Jaom almost done, what next?

Visionist · Jan 14, 2014

Started my JAOM on Nov 22nd, seems to be getting pretty clear now, I've attached a pic to try to show some of the clarity(Jager for reference ;D).
This is my first homebrew of anything, so...what next? Do I wait for the fruit to drop or do I temperature shock it to make it drop? How do I go about bottling, do I have to rack it before bottling(I don't have another carboy)?
Thanks all
http://i39.tinypic.com/2hwgsk9.jpg

Riverat · Jan 14, 2014

Letting the fruit drop is recommended but I've heard of batches that just kept floating until the mazer went ahead and bottled it to their satisfaction, bread yeast will stir back up if you just look at it sideways though so I would find something to rack it into to bottle from, a clean milk jug maybe?

Visionist · Jan 14, 2014

Riverat said:
Letting the fruit drop is recommended but I've heard of batches that just kept floating until the mazer went ahead and bottled it to their satisfaction, bread yeast will stir back up if you just look at it sideways though so I would find something to rack it into to bottle from, a clean milk jug maybe?

Any guides around on racking/bottling?

Riverat · Jan 14, 2014

Visionist said:
Any guides around on racking/bottling?

Hmm, don't suppose you have a racking cane or bottling wand?
Well if not, a corker or capper probably aren't in your inventory just yet either?
Get some vinyl tubing from the hardware store 3/8 should do
How about letting it drop (the fruit) then siphon from the carboy to a cleaned and sanitized water or milk jug, clean the carboy and siphon back to it, bung it up and just serve from that.
If you get the bug (like most of us?) your inventory of "stuff" will grow LOL

Visionist · Jan 14, 2014

Riverat said:
Hmm, don't suppose you have a racking cane or bottling wand?
Well if not, a corker or capper probably aren't in your inventory just yet either?
Get some vinyl tubing from the hardware store 3/8 should do
How about letting it drop (the fruit) then siphon from the carboy to a cleaned and sanitized water or milk jug, clean the carboy and siphon back to it, bung it up and just serve from that.
If you get the bug (like most of us?) your inventory of "stuff" will grow LOL

I "inherited" a bunch of winemaking things from my parents when they gave up on the hobby(2 big carboys 23L?) and a corker and a racking cane(if I can find it)

Riverat · Jan 14, 2014

Visionist said:
I "inherited" a bunch of winemaking things from my parents when they gave up on the hobby(2 big carboys 23L?) and a corker and a racking cane(if I can find it)

Oh slick! well I would suggest a small investment in a bottling wand (sized to fit the tubing on your cane), some corks for sure and a hydrometer(couple? one will break at the worst time ask me how I know) for the future batches? And do rack it to another container to bottle from though, move the jug to where you will be racking if it isn't already there and you will see how the slightest disturbance will stir up the yeast, it will settle in a day or two, fatbloke has a great procedure for reducing your racking losses

Visionist · Jan 14, 2014

Riverat said:
Oh slick! well I would suggest a small investment in a bottling wand (sized to fit the tubing on your cane), some corks for sure and a hydrometer(couple? one will break at the worst time ask me how I know) for the future batches? And do rack it to another container to bottle from though, move the jug to where you will be racking if it isn't already there and you will see how the slightest disturbance will stir up the yeast, it will settle in a day or two, fatbloke has a great procedure for reducing your racking losses

The most convenient place for me to rack it is in my garage, which is much cooler than my 72f room. Would it be a bad idea to move it there right now? It would encourage the fruit to drop as well wouldn't it?

Riverat · Jan 14, 2014

Visionist said:
The most convenient place for me to rack it is in my garage, which is much cooler than my 72f room. Would it be a bad idea to move it there right now? It would encourage the fruit to drop as well wouldn't it?

Possibly not a bad idea but I suspect one of Joe's intentions with this recipe it to teach a bit of patience (will come in handy, trust me) and mead really does improve with time, the times given for this recipe are (IMHO) minimums but that said....assuming it have been totally inactive for awhile...the point about the fruit dropping is to assure fermentation is really done and degassed a bit (do a search on bottle bombs or glass grenades) this is all about gaining experience...

Visionist · Jan 14, 2014

Riverat said:
Possibly not a bad idea but I suspect one of Joe's intentions with this recipe it to teach a bit of patience (will come in handy, trust me) and mead really does improve with time, the times given for this recipe are (IMHO) minimums but that said....assuming it have been totally inactive for awhile...the point about the fruit dropping is to assure fermentation is really done and degassed a bit (do a search on bottle bombs or glass grenades) this is all about gaining experience...

Thanks for the help, I can at least give it until the 2 month mark to see what happens before moving it.

mannye · Jan 15, 2014

When mine was this clear, it took another two weeks maybe three for the fruit to start dropping. If you don't have one, a small wine thief or a brand new sanitized turkey baster is nice. You carefully stick it in the top and draw off a tiny cup of mead to taste. then once you taste it, you're going to want to rack the thing and get to drinking the rest of it. I just stick a hose in it and suck on the other end. I had a second glass carboy but you can rack into any clean and sanitized container.

One good reason to wait for the fruit to drop is that any yeast deposited on the fruit will get in your mead while you rack. Keep that in mind. What I did the first time because I was eager to bottle it was to spend a day or two very gently bumping the fruit to get the yeast to fall down to the bottom.

loveofrose · Jan 16, 2014

+1 to all the advice given, but they have all forgotten one thing.

You need to start another batch!

bernardsmith · Jan 16, 2014

Visionist said:
The most convenient place for me to rack it is in my garage, which is much cooler than my 72f room. Would it be a bad idea to move it there right now? It would encourage the fruit to drop as well wouldn't it?

The cooler the temperature when you rack the more CO2 will be held by the mead. I am not suggesting that you rack in a sauna but racking at room temperature means that more of the CO2 will dissipate as the surface area of the mead flowing into the target carboy allows the CO2 to escape. Indeed, allowing the mead to flow down the inside of the carboy rather than drop into it creates even more surface area in relationship to the volume being transferred.
That said, I presume the idea behind waiting until the fruit drops is to ensure that much of the CO2 will have naturally dissipated but never having tried to make a JOAM it strikes me that the larger the fruit chunks the more likely the CO2 will not in fact support them whether the carboy is full of CO2 or has virtually none. Bottling any wine with significant but unintended and unmeasured quantities of CO2 may result in flying corks or (worse) bottle bombs.

fuelish · Jan 16, 2014

Riverat said:
...and a hydrometer(couple? one will break at the worst time ask me how I know)

Haha, yes, am fixin' to buy 2 new ones right here...my only one got broken when I racked this past saturday night, although I did get a gravity reading, approx....but it's gonna be sittin' for a while to clear, and the new one (also done on Sat night, and I DID get a OG as I made it before racking the other) is still happily fartin' away, so I'll get up to the LHBS sometime next week (or maybe order online - there's a few things I want that he doesn't carry, like carboy dryer/stands and Starsan...go figure).

Visionist · Jan 25, 2014

bernardsmith said:
The cooler the temperature when you rack the more CO2 will be held by the mead. I am not suggesting that you rack in a sauna but racking at room temperature means that more of the CO2 will dissipate as the surface area of the mead flowing into the target carboy allows the CO2 to escape. Indeed, allowing the mead to flow down the inside of the carboy rather than drop into it creates even more surface area in relationship to the volume being transferred.
That said, I presume the idea behind waiting until the fruit drops is to ensure that much of the CO2 will have naturally dissipated but never having tried to make a JOAM it strikes me that the larger the fruit chunks the more likely the CO2 will not in fact support them whether the carboy is full of CO2 or has virtually none. Bottling any wine with significant but unintended and unmeasured quantities of CO2 may result in flying corks or (worse) bottle bombs.

Ironically enough I do own a sauna in my home..

The mead is now crystal clear, I can read pages of a book through it clearly.
The fruit is still not dropped, I do not think it is going to. What now?

Cal · Jan 25, 2014

^You can bottle it or let it bulk age where it is at.

Visionist · Jan 25, 2014

Cal said:
^You can bottle it or let it bulk age where it is at.

Bottling it with the fruit not dropped is no big deal?

Honeyhog · Jan 25, 2014

Visionist said:
Bottling it with the fruit not dropped is no big deal?

The problem with bottling before the fruit is dropped is that the fruit has a bunch of dead yeast coating it and if you even look at it the wrong way you will knock it off and end up with sediment in the bottom of you bottles. Trying to get a racking cane or auto siphon in there and bottling without touching the floating fruit is near impossible.

kudapucat · Jan 25, 2014

It's no big deal.
Is it cold outside? If so, leave it out for 6+ hours, if it's clear, the fruit will drop.

Visionist · Jan 27, 2014

I moved it to my Garage last night where I will be bottling it, majority of the fruit has dropped(not all..but pretty much all the big pieces). I have to wait for it to clear again then I can rack and bottle it.

Cal · Jan 28, 2014

^Welcome to GA. I'm in GA too.

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