Guidance for my first mead.

[Jofas]

Hello together,

I come to this forum in the hopes that someone can give me some guidance on my first batch of mead. On June 2. I started a batch of mead quite impulsively, containing:
- 3 pounds of honey
- a mug of black tea,
- peel of 3/4 of an orange
- an unkown yeast from a beer making kit (I'm guessing an Ale yeast)
- topped of with water in a gallon carboy
I did not take a reading to know my gravity.
It seems to be fermenting nicely as of today. As I'm leaving my home for 3 weeks on July 2nd I'm wondering if I need to rack my mead before then? (or can I let it sit on the leese?). Also would it make sense racking it into 2 different vessels for the 2nd fermentation as I can't find an other appropriatly sized vessel for the 2nd ferment.
I would appreciate any and all recommendations and tips regarding my concerns and questions.

Thank you very much and wish you all the best,
Josh

 

[Miraculix]

Don't rack it, leave it in primary till time for bottling.

 

[Jofas]

Don't rack it, leave it in primary till time for bottling.

Hard not to trust Miraculix himself . Thank you for the answer

 

[Miraculix]

Hard not to trust Miraculix himself . Thank you for the answer

There are way more knowledgeable people here on board than me. But I think most of them would agree to keep it as simple as possible.

 

[bushpilot]

Agreed, let it sit until you get back.

 

[ceebee4]

You can let it sit in the primary for that long, but I would then rack as soon as you get back and let it age some before bottling. Or if you have the time, rack it before you leave. 4-8 weeks is my usual time in the primary so either way would be fine. The advantage to moving it sooner is getting it off the lees and into the secondary for maturation quicker. I only let it go up to 8 weeks if fermentation is particularly slow.

Bottle-aging/conditioning is also a necessary step to get a fully matured mead (or cider or wine), but I find it also helps to sit in a secondary vessel for at least three months. Fermentation completes, flavors mellow, and the liquid (usually) drops clear, even if you haven't added any clarifying agents (always does if you did use them.). THEN bottle, adding nothing if you want a still mead, or adding priming sugar and a small amount of champagne yeast if you want carbonation.

As for dividing into two containers, I would try to avoid having to do so. If you only have one carboy and currently it contains your mead, just rack it into a clean sanitized bucket/pot/container to get it off the lees, then clean and sanitize the carboy thoroughly before racking back into it. As long as your sanitization is thorough and you avoid splashing the liquid as you rack, you shouldn't pick up any infections or too much oxygen.

 

[Miraculix]

You can let it sit in the primary for that long, but I would then rack as soon as you get back and let it age some before bottling. Or if you have the time, rack it before you leave. 4-8 weeks is my usual time in the primary so either way would be fine. The advantage to moving it sooner is getting it off the lees and into the secondary for maturation quicker. I only let it go up to 8 weeks if fermentation is particularly slow.

Bottle-aging/conditioning is also a necessary step to get a fully matured mead (or cider or wine), but I find it also helps to sit in a secondary vessel for at least three months. Fermentation completes, flavors mellow, and the liquid (usually) drops clear, even if you haven't added any clarifying agents (always does if you did use them.). THEN bottle, adding nothing if you want a still mead, or adding priming sugar and a small amount of champagne yeast if you want carbonation.

As for dividing into two containers, I would try to avoid having to do so. If you only have one carboy and currently it contains your mead, just rack it into a clean sanitized bucket/pot/container to get it off the lees, then clean and sanitize the carboy thoroughly before racking back into it. As long as your sanitization is thorough and you avoid splashing the liquid as you rack, you shouldn't pick up any infections or too much oxygen.

Bad Idea. Too much head space ie oxygen.

There's nothing gained by racking in this case. It rarely is anyway. Just keep it in primary till you bottle. You can age it in the bottle as well, no need for secondary.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Bad Idea. Too much head space ie oxygen.

There's nothing gained by racking in this case. It rarely is anyway. Just keep it in primary till you bottle. You can age it in the bottle as well, no need for secondary.

In general I agree with you, and I would add that racking to secondary while not absolutely necessary, helps to ensure that sediments do not make their way into final packaging, and at least one wine yeast that I’m aware of that keeping on lees is not recommended. If one is unskilled at racking, or simply wants to extend the shelf life, campden can be used. I often use wine preservation gas if there is a large amount of headspace. The unknown ale yeast might be one of those “fluffy” types.

 

[ceebee4]

Where is the head space? In the primary? Because there is none to negligible in the secondary. That's the main reason not to split the batch.

The key to good mead, imo, is aging. And bottle aging is not the same as bulk aging. Each phase contributes subtle but desirable effects on the finished drink.

Having said, this is a good opportunity for an experiment. I'm making a couple gallons a month over the next year to try different recipes and methods. Going straight to bottle after 8 weeks in the primary is one test I can easily run. So I'll have a better idea of who's correct in about a year.

Until then, Cheers!

 

[Miraculix]

Where is the head space? In the primary? Because there is none to negligible in the secondary. That's the main reason not to split the batch.

The key to good mead, imo, is aging. And bottle aging is not the same as bulk aging. Each phase contributes subtle but desirable effects on the finished drink.

Having said, this is a good opportunity for an experiment. I'm making a couple gallons a month over the next year to try different recipes and methods. Going straight to bottle after 8 weeks in the primary is one test I can easily run. So I'll have a better idea of who's correct in about a year.

Until then, Cheers!

The head space I mentioned was referring to your advice to rack back into the same vessel. As there would be losses due to discharged lees, there would be significantly more headspace after being racked back.

Aging in the bottle is btw. The exact same thing as bulk aging, except if there is much oxygen introduced during the bottling process or if the bottles are not air tight.

 

[ceebee4]

Ah, I realized that later. That's why I never use a carboy as a primary. I always start with some amount more than a gallon so I can fill my secondary to the neck.

In this case Miraculix is right for simplicity and safety, just bottle. And for future batches, have a plan to move into a secondary, if for no other reason than to see if it's worth the effort. (Personally, I like to rack.)

Many of the experienced mead/cider/wine makers I've read don't think bulk aging is the same bottle aging. The standard suggestion is to rack to a secondary to finish fermentation there. Which is why I've always done it.
However, like I said since I haven't gone straight from primary fermentation to the bottle, I can't really know for sure. So thanx for the experiment idea!

I'm bad at doing so but I'll try to get more social with the results of my efforts.

 

[Miraculix]

Ah, I realized that later. That's why I never use a carboy as a primary. I always start with some amount more than a gallon so I can fill my secondary to the neck.

In this case Miraculix is right for simplicity and safety, just bottle. And for future batches, have a plan to move into a secondary, if for no other reason than to see if it's worth the effort. (Personally, I like to rack.)

Many of the experienced mead/cider/wine makers I've read don't think bulk aging is the same bottle aging. The standard suggestion is to rack to a secondary to finish fermentation there. Which is why I've always done it.
However, like I said since I haven't gone straight from primary fermentation to the bottle, I can't really know for sure. So thanx for the experiment idea!

I'm bad at doing so but I'll try to get more social with the results of my efforts.

There's a difference between a small batch like ours and the big batches of professionals, the internal pressure. Yeast hydrolysis is a much bigger problem when having big batches because the yeast on the bottom of the tank is under big pressure.

In our case a month or two more on the lees does not really make a difference (there are a few wine yeasts that actually need to be racked off asap, but these are rare exceptions).

Bulk aging is cheaper than aging in the bottle, it requires less space. Professionals are just selling it right.

 

[MightyMosin]

I tend to bulk age and add some CO2 on top after tasting samples... I mostly bulk age because I really dislike bottling.

The meads that I force carbonate are usually bottled quicker than the still meads; that's usually because I want that keg available for storage of some other still mead that I'm going to oak for a while.

If I had a keezer or kegerator, those carbonated ones would stay in the kegs.

 

[ceebee4]

So when you go straight from the primary to bottles, do you do anything to the mead besides the packaging? I imagine the fermentation might not be quite completely finished yet, certainly there are live yeast in suspension and I’d guess there’s some residual sugar left, so maybe don’t use priming sugar just to be safe?

If so that is even simpler and you may still get carbonation from the bottle conditioning. But I’m just guessing, not having done this.

 

[Miraculix]

So when you go straight from the primary to bottles, do you do anything to the mead besides the packaging? I imagine the fermentation might not be quite completely finished yet, certainly there are live yeast in suspension and I’d guess there’s some residual sugar left, so maybe don’t use priming sugar just to be safe?

If so that is even simpler and you may still get carbonation from the bottle conditioning. But I’m just guessing, not having done this.

Mead is usually still, so no carbonation necessary. Of course I bottle only once fermentation is finished and the mead is as clear as I want it. Time does the trick. One or two months in primary is quite normal. If I want a sweat mead, I let it ferment out and add some honey in a bottling bucket. Then I pasteurize the bottles in a water bath after capping.

 

[ceebee4]

I see. Well, I always want carbonation. Not a fan of still mead. Different strokes I guess…

So how long do you age in the bottle before drinking? I try to wait 5 months, though this is after 3-5 months in a secondary. Ideally, I find a year of waiting is best, but I can’t always go that long. One of the reasons I’m starting a monthly program. So I have enough to extend the time before I need something to drink!

 

[Miraculix]

I see. Well, I always want carbonation. Not a fan of still mead. Different strokes I guess…

So how long do you age in the bottle before drinking? I try to wait 5 months, though this is after 3-5 months in a secondary. Ideally, I find a year of waiting is best, but I can’t always go that long. One of the reasons I’m starting a monthly program. So I have enough to extend the time before I need something to drink!

I keep it....

... And keep it ...

..... Recently had a blueberry mead peaking at about 1.5 years. Others are still developing after two years or more... Mead is a big waiting game. Even after having optimised nutrient regime, temperature, yeast and so on.

You can also bottle, wait a few days and then pasteurize. One PET bottle can be used to feel the carbonation level by pressing it. Once they bottle is as hard as you want it, it's pasteurization time for the rest! Little bit of sediment will be generated due to yeast growth, but this usually doesn't bother me. Stays at the bottom of the bottle if not aggressively disturbed.

 

[ceebee4]

Yeah, I’ve noticed that too. And pretty much every mead maker I’ve read says the same. But I’ve only been able to wait for a little over a year until I have nothing left to drink and share. The longest a mead I made lasted was about 18 months… and it was my best yet. Though I did set aside one bottle, now going on two years.

I think I’ll try going straight from the primary to bottles once fermentation completes. Then see if I get natural carbonation without adding priming sugar or doing anything else to the bottles. I bet I will. And if I get an explosion I’ll immediately pasteurize. Plus I want to compare this method with my bulk aged meads.

Thanks again for the tips!

 

[bushpilot]

Pasteurization after getting an explosion is a pretty risky proposition.

 

[ceebee4]

Yeah, well, I wasn’t thinking I’d have to even consider it. I’m sure you’re right tho. The caps would have to be removed first (or I’d get more bottles exploding in the pot,) which would negate the point since the carbonation would be lost. Salvageable, but not a successful result.

I’m not a fan of heating at any point in the process though. So my hope would be to avoid it by not adding priming sugar at bottling and let any residual yeast and sugar from the relatively short (4-8 weeks) fermentation in the primary do the work of carbonation in the bottles. All part of the experiment… and why I’m planning to make this just a 1 gallon batch!