Brewbear said:
I am certain that people like Oskaar, Wrath, Da, Lostnbronx, Joe (both of them),Pewter and others will be able to answer your question more completely, they forgot more thanI hope to learn :-[
Ted
Oh, I forgot to learn what I hoped to!
Can't speak for others, but just about all I know is that the more I learn, the more I know I
don't know.
Racking can be a job, or it can be an art. Learning how to do it is fairly easy, as we know. Following a rule of thumb is also easy, and generally safer than second guessing yourself. After a bit of experience with particular recipes and yeasts, you get a better sense of when to pull the must/mead off the lees, and when to let it sit. A good start is to read up on the yeast variety you are using. Nearly every manufacturer has this information readily available, or free for the asking via a friendly letter.
As Wrath points out, the yeast type can make a large difference in your approach. I tend to obsess over my batches far more than I should. My goal is to become a "set it and forget it" kind of mazer. Jack Keller's advice is good. So is Wrathwilde's. Would you be able to tell the difference between an EC-1118 mead that sat for two weeks, and one that sat for 45 days? Maybe. Maybe not. I've let meads using that yeast go several
months between 1st and 2nd rackings, and I can't say as I had a noticeable problem in the flavor profile. Does that mean it's a good idea? Maybe for me it is, and for you it isn't. Or vice-versa. Or maybe not at all. We're talking about personal taste, remember, even though some things are just plain good procedure and a good idea to follow. These are not necessarily the same things for everyone, though.
If you're fielding opinions (and I assume you are), I'd rack it now. It's what you had in mind from the start, and your gut feeling is your best friend in the meadery, followed very, very closely by good information. (Actually, good sanitation techniques should be #1, but we're not talking about that right now. ;D) Wrath is dead on about EC-1118, but you might want to read up on it yourself:
http://www.lallemandwine.us/products/yeast_chart.php
Eeep! Sorry to eat a lot of your time just to say, "Rack it, baby, rack it!"
-David
My first batch with EC-1118 was on the lees for about a month and was very bitter and took a while to age out. I don't know if it was the yeasts fault or not, but as impatient as all nubees are... if I can save him a couple of weeks aging. 8)
