Leaking Lid Bucket Fementation Question

[Terranova1340]

Hey all I have a mead fermentation question that I am hoping someone could help to answer.

I am brewing a 5 gallon Cyser / Melomel its a Apple Juice, Cherry Juice, whole pitted cherries and of course honey combination.

IF it matters to anyone the recipe is as follows:
9lbs Honey
2 Gallons Indian Summer Apple Juice
46 Ounces Regular Cherry Juice
32 Ounces Tart Cherry Juice (with Cherry pulp)
3 cans frozen Apple Concentrate
1 Gallon Water


In anycase my question revolves around my fermentation container. I opted to use a 6 gallon brewing bucket. It has been 36 hours since pitching my yeast and my fermentation is off to what appears to be a good start. I have quite a bit of foam but I have no airlock activity and while I know this isn't "bad" persay I am 100% sure my bucket is not totally sealed. My concern is since I do not believe the bucket has a great seal how long should I be able to reasonably expect to keep the mead in the bucket before transferring to a carboy?

I have read quite a few different things. I know that I should be basing my decision to move to a secondary on a gravity reading, and I do intend to do that I just have never had to deal with a leaking lid before and thus I am a bit paranoid.

Thanks in advance,

 

[jrgtr42]

I would say to give a press around the edge of the lid to try to seal it down into place. Other than than, I haven't made mead yet, so I don't know deatails, but I would say to leave it undisturbed for a solid length of time, don't repeatedly open the lid to check gravity. If you've made mead before, leave it at least that same amount of time before even testing the first time.

 

[jschein]

Spray it with starsan if you are going to push the lid down. Be ready for the airlock to jump.
Or just leave it you should be fine, i never bother pressing it down after fermentation starts if my lid isn't sealed properly, only when dry hopping do i push the lid down again.

 

[bernardsmith]

Hi Terranova1340, Mead ain't beer and there is really no good reason to seal your primary fermenter. Wort is sensitive to bacterial (lactic ) infection but honey isn't. Moreover, many people stir the must during active fermentation in order to remove some of the CO2 whose presence can inhibit the yeast and cause the yeast some physical stress. Indeed to facilitate this degassing, adding nutrients, ensuring that any fruit is continually kept moist and does not dry out as the CO2 forces the fruit to the surface, many mead makers simply cover their primary fermenter with a towel.

 

[Terranova1340]

Hi Terranova1340, Mead ain't beer and there is really no good reason to seal your primary fermenter. Wort is sensitive to bacterial (lactic ) infection but honey isn't. Moreover, many people stir the must during active fermentation in order to remove some of the CO2 whose presence can inhibit the yeast and cause the yeast some physical stress. Indeed to facilitate this degassing, adding nutrients, ensuring that any fruit is continually kept moist and does not dry out as the CO2 forces the fruit to the surface, many mead makers simply cover their primary fermenter with a towel.

This is a lot more reassuring. I do appreciate it. I think I might be a little to in my own head so to speak and thus the worry. I chose to use the bucket in order to more easily add nutrients and degas. As I said above, I have never had a non sealing lid and it was causing what sounds like totally unfounded worry on my end.

Everyone else who responded I do appreciate it. I did play with the bucket lid a bit to see if I could get it to totally seal but I couldn't. I am going to try not to worry about it and just let it ride.

Once again thanks everyone!

 

[Maylar]

My standard procedure is to get anything with fruit (cyser, cider, melomel) to a smaller fermentor with no headspace somewhere around 1.010-1.015 gravity. Below that and the CO2 production is slowing, so an open (leaking) container can take on oxygen and potentially spoil the brew.

 

[Terranova1340]

My standard procedure is to get anything with fruit (cyser, cider, melomel) to a smaller fermentor with no headspace somewhere around 1.010-1.015 gravity. Below that and the CO2 production is slowing, so an open (leaking) container can take on oxygen and potentially spoil the brew.

Maylar, thanks for the tip. I have a carboy ready to transfer too my initial reading was 1.112. At this point I have been fermenting for about 80 hours. I did take a gravity reading earlier today at I was at 1.080. (Which seems a bit on the fast side. I am using D47 but my temps have been pretty close to 70 degrees which I know is sort of the upper recommended limit but that is a different topic entirely.) I am hoping to finish between 1.000 and 1.015 and be somewhere around 13.5% to 14.6% ABV.

Given that I am looking for a final product around the gravity you rack over at do you think I should consider racking closer to 1.020 -1.025?

Thanks

 

[Maylar]

D47 should take that dry, and you're right that it really should be kept below 65°F. If you rack at 1.020 you'll be fine.