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air space is the theme today

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teejay58

NewBee
Registered Member
May 31, 2010
72
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0
Texas
My mead is in secondary, soaking up more blackberry fruit goodness, some oak and some vanilla pods. It has long since finished fermenting. The secondary container is a bucket with about 4-5" headspace at the top. I plan on backsweetening before putting it in the carboy to age, as it's pretty darn dry. Also, it is very very acidic. So much so that i can barely tolerate tiny tastes. SG is .99.

My concerns are:

1. The airspace in the bucket. It's been exposed to that 5" of air for four days now. When will it become a problem (or more of a problem)? I think it will have to go in the carboy for me to get the air out of the container.

2. Should I adjust the acidity at this point? Is it possible? Will it help?

3. When you backsweeten, do you just add honey and whip it to dissolve?

4. Should I use sparkloid to make it settle faster while it's in the bucket before racking into the carboy?
 
akueck

akueck

Certified Mead Mentor
Certified Mead Mentor
Jun 26, 2006
4,958
11
0
Ithaca, NY
I'd guess you'll not be needing to leave it on the fruit for much longer, at which point you can fill up a carboy and not leave headspace. Should be fine. Four days on the fruit in secondary could already be enough. How does the fruit look? When the color goes from the fruit, you can probably move it. I'd not leave it there for more than a week in any case.

I'd say don't touch the acidity now. Let the mead age a little before deciding if you want more or less acidity. I'd say the same thing about backsweetening, wait a little longer to decide. Whipping is probably not the best idea, but if you can add the honey without adding air that should do it. If you're not in a hurry, you can just pour the honey in and let it dissolve on its own. Pre-mixing with a little water or mead helps it go in faster.

I would not use a fining agent just yet, it's too soon. Fining agents are for small particles that are stubbornly not dropping out, not large particles that will fall out on their own. Patience, grasshopper. ;)
 
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