Beginner; First Time JAO - Valve Jerrycan?

EgmondsGoud · Oct 26, 2014

Hey there.

I'm planning to brew my very first beginner mead batch, balloon and all, from a 5-liter JAO recipe by using a valve equipped jerrycan:

http://www.jerrycanshop.nl/jerrycan...rycan-5-liter-met-kraantje-voor-water-24.html

It's made of high food-grade HDPE so it's suitable to contain the batch.
Seeing as the JAO recipe doesn't require any racking at all, this looks like the perfect container to make it in since, I imagine, you'd just use the valve to retrieve the mead out of the batch when ready to bottle, without any hassle of siphoning.

A few questions worry me though; is this going to work properly? Is the valve high enough so it doesn't take out all the yeast sediment when extracting the mead? Am I overlooking something crucial? Also, could I just clean this container with a bleach-water mixture?

Thanks in advance for any help.

clone63 · Oct 26, 2014

You'll have to cut the orange quite small so it comes out ok come time to clean it out.

I couldn't say about the valve being the right height. If it's too high, just tip it near the end. If it's too low and you get sediment, just don't start bottling until it's passed. If you get an orange chunk gummed up in it then you'll just have to do it the old fashioned way.

I would figure if it works out, then you've got a very convenient way to do JAOM. If not, then you haven't really lost anything, just do it as if it were a carboy.

Note the plastic may not give a good idea if the mead has cleared just by looking.

kudapucat · Oct 26, 2014

Fit an elbow to the inside of the valve to encourage mead to be drained from the top, rather than causing currents in your yeast slurry.

While the recipe says bottle direct from the carboy, there's no problem other than logistics with racking it.
Being as you're using a 20 litre jerry, you could rack it into 4xgal (us) bottles and then bottle once it has settled again.
This will ensure an ultra clean JAO with less/no lees in the bottle.

(Don't beat yourself up, my first 8 JAO had sediment form in the bottle, either through poor bottling skills or not being as clear as I thought it was)

Chevette Girl · Oct 27, 2014

Just make sure BEFORE you stick mead in it that the valve doesn't leak, I've just about given up on that kind of valve... I've had too many of them make a big mess!

If the valve does behave itself and you do use it for fermenting, a day or two before you bottle, give the jug a swirl and then sit it on a book or block of wood or something that tips it up so the valve is above the sediment when it all settles out again.

Bleach and water should work, although just good hot soapy water should be fine for a JAO.

EgmondsGoud · Oct 31, 2014

Thanks for the tips and tricks so far. The elbow fitting is a good idea too. Someone also noted that I can also just tip the jerrycan away from the valve to make the sediments move towards the back, by just putting something solid underneath the front end of the jerrycan.

Loadnabox · Nov 1, 2014

Tipping away from the valve means you'll have more waste

The recipe always said that it didn't mean don't rack under any circumstances, it just meant racking wasn't needed. I've always racked a couple of times, once when it's cleared to get it off the lees and fruit, and then another time to get rid of the sediment I stirred up.

I've got ~11 gallons coming ready that was done this way and been aging for a couple of years

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