Bulk age after backsweetening?

[CatsCradle]

Hi Everybody,

I recently made a cherry mead with 71b goferm and a TOSNA step schedule. My starting gravity was 1.128 and I was surprised to see that after 12 days in primary my gravity dropped to 1.000. After the 1.000 reading I decided I wanted to start the backsweetening process so I added sulfite and sorbate. My question is should I have bulk aged before the stablizing process, or can I backsweeten and then bulk age?

 

[Maylar]

That's exactly what I do. I allow the mead to clear in primary, rack to secondary, stabilize and back sweeten. Most of my meads get oaked for 3 months and the tannin from the oak helps clear the honey haze from sweetening. Rack off the oak and bulk age until bottling.

 

[CatsCradle]

Hi Maylar thanks for your reply. I can assume that even if i stabilize super early, the age will help develop and mellow out my mead? I read somewhere that its the yeast themselves that help take care of off flavors and with my yeasts paralyzed this may not happen?

 

[Maylar]

You have to let the yeast complete their task before stabilizing, which means that the ferment is complete. I've read also that if you stir the yeast up once a day for a couple weeks after the ferment is done that the yeast will "clean up after themselves". Sounds like a good theory, so I do that. Then let it all settle, rack to secondary, and stabilize.

 

[BudNini]

You have to let the yeast complete their task before stabilizing, which means that the ferment is complete. I've read also that if you stir the yeast up once a day for a couple weeks after the ferment is done that the yeast will "clean up after themselves". Sounds like a good theory, so I do that. Then let it all settle, rack to secondary, and stabilize.

When you stir up the yeast do you stir all the lees on the bottom of your bucket?

 

[Dan O]

When you stir up the yeast do you stir all the lees on the bottom of your bucket?

Yes, GENTLY.