Prolonged lees contact

CornyKegs 728
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hybridspecies725

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I'm having somewhat of a time/space issue with my brew, and was just wondering how long is reasonable to leave a batch on the lees? It cleared up about two weeks ago, so I added some oak chips and plan to let it sit for another month or so. Is this a bad idea?
-Jimmy P
 
I was once told by a cider maker that he had never lost a batch racking too early, but had lost a batch racking too late. I think the general rule is 1/4 inch of lees until it clears, and then something like a month. Others may not do it as often as I do, but I'm slowing down.
 
Another month should be fine if you're unable to rack it off due to time/space issues. I would be more worried about the oak than the lees. A full month can produce some strong oak flavors.
 
Oh okay thanks guys. Maybe I'll go ahead and rack it a little sooner than planned then. I over-oaked a batch of mead a long time ago, and it wasn't pretty. I ended up just using it to top off other batches. This one's (hopefully) gonna be too good to waste.
 

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