Perfecto! Thank you for the clarification.Add them at secondary
Perfecto! Thank you for the clarification.Add them at secondary
Oak in secondary also aids in clearing. Bentonite in primary, cold crash, rack to secondary. Stabilize, back sweeten. The sweetening honey adds some honey haze. Sit on oak for 3 months and watch the mead take on a golden glow and clear nicely.Add them at secondary. To my Knowledge, Bentonite is the only one that can be used in both.
Tannins in primary also help with clearing, but they aren't considered a fining agent. Experience also seems to show that oak in primary might have some benefit for speed of clearing; though I only use it in primary on mead that I know for sure I want oaking with.
This is what I would prefer at this moment... What juice would you recommend? I was thinking about Concord grape. What say you?I would top with another mead, or with juice or must.
This is what I would like to avoid: in this case I will loose about two and a half quarters of mead - this is what will be left over... Of course, I can just drink it but this is not going to be real mead - just foggy alcoholic beverage. If I have any other options I definitely prefer top use them as a fist remedy.Fill 5?
Thank you, DB but... I am sorry for my ignorance - I am just a beginner with a limited theoretical knowledge and zero experience....The 6th, the very yeasty leftovers, will continue to compact down and you'll be able to draw more mead off it.
At that point fermentation is done and the yeast will not be competing with each other. You will be mixing the flavors and any other esters produced by the yeast; so it will be a blend of those flavors and ABV if differentOh, I got it. Actually, I like your idea to rack the leftovers from both 3 gallon carboys (approximately 1/2 g from each) into 1 gallon carboy....
The only thing I have to ask is - I used different type of yeast for each of 3 gallon carboy - would it be OK to mix those two different yeasts together in one gallon carboy? I assume it will impact the taste of the final product but not much ABV... Correct?
Thank you for your patience with me!
This is the way!This is why I start with more than I need, to accommodate racking. It's also why I have some 1/2 gallon glass jugs.
Perfect! Thank you.At that point fermentation is done and the yeast will not be competing with each other. You will be mixing the flavors and any other esters produced by the yeast; so it will be a blend of those flavors and ABV if different
Thank you, Maylar! This is called "Experience"... and I am not in this area just yest but.... lesson learned. I will definitely take this in consideration for my next batch!This is why I start with more than I need, to accommodate racking. It's also why I have some 1/2 gallon glass jugs.
@bolepa If you keep watch in the winter/spring, you might find 1/2 glass jugs of apple juice marked down in the grocery stores. I acquired 7-8 of them that way, which I find very useful when need some more space for bulk aging.This is why I start with more than I need, to accommodate racking. It's also why I have some 1/2 gallon glass jugs.
Thanks for the advice, Raptor! Exactly what I was thinking about...If you keep watch in the winter/spring, you might find 1/2 glass jugs of apple juice marked down in the grocery stores. I acquired 7-8 of them that way, which I find very useful when need some more space for bulk aging.
Marbles are a viable option. I've done that before for small amounts of volume.So, from what you all advised me to do, adding fruit juice or placing glass marbles in a carboy shouldn't be considered as a "good" or "preferrable" option and you are advising against it? Is this correct?
My Spidel is 20 ltr, which is 5.3 gallons. Start with close to 6 gallons in primary, rack to the Spidel for oaking then to a full 5 gal for aging. Over time I've picked up .5 gal, 1 gal, 3 gal containers so there's always options with no head space. A Little Big Mouth from Northern Brewer is 1.4 gallon so I can get a full 1 gal in secondary.My "5 gallon" PET carboys are actually something like 5 3/8+ gallon, so if I want to fill into the neck area I have to have made more than a 5 gallon batch to start with and I need to account for racking loss as well as displacement if I intent to add honey to back sweeten. It is the same thing with my 3 gallon batches.
I am going to my local MoreBeer store right now to get glass marbles (3 #) and a half gallon jag.... Depending on headspace in my third vessel I will be using either glass marble or half gallon jag...Marbles are a viable option. I've done that before for small amounts of volume.
Like I mentioned before, this is exactly what I am thinking about now. I remember that before I started my first mead I bough 6 gallon plastic carboy but after I read and learned more I realized that I won't be able to shake 6 (or even 5) gallon vessel for oxidation. I returned that carboy. Now I am debating with myself about buying 5 gallon carboy AND a carboy cleaner/stirrer so I don't have to shake it in future for dissolving honey and must oxidation. This is what I am talking about:Over time I've picked up .5 gal, 1 gal, 3 gal containers so there's always options with no head space.
Small point. SG = starting gravity.
As you can see this thread named "My first mead and looks like I screw up on OG...." so, I messed up and didn't read my OG properly and at this point I don't know what it was....Small point. SG = starting gravity. You measure it before adding yeast.
This is what I was thinking about (after googling it) but just wanted to confirm it with this forum.... I just bought and received Lalvin EC-1118 yeast. This is more aggressive yeast with alcohol tolerance up to 18%. I'll wait till Monday, measure SG and based on gravity readings will start either "re-activation" process or rack mead for secondary fermentation.... More opinions/advices are welcome!You can wait, add more aggressive yeast or dilute it to liking.
You could move the 1040 batch to secondary to age and make a lower og batch to go very dry then blend them to get something you like better.advice and guidance.
Thank you, Rish! Actually I like your idea.... This might work but only on condition that lower 1020 batch will go lower/dryer.You could move the 1040 batch to secondary to age and make a lower og batch to go very dry then blend them to get something you like better.
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