Hi all. I'm working on my first 1 gallon batch of orange mead. It was sitting in the primary carboy for about 2 months. It was clear so I wanted to rack it into a secondary and away from all the fruit skins / lees at the bottom. I put it into the secondary carboy and I have a few inches of head space and read that oxidation might be a concern, because it is no longer fermenting.
I'm thinking of a few options that I have...
1) Add marbles to reduce the head space
2) Wait a few days for it to clear up (and risk oxidation) and then bottle
3) Rack into smaller vessel(s). If I decide to do this - could I rack the 1 gallon of mead into a couple wine bottles and cork them? And then re-bottle them when they clear up?
Any advice for cleaning up this beginner's mess? Thanks in advance!
I'm thinking of a few options that I have...
1) Add marbles to reduce the head space
2) Wait a few days for it to clear up (and risk oxidation) and then bottle
3) Rack into smaller vessel(s). If I decide to do this - could I rack the 1 gallon of mead into a couple wine bottles and cork them? And then re-bottle them when they clear up?
Any advice for cleaning up this beginner's mess? Thanks in advance!