Quick question on Mead in Primary

I've got a 3 gallon batch made with 10 lbs of Clover Honey and wine yeast, started on 5/15/09. I stepped the nutrient additions, per Hightest's FAQ. This was supposed to be secondaried with fresh picked strawberries but due to a late frost up north here, strawberries from the farm I go to won't be ready for at least another week. Since it's already been 4 weeks in the primary, should I:
a) Get it off the yeast, and let it sit in the secondary for a week or two even if that means sitting without the strawberries.
b) Let it ride until the strawberries are ready then rack off the yeast onto the strawberries in one shot. Earliest would be 6/22/09, but possible 6/29.

By my initial plan it should have been on the strawberries for a week already, but Mother Nature had other plans.

It should not be a problem to allow it to set on the lees another week or two, since significant autolysis (breakdown) of the spent yeast usually doesn't occur for 8 to 10 weeks minimum. But make sure that it is not exposed to any sources of air, since oxidation can take place if you're not careful. This is only a potential issue if you have the mead in a lose-capped bucket, or if there's lots of headspace in your primary carboy and you don't have a good airlock on it.

It is in a bucket, not a carboy so the oxygen exposure is a concern I hadn't thought of. When the height of fermentation it was bubbling steadily so I know that CO2 was pushing out and not allowing O2 in, but it hasn't bubbled in a week or so, and if that rim isn't tight O2 could seap in. I haven't moved or disturbed the bucket since steady bubbling stopped, so it should have a good layer of CO2 protecting it. So I think I'm okay as long as I don't disturb it until I rack it onto the strawberries. Which I should be able to do in the next 2 weeks, well prior to any autolysis issues.

I'd say it depends on if you want to end up with something sweet - or if you want the strawberries to ferment out.

If you want a sweeter strawberry, now might be the time to sulfite it and move it to another location (if you have a 3g carboy to minimize the headspace).

Otherwise, let it sit - but consider if you want the strawberry sugars fermented in, or used as a bit of a sweetener.

I'd leave it till you can rack onto the fruit. There should still be a good blanket of CO2 over the surface of the must & there is still dissolved CO2 in the must, so I think it'll be fine for another week or two. I don't think another week or 2 on the lees will hurt anything either, depending on the yeast you're using, it could actually benefit from doing so. According to Jack Keller (on D-47 yeast) "although when left on the lees, ripe spicy aromas with tropical and citrus notes develop." Whether you're using D-47 or not, it should be fine to wait another week or two. Regards, GF.

Thanks guys.

I am looking for a sweeter drink, so I expected the strawberry sugars to not ferment out.

I don't have my journal with me, so I can't remember what yeast I used. I think it was a dried packet of Premier Cuvee (sp?).

So all signs point to leaving it be until the strawberries are ready, but no more that 2 weeks.

As always HomeBrewTalk to the rescue.