Question about secondary transfer...

[NewerBrewer87]

Hey guys,

I just had a quick question that I needed answered. When I transferred my mead to my secondary fermenter, I racked on top of some blueberries. I was a bit worried that the blueberries on the bottom wouldn't suspend and incorporate into the mead, so I gave the secondary a little swirl to suspend everything. Did I just ruin my mead?

Any input would be appreciated!

 

[Descender]

Assuming you swirled after it was full, and not while there was still a bunch of air, you should be fine. Either way is probably ok, though.

 

[NewerBrewer87]

Yes, all 5 gallons were completely transferred, and there was little space left on top. Honestly, I had a feeling that I would be okay...I just needed a little clarity. Thanks!

 

[fatbloke]

Even if there was a good bit of airspace, a bit of a swirl wouldn't likely hurt. When moving from primary to secondary there's still gonna be dissolved CO2 in the liquid and the movement will cause some of the sediment to nucleate it out into the protective layer.

Not forgetting that even if you've stabilised first, it's still feasible to have a little further fermentation of the fruit sugars too.......

Some fruit will sit on the bottom some will float, but the alcohol will help extract some flavour and pigments. I'd also say that you should add pectoralas well, as not only does it sort out pectin but also helps with extracting colour and flavour.

its up to you how long you leave the fruit in but I'd hit it with the pectoral and then gently swirl once a day to keep the floating fruit moist and wait till it all sinks before racking off for max extraction.......