MY first mead/racking
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you're doing fine. Do you have an OG? Based on the picture of your hydrometer, you're likely done fermenting.
Now, let 'er sit for a long time (make sure your carboy is topped off).
Now, let 'er sit for a long time (make sure your carboy is topped off).
NO I do not have an OG .Do you mean to seal it with a cork? I have a release valve filled with vodka in a rubber cork at this time . Should I just plug it up ?
TIA
Gene
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nope. leave the airlock on it since there will still be CO2 coming off the mead - you just probably won't see bubbling any more.
chef201atc
Member
What he meant by "top it off" is that you want as little head space in secondary as possible - try to make sure the level is up into the neck of the carboy, within three inches or so of the stopper. That way there is minimal chance for oxidation. This can be accomplished by added water to the secondary which will necessarily dilute the mead and lower your FG slightly or you can add sanitized marbles to the secondary to take up some space.
So I can add water to that carboy ? will that make it weak? will it separate or combine?
chef201atc
Member
See this thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f30/creative-head-space-solutions-163525/. But the short answer is, yes you can put water in, it will dilute it some, but not much. The best solution is to have a one gallon batch of basic mead that you can top it off with, that way you aren't dilluting anything. Another method is to use a 6.5 gallon plastic bucket for primary, make more than five gallons so you will have a full secondary.
DAMN The kid at Mr,Steves told me to get a 5gal carboy when I said I wanted a 6.5 because of the bucket size but I didnt remember why .....
....duh I feel so stupid I did i was wondering why I ended up with so much extra I didnt have any containers for If I transferred it Sunday night how long do I have to raise the level or re bottle in to smaller bottles?
Egghead
Well-Known Member
How long have you been bulk aging it?
Sunday was my first rack 14 days old.
