How to fix a bottling/lees newbie mistake

[ToddFriedman]

Hi all. Stupid noob question. Because I don't have an adequate amount of fermentation containers, I decided to let my pineapple wine go through secondary in wine bottles. Now I have a lot of lees at the bottom of the bottles and don't know how to rack them to new bottles without causing oxidation because my auto siphon is large to fit into the neck of the wine bottles. Can I pour really slowly or will that automatically introduce oxidation? Sorry for the stupid question, this is only my third Brew and got a little cocky.

 

[lumpher]

Don't re-rack. Just let them go, then chill, very carefully pour, and it sounds like you learned from this experience, so lesson learned=very well done. Your next batch will be better for it, grasshopper...

 

[ToddFriedman]

Don't re-rack. Just let them go, then chill, very carefully pour, and it sounds like you learned from this experience, so lesson learned=very well done. Your next batch will be better for it, grasshopper...

Appreciate the advice! Mental note, these are to keep, not give away!

 

[Kickass]

I’d leave them as is.
The trick is to perform one continuous pour. If you stop the pour then restart it, you will mix a bunch of the sediment up.
When it’s time to drink a bottle, open it and very carefully pour the entire it into a pitcher with the exception of the sediment. You’ll lose a little bit but it works ok. If you want you can then rinse the bottle and pour back into it. I’d advise drinking the entire bottle in one setting or maybe over the course of two days. You’ll be introducing more oxygen with this method.

 

[Miraculix]

I’d leave them as is.
The trick is to perform one continuous pour. If you stop the pour then restart it, you will mix a bunch of the sediment up.
When it’s time to drink a bottle, open it and very carefully pour the entire it into a pitcher with the exception of the sediment. You’ll lose a little bit but it works ok. If you want you can then rinse the bottle and pour back into it. I’d advise drinking the entire bottle in one setting or maybe over the course of two days. You’ll be introducing more oxygen with this method.

This is how I dealt with 2l soda pet bottles which I re-used as ale bottles. Less bottles to transport when sharing the brew with some friends. Worked really well.

 

[ToddFriedman]

I’d leave them as is.
The trick is to perform one continuous pour. If you stop the pour then restart it, you will mix a bunch of the sediment up.
When it’s time to drink a bottle, open it and very carefully pour the entire it into a pitcher with the exception of the sediment. You’ll lose a little bit but it works ok. If you want you can then rinse the bottle and pour back into it. I’d advise drinking the entire bottle in one setting or maybe over the course of two days. You’ll be introducing more oxygen with this method.

Yeah, I ended up drinking a bottle yesterday (still very young, but just wanted to try it), and I did just that. Worked perfectly. This batch will be a "lesson learned", but at least I get to enjoy the lesson lol. But, it's a nice tasting batch, so that's all that matters. Appreciate the input...

 

[Miraculix]

Yeah, I ended up drinking a bottle yesterday (still very young, but just wanted to try it), and I did just that. Worked perfectly. This batch will be a "lesson learned", but at least I get to enjoy the lesson lol. But, it's a nice tasting batch, so that's all that matters. Appreciate the input...

To increase the "lesson learned" effect, keep some bottles for longer and open them one after another after 6 months, 1 year and so on, to get a feel for the development of the wine over time.

 

[ToddFriedman]

To increase the "lesson learned" effect, keep some bottles for longer and open them one after another after 6 months, 1 year and so on, to get a feel for the development of the wine over time.

Exactly what I was thinking. But I'd originally figured, until I got the hang of things, I'd only do 1 gallon batches, so it only gives me 4 bottles per brew. Hard to save lol. But now that I have the feel of it, I'm going to start doing 5 gallon batches.

 

[IslandLizard]

But now that I have the feel of it, I'm going to start doing 5 gallon batches.

That's a lot of the same wine. More so when it's potentially flawed someway. We're all beginners for a long time.

Why not make 1-2 gallon batches of different kinds?
That gives you more wine, more variety, and more hands-on experience to perfect your skills.

Keep good notes, so you learn what works and what doesn't.

 

[ToddFriedman]

That's a lot of the same wine. More so when it's potentially flawed someway. We're all beginners for a long time.

Why not make 1-2 gallon batches of different kinds?
That gives you more wine, more variety, and more hands-on experience to perfect your skills.

Keep good notes, so you learn what works and what doesn't.

Yeah, I've been keeping good notes on everything! And yeah, I've been making 4 or 5 different types of 1 gallon batches each time. I don't even have any 5 gallon demijohns, so I'm not really in a rush to start going on to the larger quantities anyways at this point. I was just so impressed with my strawberry wine, that it made me want to make a thousand bottles all at once lol

 

[D the Catastrophist]

I only ever do 1 gallon batches of anything-wine, mead or cider. Makes it alot less heart breaking if it flubs. That and I have too many ideas on things I want to try. Case and point, this year I have done a cider using saison yeast, a ginger mead, rosehip wine, Bartlett pear wine, apricot date wine, cherry wine, jungle juice(asst tropical fruits), and a mixed berry wine. That's 8 gallons vs 40 gallons. I don't have the room for that many.... and I still want to try a serrano lime wine.

 

[ToddFriedman]

I only ever do 1 gallon batches of anything-wine, mead or cider. Makes it alot less heart breaking if it flubs. That and I have too many ideas on things I want to try. Case and point, this year I have done a cider using saison yeast, a ginger mead, rosehip wine, Bartlett pear wine, apricot date wine, cherry wine, jungle juice(asst tropical fruits), and a mixed berry wine. That's 8 gallons vs 40 gallons. I don't have the room for that many.... and I still want to try a serrano lime wine.

Nice!!! On the go right now, I've got an Early Grey tea wine, strawberry, kilju, and a Cyser. But tomorrow I'm starting a persimmon, (really excited about that one!). But I agree, doing 1 gallon batches don't hurt as much if it messes up.

 

[Midway Island]

That's a lot of the same wine. More so when it's potentially flawed someway. We're all beginners for a long time.

Why not make 1-2 gallon batches of different kinds?
That gives you more wine, more variety, and more hands-on experience to perfect your skills.

Keep good notes, so you learn what works and what doesn't.

It helps to have a couple of empty hotpack cubes hanging around when a surprise startup takes place ,I had a cube filled with unpasteurized apple cider in Oct. racked to another cube in Nov. now wait until March to rack again.

 

[Elk479]

This is how I dealt with 2l soda pet bottles which I re-used as ale bottles. Less bottles to transport when sharing the brew with some friends. Worked really well.

Soda bottles are really a sleeper ale bottle. They hold a ton of pressure while being ridiculously inexpensive.

I only ever do 1 gallon batches of anything-wine, mead or cider. Makes it alot less heart breaking if it flubs. That and I have too many ideas on things I want to try. Case and point, this year I have done a cider using saison yeast, a ginger mead, rosehip wine, Bartlett pear wine, apricot date wine, cherry wine, jungle juice(asst tropical fruits), and a mixed berry wine. That's 8 gallons vs 40 gallons. I don't have the room for that many.... and I still want to try a serrano lime wine.

I second this. I am trying to perfect a cider recipe to my taste and I am now brewing about 4 gallons of the stuff separated in 1 gallon demijohns. If I lost a gallon I would be kind of sad but that would be shadowed if I killed a 5+ gallon batch of cider or if I dare say mead.