Bulk Aging in Plastic Bucket?

[sourcecraft]

Hi all,

I'm about to make a cherry melomel, my first melomel, and I'm going to add the fruit to secondary. My question is, because I'd like to avoid monopolizes one of my carboys and because i don't want to deal with getting 7 pounds of cherries down and later back up the neck of a carboy, is it ok to rack the mead onto the cherries in a plastic bucket and leave it for 3 months?

Is there an oxidation issue because of the plastic, or too much head space in the bucket, or any other really good reason to have to confront my laziness about feeding cherries into a carboy neck and probably having to buy another carboy?

Thanks much,
Mark

 

[ruger12pk]

Hi all,

I'm about to make a cherry melomel, my first melomel, and I'm going to add the fruit to secondary. My question is, because I'd like to avoid monopolizes one of my carboys and because i don't want to deal with getting 7 pounds of cherries down and later back up the neck of a carboy, is it ok to rack the mead onto the cherries in a plastic bucket and leave it for 3 months?

Is there an oxidation issue because of the plastic, or too much head space in the bucket, or any other really good reason to have to confront my laziness about feeding cherries into a carboy neck and probably having to buy another carboy?

Thanks much,
Mark

Youll basically be making it accourding to Ken Schramms method in "The Complete Meadmaker" Book. I think as long as you are using a food grade pail with a good tight lid and an airlock hole for it youll be good. Like most fermentations you want a little headspace but not alot. You could also put those cherries into a brew bag to minimize your cleanup later. Just freeze them overnight, drop them into the bag and then into the must after youve racked into the pail, seal it with an airlock and let'er rip! I like to use an "Ale Pail" with a spigot in order to test it at intervals and see how its progressing.

Now would also be a good time to add a campden tab or two? I might put that question out there before adding those cherries. You want to kill any bacteria in the must the cherries might bring into it.