Adding spring water to secondary

[195877]

It is my understanding that the least surface area (exposed to air/oxygen) possible is prefered in fermentation and aging.
I am making my first 1gal batch of a basic Mead and when either taking a sample for SG(OG), or Racking (1 gallon jugs/carboy) the lowered level increases surface area.
I have read that you should just add more spring water to top off.
I was wondering how this can effect (in primary,secondary,etc) the final product.
Thanks for any input,
Terry

 

[HeidrunsGift]

I would not add any water, this will decrease ABV and the extra water will decrease flavor intensity. If there is too much head space and you are worried about oxidation, clean and sanitize glass marbles and add them to the carboy until you are OK with the amount of head space left in the secondary.

I have read that melomels are very prone to oxidation, having said that I have aged many traditional, melomel and methligin meads in 6 gallon carboys with lots of head space in them and not had any oxidation issues. As long as you dont shake the carboy I think you should be fine.

 

[195877]

Thank you very much for your reply. The marble idea is brilliant! I think that since this is my first Mead ('s) I will not concern myself with the level and just leave it alone to age (In hopes of getting a similar result as you).
I say Mead ('s) because I will be making a Blueberry Melomel later this week.
Cheers, Terry

 

[bmwr75]

My current practice is to keep a traditional mead on hand to top up fermenting meads.

 

[195877]

Perhaps (hopefully), a year or so from now my first batch will be fantastic, and then I'll have a traditional on hand for that.
Cheers, Terry

 

[JJack887]

Don't top off! You don't need to. Just adjust your must volume in primary so you actually end up with 100% must in secondary all the way to the top. Make about one and one-fourth, to one and a half gallons for primary. This will ensure you get a full gallon of clean must into the jug. You want a full five 750ml bottles from your gallon, so I wouldn't re-rack after secondary, either (at least, I don't...)

 

[195877]

Another great idea thanks, but being new to this, I currently only have 1 gallon glass jugs. I might wait to make the Melomel I'd planned on making this week until I can get a 2-3 gallon one.
Cheers

 

[ReDim]

I added 2 liters to my secondary. I was going for 5 gallons in my flavor and abv calculations. In the very next batch I tried adjusting for making 5 gals in the secondary, only i will be adding fruits, so i might have some extra.

Secondary is not bottling, so if there is more fermentables, it will ferment.

 

[Frognostic]

If I get too much headspace I either throw some raisins in there or I put some more mead in there, say if I made more than would fit in last time.

I have also made enough honey water to the original gravity reading and topped it up with that but, yes, it does add more fermentables and will require further racking.

 

[195877]

Thank you all for your great information.
Cheers and good brewing,
TK

 

[NyQuil]

If there is too much head space and you are worried about oxidation, clean and sanitize glass marbles and add them to the carboy until you are OK with the amount of head space left in the secondary.

Interesting, may try this in the future.

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

Do not add water.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Another great idea thanks, but being new to this, I currently only have 1 gallon glass jugs. I might wait to make the Melomel I'd planned on making this week until I can get a 2-3 gallon one.
Cheers

A 2 gallon food grade bucket works nicely for primary, and the bucket is how many do melomel, for ease of keeping the fruit cap managed. If you want to secondary in 1 gallon glass, then ferment 5 qts in the bucket.

 

[195877]

I (in my haste) have ordered a 3 gallon carboy so I can start with the 5qt primary. I will be adding my fruit to the secondary (1 gallon glass jug), and hope that some of you awesome brewers out there will now advise this rookie with tips on FRUIT CAP MANAGEMENT.
Cheers

 

[195877]

I found this info on winning-homebrew dotcom

If you have never made wine or mead before, you may not know about cap management. When the must begins to ferment and generate CO2, the fruit will float to the top and form a cap. The temperature underneath the cap can get pretty warm because it cannot escape. CO2 will collect under the cap and is toxic to yeast. The top of the cap will get dry and this environment is ideal for molds and bacteria to flourish. The cap must be "punched" down at least three times daily during the period of active fermentation. This accomplishes several key things. It keeps the fruit in contact with the yeast, allowing for a quicker fermentation and better extraction of the fruit characters. It keeps oxygen in the must at a time when the yeast need it most. Many meadmakers will add pure O2 at the same time they are punching the cap for added assurance that the yeast is getting plenty of oxygen for growth. Punching the cap releases CO2 from below, keeping the yeast healthy and maintaining a steady temperature so the yeast will continue to ferment to completion without adding any off-flavors or fusel alcohols from the warm fermentation.

 

[bernardsmith]

All good stuff. Certainly stirring several times a day is very important but if you are fermenting only 3 or 5 gallons of wine or mead and you put your fruit in a bag (say a paint strainer bag) and weigh that bag down then the problem of the fruit forming a cap is less likely and the heat the yeast produce can escape. What I generally do is remove the bag while I stir the mead/wine to incorporate air and to dispel CO2...

 

[HeidrunsGift]

Regarding the head space issue, I start my 5 gallon batches closer to 6 gallons. The down side is that degassing is tougher with less room in the 6 gallon carboy (watch out for overflows), but the up side is that you can get the majority of the treb/dead yeast out with 2 racks (i usually wait one month for each) and end up with 5 gallons. I usually then rack another 2-3 times, waiting 4-6 months each, and thats where the marbles come into play.

Regarding making melomels, I would recommend no fruit in the primary, then rack on top of fruit in secondary. For one, this preserves the aroma from the vigorous primary fermentation, and secondly, the CO2 will push up the fruit (as mentioned by 195877's post) and even with a blow off tube can clog it and blow the bung off (I cannot emphasize what a mess this makes, and your ceiling/walls will be stained). To aid with the 2nd rack (from secondary to third fermentor), I would use a wide mouth carboy (or bucket if you do not have one) and put the fruit in a hops bag. I bring the fruit just to a boil before adding for sanitation purposes.

 

[195877]

What are the thoughts around racking off on fruit (in secondary) in a hops bag along with... a few sanitized marbles to hold the fruit down to the bottom of the carboy?

 

[195877]

All good stuff. Certainly stirring several times a day is very important but if you are fermenting only 3 or 5 gallons of wine or mead and you put your fruit in a bag (say a paint strainer bag) and weigh that bag down then the problem of the fruit forming a cap is less likely and the heat the yeast produce can escape. What I generally do is remove the bag while I stir the mead/wine to incorporate air and to dispel CO2...

Looks like I missed this (or at least part of it), as it answers my question in regard to weighing down the fruit bag with marbles...thx Bernard

Information overload this week, TK