Possible Idea for Degassing?

[Mcbobs]

Just a quick question guys. I have a 2 day old batch of mead in primary right now and everything seems to be going great except for one thing. I have trouble degassing the mead due to a very small opening at the top. I don't really have anything that effectively works for degassing and I came up with an idea today.

I also shoot archery occasionally and have a few arrows that have been ruined due to shooting cinder blocks on accident. The tips of the arrows are ruined, but if I were to cut them to length and use them on my power drill would they be safe?

They're aluminum arrows and have sturdy fletches on them. They are flexible enough to fit into the carboy and I believe the fletches would work as a degassing tool.

Does anyone see any faults to this idea before I put it to use?

Thanks in advance!

 

[tweake]

the arrows will be fine but i would not use the fletches. the plastic may taint the mead especially the glue that commonly used to stick them on the shaft.
also would not use the threaded end in the mead due to dirt being stuck in the threads.

if its got a small neck can you fit a hose over it?
if so try an outboard fuel pump primer bulb as a vacuum pump.

 

[huesmann]

I saw a video on YT where a guy just took one of those cheapo plastic coat hangers, cut the hook off, and heated it in boiling water so he could straighten it out. Then he bent a small hook on the end of it and used it in a drill to agitate his wine.

This type of hanger:

 

[Yooper]

If you have one, a mity-vac works. I don't have one but I've seen guys who do have one use it successfully for degassing wine. (A mity-vac is what you use to bleed brakes).

 

[fatbloke]

Is it me ? Or is there a little bit of incorrect terminology here ?

If your batch is a couple of days into primary, then its not being de-gassed, its being aerated. The idea at this stage is less about removing CO2 and more about adding air/O2 to benefit the yeast.

Whereas, if the batch is finished, then its about careful removal of dissolved CO2 without including air/O2.

See the difference ?

 

[Mcbobs]

Is it me ? Or is there a little bit of incorrect terminology here ?

If your batch is a couple of days into primary, then its not being de-gassed, its being aerated. The idea at this stage is less about removing CO2 and more about adding air/O2 to benefit the yeast.

Whereas, if the batch is finished, then its about careful removal of dissolved CO2 without including air/O2.

See the difference ?

Actually, I'm pretty sure the correct terminology actually is degassing. The main objective is to remove CO2 and introducing O2 is a beneficial byproduct of degassing. This is only done for the first few days when fermentation first takes off.

In the recent BrewStrong podcast about mead making, they even mention that the only thing great mead makers have in common is that they all degas when a batch first takes off.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but degassing is the terminology I've heard used when talking about mead.

 

[Drunkula]

I'm using a vaccum pump with a fitting made from a spare stopper and the business end of a busted airlock to fit the hose over.

It's good to hear a few pros think I'm doing right in lowering the stress on my yeasties. My research through the work of others leads to the conclusion that dissolved co2 impedes yeast division a bit. I don't chime in much during the discussions of others, but this time I had to.

Aeration is achieved in my bucket simply enough........

 

[Yooper]

Actually, I'm pretty sure the correct terminology actually is degassing. The main objective is to remove CO2 and introducing O2 is a beneficial byproduct of degassing. This is only done for the first few days when fermentation first takes off.

In the recent BrewStrong podcast about mead making, they even mention that the only thing great mead makers have in common is that they all degas when a batch first takes off.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but degassing is the terminology I've heard used when talking about mead.

Right- degassing is becoming recognized as a method to help remove c02 from the mead early in primary.

 

[KevinM]

There's two types of degassing, which I think where it was getting confused.

There's the type of degassing done, usually in the primary, where co2 is still being produced by the yeast. This process tends to be "a big stir". Usually a coat hanger that's kind of off kilter and angled spun using a drill. This is kind of similar to an aeration process and the same tool may be used, just slightly differently to incorporate more air.

Then there's the second type of degassing done later in the process, usually when the yeast is dropping out of suspension, using a vacuum to remove any co2 that's remaining in the wine.

As for the first one, which seems to be what you're asking about, I'd just go with a coat hanger on a drill bit. I'm not sure if the fletches would stir enough.

 

[Mcbobs]

Well..... I went ahead with the arrow as it has only been shot once (the time I ruined it) and couldn't see anything on it that would impart flavors into the mead. It was super easy sanitizing it and once attached to my drill, it did a superb job of degassing the mead. When the fletches were inserted down to the bottom of the carboy and spun at a high speed, it really released the CO2 and didn't over churn anything. I DID have to be careful though as I had never degassed before and didn't realize just how fast it would bubble up and turn my carboy into a mead fountain.

My first time using it ended up with me covered in mead and I definitely learned a quick lesson.

I've got some ideas on how to customize the arrow and make one from scratch so that I know exactly what was used in building it and have no doubt in my mind whether or not it will put any nasties in the mead.