JOAM Question

[Mozart]

Edit: Oops! The title should be JAOM question!

I feel a little silly for asking the question, since the answer seems right in the recipe itself, but given this is my first mead, I'm a little uncertain.

My question is: Is it possible that the mead is done in 5-6 weeks?

I made two one gallon batches of this about 5-6 weeks ago, and while I obsessively checked on them during the initial weeks, I haven't really looked at them at all in the last 2-3 weeks. When I checked them last night, though the fruit hasn't dropped yet, they looked clear and the yeast seems to have settled to the bottom.

Is it okay to bottle them, or wait a couple of weeks?

Also, when I do go to bottle them, what kind of cloth filter should I use? Will just about anything work?

Thanks!

 

[fatbloke]

I always think it best to let the fruit drop because there will be layer of yeast on it and as it doesn't flocculate very well any movement of the fruit will bring some back into suspension.

Even then I move the fermenter to where the racking is gonna be carried out and set it to a slight angle a day or two before so the yeast is settled properly when the racking is done.

I only rack from the clear area and stop away from the lees.

The last part is then racked into a 2 litre pop/soda bottle thats had the top cut off and if I pick up a bit of sediment it doesn't matter because I cover it with cling wrap and put it the fridge overnight. The next day any sediment will have sttled into the molded feet and I can move the racking cane right down to the top of the feet mold without worrying and that way I minimise the racking loses....

 

[Mozart]

Thank you very much for the feedback. The 2 liter bottle idea is something I would have never thought of.

 

[fatbloke]

Thank you very much for the feedback. The 2 liter bottle idea is something I would have never thought of.

Ah well that's only because I'm a total tightwad

 

[StoneArcher]

Ah well that's only because I'm a total tightwad

Some of the best innovations in any industry came from total tightwads. That post made me laugh a little.


A question to fatbloke on this technique, if you don't mind, Mozart (It is your thread, but I think it will add to the overall).

I am assuming it goes down like this:

Rack most to carboy #2, then rack cloudy mead to 2 liter bottle. Let 2 liter bottle sit in fridge, while the most is in an air locked carboy #2. Wait a day or so for the 2 liter bottle to clear, then rack into the rest of the carboy #2 adding the cold mead to the previously racked?

I never thought about cold crashing to get the last bit out. Mixing that with the 2 liter bottle with the "feet" that the lees will naturally go into, this is a wonderful technique!


Back to the OP's question though; I also concur with letting the fruit settle. For the same reasons fatbloke stated. The lees with JAOM are sooo touchy to movement, that I don't know how you would get the hose through without disturbing the yeast on the fruit. I have never used any cloth to filter, just wait for it to be crystal clear and fruit dropped.


Against the recipe, I racked off of the fruit after I seen that the fruit dropped and it was crystal clear. I racked, let the newly disturbed lees settle, then rack into a bottling carboy to avoid any of the sediment, then bottle.

If I was good enough, I would bottle right off of the fruit, but there is no way I have the skill to do that. No doubt I would have disturbed the yeast and been pissed when I seen a bottle just about filled go cloudy.

I am pretty particular about stuff settling in the bottle though.

 

[Mozart]

Of course I don't mind StoneArcher, and we'll wait for fatbloke to chime in, but that's how I understood the process.

Actually, yesterday evening, I moved one of the glass carboys to show SWMBO just how beautiful the mead looked clear -- I got a polite 'that's nice' out of it, but just that subtle movement did stir up a fair amount of yeast, so I'm even more convinced I should wait for the fruit to drop before racking, providing I can muster up the patience.

Knowing myself, however, if I do the 2 liter bottle technique, I seriously doubt whether the mead racked into the 2 liter bottle will find it's way back into my bottling bucket. I'll probably just siphon it into a glass (or two, depending on how much there is) as it'll already be chilled.

 

[StoneArcher]

Actually, yesterday evening, I moved one of the glass carboys to show SWMBO just how beautiful the mead looked clear -- I got a polite 'that's nice' out of it, but just that subtle movement did stir up a fair amount of yeast, so I'm even more convinced I should wait for the fruit to drop before racking, providing I can muster up the patience.

Ha! I get the same feedback from SWMBO! Letting the carboy sit at an angle for a couple days helps I am told. When I rack, I usually grab a pair of pliers with really nice rubbery grips, and stick just the open handles under one side of the carboy. Works nice.

Knowing myself, however, if I do the 2 liter bottle technique, I seriously doubt whether the mead racked into the 2 liter bottle will find it's way back into my bottling bucket. I'll probably just siphon it into a glass (or two, depending on how much there is) as it'll already be chilled.

My best remedy to this is to tug out a cork on a bottle of wine. Pour a glass, THEN start to rack/bottle/whatever. When I have a full glass of wine, I find myself getting as much as I can back into the carboy. Of course, I have never specifically used the 2 liter, but I have had to rack in two sittings when I have accidentally bumped the carboy while racking. JAOM is touchy.

 

[fatbloke]

Don't forget, I get a tad more than you lot would anyway.

My first batch, I "thought" I was as close as possible to the recipe this side of the pond. Ingredients fine, but I made it to 1 imp gallon instead of 1 US gallon. So the 20% (ish) more liquid mead it was sweet just not as sweet as it would have been made to a US gallon.

I usually manage between 4.5 and 5 bottles from a gallon. Though I only bottle the main body and sometimes have to keep any difference in bottle multiples to mix with the cold crashed stuff.

Mind you, it did take me 2 attempts to work it out. As you both have noticed, the sediment comes back into suspension even if it thinks you've given it a funny look....... the same applies to the cold crashed bit too.....handle it with great care and you should be able to shift most, if not all the sediment.

I don't take the piss and get pure dry matter, just aim not to leave too much or so much of the finished brew in the bottom of the fermenter. Equally some plastic bottles have thicker less flexible walls (I ended up reinforcing the sides with some tape and made a small cardboard grip tab last time as I only had mega flexible bottles.

Gonna have another couple of goes again soon as one of the others over at Gotmead was kind enough to post me a strip of Fleischmanns and a strip of Redstar bread yeast to try (gonna compare with the local stuff here).