6907350143_84511b13e7_o.png
 
Mead should be CLEAR before you bottle it. See how it looks in another few months. Rack it when you see more than 1/8" to 1/4" of sediment on the bottom of the carboy. Keeping it in bulk form will also help to mellow the 'boozy' taste you're getting.

Remember, mead is a drink that takes many MONTHS to go from formulation to bottle/glass. I would schedule anything over 14% for a solid year before you go to bottle it. Do NOT rush mead...
 
Golddiggie said:
Mead should be CLEAR before you bottle it. See how it looks in another few months. Rack it when you see more than 1/8" to 1/4" of sediment on the bottom of the carboy. Keeping it in bulk form will also help to mellow the 'boozy' taste you're getting.

Remember, mead is a drink that takes many MONTHS to go from formulation to bottle/glass. I would schedule anything over 14% for a solid year before you go to bottle it. Do NOT rush mead...
Click to expand...

So I've re-read Schramm's guide on mead a half-dozen times. He says to "wait until the mead clears in the carboy and fermentation has stopped for two weeks".

For some reason I had interpreted "clearing" in that case to mean the stoppage of fermentation. I had always assumed the mead cleared (in terms of opacity) when aged in the bottles.....

So basically I need to bulk age in the carboy and then bottle when it's essentially ready to drink?
 
That book is almost 10 years since published, and at least that long since it was written (copyright date is 2003)... Ken has posted (on the Got Mead? forums) that the book has very out dated methods in it. Unfortunately there's little chance of it getting an updated release (publisher issues I believe).

So, while there is a good amount of valid info in it, there are much more up-to-date methods on places like Got Mead's forums. Basically, don't use it as the end-all, be-all 'bible' for making mead (it might have once been considered this, but no longer).

Also, if you let the mead become CLEAR in bulk/carboy the sediment in the bottles will be greatly reduced. I bottled some mead after about 8-9 months in bulk, and the rest at about a year in bulk. The later bottled batch has far less sediment in the bottles (almost none). The batches I have going now, and those I'll be making soon, will go at least a year in bulk before I go to bottle. Or, I'll cold crash them for longer, and possible rack a time, or two, while cold crashing to leave even more sediment behind.
 
Dagobah said:
Went ahead and racked last night. Specific gravity was between 1.001 and 1.000 when I took the measurement.

Took a sip, very sweet and boozy, but good flavor. (Pic below)

How long should I expect to wait for it to clear before bottling?

6907350143_84511b13e7_o.png
Click to expand...

That's way too much headspace. You need a smaller carboy!
 
Golddiggie said:
That book is almost 10 years since published, and at least that long since it was written (copyright date is 2003)... Ken has posted (on the Got Mead? forums) that the book has very out dated methods in it. Unfortunately there's little chance of it getting an updated release (publisher issues I believe).

So, while there is a good amount of valid info in it, there are much more up-to-date methods on places like Got Mead's forums. Basically, don't use it as the end-all, be-all 'bible' for making mead (it might have once been considered this, but no longer).

Also, if you let the mead become CLEAR in bulk/carboy the sediment in the bottles will be greatly reduced. I bottled some mead after about 8-9 months in bulk, and the rest at about a year in bulk. The later bottled batch has far less sediment in the bottles (almost none). The batches I have going now, and those I'll be making soon, will go at least a year in bulk before I go to bottle. Or, I'll cold crash them for longer, and possible rack a time, or two, while cold crashing to leave even more sediment behind.
Click to expand...

Ok. I had heard about "newer" methods, but was under the impression that just meant the no-heat method for honey, which is described in his book (it's what I did).

No worries though, I haven't bottled yet, so I can age in bulk.
 
If I'm totally clear, but still bubbling sitting on about 1/4 inch lees but only been in secondary for 13 days, should I leave or rack off the sediment and let bull age from there?
 
Dagobah said:
It's what came with my kit. What's the downside of the extra headspace here?
Click to expand...

Oxidation. You want to match your carboy to your batch size, with only an inch or two of headspace (the area under the bung). You typically use the correctly sized carboy and top up to the bung.

bodhi86 said:
If I'm totally clear, but still bubbling sitting on about 1/4 inch lees but only been in secondary for 13 days, should I leave or rack off the sediment and let bull age from there?
Click to expand...

No, it's ok for a bit longer. I'd rack no sooner than 30 days after the last racking, unless you had a TON of lees. Thereafter, rack only when you have 1/4" thick less, or any lees after 60 days.
 
Thx yooper, Im including a picture cuz this batch is just pretty, buckwheat honey racked onto dark brown suger is an awesome color. Plus one of my youngest, two days and looking gorgeous as well.

ForumRunner_20120220_152206.jpg


ForumRunner_20120220_152252.jpg
 
Yooper said:
That's way too much headspace. You need a smaller carboy!
Click to expand...

So went and talked to my local HB store. Walked away with a 5gal carboy (the one pictured is a 6gal) to reduce the headspace.

Racked it last night into the 5gal, however I've still got more room than ideal. I've read up on all the different methods for solving, but I haven't seen one thing answered:

If I top off with water, how can I be sure that the amount of water needed isn't going to dilute my mead to the point where it's "watered down" tasting, etc?

And also, thanks for all the help on here. This thread alone has given me a ton of great information. :mug:
 
Golddiggie said:
Don't top off with just water. If you need to top off use more must. IMO you'll be better off using CO2 to top off the carboy.
Click to expand...

For bulk aging?

Spent the AM reading through older posts, and it seemed like the consensus was that C02 evaporates over time (although I didn't find a consensus on the best solution here...).

If I'm expecting to bulk age this for 1+yr, seems like I'd be better topping off with something. :confused:
 
sterilized marbles willtake up all space you want, one marble at a time can give you litterally zero.0 headspeace if desired, if marbles are expensive glass mancala beads or any type of glass that fits through the mouth of the carboy.
 
Dagobah said:
For bulk aging?

Spent the AM reading through older posts, and it seemed like the consensus was that C02 evaporates over time (although I didn't find a consensus on the best solution here...).

If I'm expecting to bulk age this for 1+yr, seems like I'd be better topping off with something. :confused:
Click to expand...

co2 is ok for short term, but it's never 100% co2 and it will dissipate. You'll want to top up with a similar wine, but if you don't have anything similar, you can use sanitized glass marbles as mentioned- but it takes a LOT. Each time you rack, you'll have losses so I always make a bit more than the recipe calls for and keep the extra in a big wine bottle or growler with an airlock and top up that way. Some recipes have top off volume built in, but most don't.
 
How do you do this co2 topping? I get paid and need to buy more stuff to get my kit on par with my hopes
 
bodhi86 said:
How do you do this co2 topping? I get paid and need to buy more stuff to get my kit on par with my hopes
Click to expand...

I use a CO2 tank from my paintball guns. Take a shut off valve and a piece of high pressure hose and attach them to the tank. Insert the hose into the carboy or bottle just above the liquid and slowly open the valve until you can hear and feel the gas flowing out of the carboy/bottle. Pump the gas for around 5 to 8 seconds and the refit with cork or airlock. That's how I do it, there could be better methods but I used what I had around the house.
 
IMO you still want a little volume in the neck of your carboy, or you'll have overflow when you stick your autosiphon in it to rack.
 
I'm also bulk aging inside of kegs, so there isn't any loss of CO2. I fill the head space with CO2, by purging the keg of air (via CO2 push and release) a few times before filling it one last time and then releasing the pressure. This maintains a blanket of CO2 over the mead. I can also hit the keg with a few psi of CO2 every so often, and then releasing any pressure, to ensure the CO2 blanket is maintained. It's one of the reasons I had my sanke keg fermenters fitted with the corny post base items (welded in place now) and then have gas posts fitted over them. I use tri-clove caps over the valve holes, that use a silicone o-ring and clamp to ensure they're sealed up tight.

You could do something similar with a solid stopper in a carboy, and a few psi of CO2 fed via a hose. By the time you have removed the hose, and fitted the solid bung, any pressure would have escaped. Just be sure you limit how much pressure you send into the carboy. I would use no more than 2-3psi MAX.
 

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