Racking this fruity mead

[Flexmedia]

Hello all,
This is my first try at a fruity mead with
2 oranges
18 oz. blackberries
25 raisins
SG 1.122
I started this 1/15/22 and the recipe says rack in 30 days. It looks pretty thick and cloudy. Should I rack this through a strainer? Looks I should pour it through a strainer but I probably shouldn’t do that. How ya get all that fruit out of the jug?
Thanks!

 

[Flexmedia]

Actually I’m going to wait longer than the recipe says to rack because it’s still bubbling

Art

 

[Dan O]

Hello all,
This is my first try at a fruity mead with
2 oranges
18 oz. blackberries
25 raisins
SG 1.122
I started this 1/15/22 and the recipe says rack in 30 days. It looks pretty thick and cloudy. Should I rack this through a strainer? Looks I should pour it through a strainer but I probably shouldn’t do that. How ya get all that fruit out of the jug?
Thanks!View attachment 759789

I would strongly advise NOT to rack through a strainer. You run a greater risk of oxidizing your mead if you do that. Also, I hope you're giving that a light swirl daily just to keep the fruit wet. You want to keep everything wet to prevent chances of mold from growing on the fruit.
Get a racking cane & a very small BIAB (brew in a bag), tie off the BIAB, (sanitized) to the end of the cane that goes into the must, & that will prevent most of the pulp from making its way into the racking cane. Getting pulp out of tour racking cane isn't always easy. Rack, wait, & rack again when it's done fermenting.
The 2 links below are for the small racking cane, (1 gallon size) with bottling wand & the other is for small disposable brew bags.
I hope this helps you.
Happy meading
https://www.amazon.com/Fermtech-Min...&qid=1645099939&sprefix=auto+si,aps,96&sr=8-4
https://www.amazon.com/Disposable-F...sh+bag+for+brewing+,aps,77&sr=8-55&th=1&psc=1

 

[Flexmedia]

I would strongly advise NOT to rack through a strainer. You run a greater risk of oxidizing your mead if you do that. Also, I hope you're giving that a light swirl daily just to keep the fruit wet. You want to keep everything wet to prevent chances of mold from growing on the fruit.
Get a racking cane & a very small BIAB (brew in a bag), tie off the BIAB, (sanitized) to the end of the cane that goes into the must, & that will prevent most of the pulp from making its way into the racking cane. Getting pulp out of tour racking cane isn't always easy. Rack, wait, & rack again when it's done fermenting.
The 2 links below are for the small racking cane, (1 gallon size) with bottling wand & the other is for small disposable brew bags.
I hope this helps you.
Happy meading
https://www.amazon.com/Fermtech-Min...&qid=1645099939&sprefix=auto+si,aps,96&sr=8-4
https://www.amazon.com/Disposable-F...sh+bag+for+brewing+,aps,77&sr=8-55&th=1&psc=1

Nope. Never swirled this one. I have another one that told me to swirl it daily for 4 days. Not this recipe I’m checking for mold and swirling. That’s a nice racking cane suggestion.
Is it ok to rack while it’s still fermenting?

 

[Dan O]

Nope. Never swirled this one. I have another one that told me to swirl it daily for 4 days. Not this recipe I’m checking for mold and swirling. That’s a nice racking cane suggestion.
Is it ok to ra$ck while it’s still fermenting?

f4
I wait until fermentation is almost done before I rack. But, I also put my fruit & spice additions in BIAB bags for easy cleanup & even easier removal.
If you rack while still fermenting, you potentially could lose a lot of live yeast that are still hungry. Be patient. The only other reason to rack right now would be to get your must off of the fruit, which is typically about 2 weeks in.

 

[Raptor99]

I have found it much easier to put the fruit in a brew bag and do primary fermentation in a brew bucket. I cover the bucket with a dish towel, tied on with a piece of string. Yeast need oxygen in first part of fermentation, but once it is nearly finished I want to rack into a carboy and add an airlock. Once the SG is below 1.010 I remove and squeeze the fruit bag and rack into a carboy to finish up the fermentation and begin clearing.

 

[Flexmedia]

f4
I wait until fermentation is almost done before I rack. But, I also put my fruit & spice additions in BIAB bags for easy cleanup & even easier removal.
If you rack while still fermenting, you potentially could lose a lot of live yeast that are still hungry. Be patient. The only other reason to rack right now would be to get your must off of the fruit, which is typically about 2 weeks in.

Why would I want the must off the fruit at two weeks? Flavor? I just looked at it again and it looks good. Phew! I have it a little swirl. No mold. I have used bags in other recipes in brew buckets that turned out well. With this recipe, as an experiment, I just followed the instructions to a T. Not a great idea I’m learning. So no rush to rack this? I’ll keep the fruit wet!
Thanks Dan O

 

[Flexmedia]

I have found it much easier to put the fruit in a brew bag and do primary fermentation in a brew bucket. I cover the bucket with a dish towel, tied on with a piece of string. Yeast need oxygen in first part of fermentation, but once it is nearly finished I want to rack into a carboy and add an airlock. Once the SG is below 1.010 I remove and squeeze the fruit bag and rack into a carboy to finish up the fermentation and begin clearing.

I have used a brew bag in a brew bucket with a blueberry orange recipe that’s coming along. I didn’t use a dish towel. I put an airlock on it and swished it for 4 days in a row before placing it in a carboy with an airlock. Might try your way next time.

Thanks,
Art

 

[Dan O]

Why would I want the must off the fruit at two weeks? Flavor? I just looked at it again and it looks good. Phew! I have it a little swirl. No mold. I have used bags in other recipes in brew buckets that turned out well. With this recipe, as an experiment, I just followed the instructions to a T. Not a great idea I’m learning. So no rush to rack this? I’ll keep the fruit wet!
Thanks Dan O

Correct, no rush.
The 2 week mark is usually where the fruit has given off whatever it has to offer, (color, flavor, tannic value from the seeds). Usually, by this point, the fruit is mush & lost almost all of its color.
The blackberries have a lot of seeds, which contribute significantly to the tannic value in your mead. When you get to the 2 week mark, start tasting it. When you start to feel that pucker effect in your sip, you know the tannic value is close to where the fruit should be pulled. Same thing with strawberries, raspberries, & blueberries. You may not think those little seeds can change the must, but, they certainly do.

 

[Flexmedia]

Correct, no rush.
The 2 week mark is usually where the fruit has given off whatever it has to offer, (color, flavor, tannic value from the seeds).You may not think those little seeds can change the must, but, they certainly do.

learning a lot here. Is there tannins in peels too? I either read or heard that somewhere. Ya, if this one taste ok, I’ll try it again but use a brew bag. That’s the way you learn is to try right?

 

[Dan O]

learning a lot here. Is there tannins in peels too? I either read or heard that somewhere. Ya, if this one taste ok, I’ll try it again but use a brew bag. That’s the way you learn is to try right?

Can't say for sure if there are tannins in peels, but skins, especially grapes have tannins.
Yes, that's the way we learn. Ask questions, experiment and trial & error.

 

[Flexmedia]

Can't say for sure if there are tannins in peels, but skins, especially grapes have tannins.
Yes, that's the way we learn. Ask questions, experiment and trial & error.

BTW, I posted a New blueberry muffin mead on another thread. Hope you follow.

 

[Dan O]

BTW, I posted a New blueberry muffin mead on another thread. Hope you follow.

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