Hello All,
Add me to the growing number of folks new to making mead. I figured I'd give it a try since beekeeping is a bit of a side job for me, and I typically have good honey to experiment with. I've been reading a lot of threads, listened to some of Squatchy on the recorded Live sessions, and a bit more studying. My apologies if this has been answered and I simply didn't find it put in terms that nailed it for me. I just wanted to make sure I got this right...
I've started with 2, 1 gallon batches, which seem to be proceeding as expected. Both are near, or at, the end of primary fermentation based on SG readings. I'd like to age them both a bit (at least 6 months - even if drinkable early), and I plan on adding a vanilla bean to 1 batch in secondary. My understanding in the most general/basic terms and steps is that I can:
1 - Cold crash
2 - Rack to secondary
3 - Add K-Meta and K-Sorbate
I may want to rack either batch a second or third time, but my questions are:
1 - Is the above generally the steps for the first racking?
2 - Will I need to add more K-Meta or K-Sorbate at any time after these steps besides possibly previous to bottling?
Thanks in advance for any consideration (and patience).
Add me to the growing number of folks new to making mead. I figured I'd give it a try since beekeeping is a bit of a side job for me, and I typically have good honey to experiment with. I've been reading a lot of threads, listened to some of Squatchy on the recorded Live sessions, and a bit more studying. My apologies if this has been answered and I simply didn't find it put in terms that nailed it for me. I just wanted to make sure I got this right...
I've started with 2, 1 gallon batches, which seem to be proceeding as expected. Both are near, or at, the end of primary fermentation based on SG readings. I'd like to age them both a bit (at least 6 months - even if drinkable early), and I plan on adding a vanilla bean to 1 batch in secondary. My understanding in the most general/basic terms and steps is that I can:
1 - Cold crash
2 - Rack to secondary
3 - Add K-Meta and K-Sorbate
I may want to rack either batch a second or third time, but my questions are:
1 - Is the above generally the steps for the first racking?
2 - Will I need to add more K-Meta or K-Sorbate at any time after these steps besides possibly previous to bottling?
Thanks in advance for any consideration (and patience).