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First Batch, First Post: Smells like Orange Juice??

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Squatchy said:
So once it's finished fermenting you can add a small piece of copper pipe to it to help with the smell. Go buy as short of a piece as you can. Don't use it yet. Until I teach you how. Try very hard to stir the smell out of suspension. Don't drink anymore. Those fusels are very bad for your brain. That strain is really nice once you can learn to keep them happy. Finish listening to my podcast. You will know more than most people on here once you do!

Lastly, most of the fermentation is past the point of temps making a huge difference. The damage is already done. Try to place your mead in a place that will keep it in the low sixties and the less variation you have the better for the yeast. Stir the hell out of it several times a day if you have to. to keep the smell out as much as possible. Over time that can attach itself to you mean and become permanent.
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Ok for sure. I assume the copper attracts the smelly particles for one reason or another. Negative charge? I don’t remember anything from chemistry haha.

I will continue to stir the crap out of it. And I actually am listening to it right now!


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Valcarion said:
Ok for sure. I assume the copper attracts the smelly particles for one reason or another. Negative charge? I don’t remember anything from chemistry haha.

I will continue to stir the crap out of it. And I actually am listening to it right now!


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You don't want to put any copper during an active ferment. You can buy a small length of copper pipe at home depot. Once your batch is finished. You will need to stabilize it. Then we can add the copper. Don't do it without some instruction
 
Squatchy said:
You don't want to put any copper during an active ferment. You can buy a small length of copper pipe at home depot. Once your batch is finished. You will need to stabilize it. Then we can add the copper. Don't do it without some instruction
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Copy.


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Squatchy said:
I've been meaning to say and keep forgetting. Thanks for serving my family and our country. God bless you, soldier!
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Oh man, I feel bad. I’m not in the military. I did ROTC in high school and worked at an airport for a bit so copy kind of became a thing for me. I hope you don’t feel that I’ve misled you!


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Valcarion said:
Oh man, I feel bad. I’m not in the military. I did ROTC in high school and worked at an airport for a bit so copy kind of became a thing for me. I hope you don’t feel that I’ve misled you!


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Not at all. You didn't. I just assumed. No worries. I just have a very deep felt thread that runs inside me with a huge infinity to those who risk it all to go fight for our homeland. Carry On! ;)
 
Squatchy said:
Not at all. You didn't. I just assumed. No worries. I just have a very deep felt thread that runs inside me with a huge infinity to those who risk it all to go fight for our homeland. Carry On! ;)
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I totally understand. I do as well. I felt so bad for a minute! Stolen valor folks make me angry, didn’t want to appear as one.

I’ll take your assumption as a compliment!


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1.010 today at 12:45p. That rotten egg smell is getting really strong. Doing my best to stir and stir until it lessens, but phew! I’d say there’s probably an inch of dirt brown yeast cake sitting on the bottom every morning. I know people tend to rack too early but I wonder if that dirt brown yeast is normal or if it’s contributing to the smell?


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I would let it sit overnight and rack it in the morning onto Sulfite/sorbate. It will probably be stuck at 1010. But that will be ok. Then after you have it in another vessel. And you're certain it's stopped fermenting. Place a small section of clean copper pipe in it. It might take several hours. I did this once with one of my first batches. I tied it to some fishing mono and let it dangle over night. Clean it real good before you put it in. Swirl your must hear and there to circulate it around the copper some. Take it out once you get it smelling ok. Or if it's been in for longer than 12 hours.
 
Squatchy said:
I would let it sit overnight and rack it in the morning onto Sulfite/sorbate. It will probably be stuck at 1010. But that will be ok. Then after you have it in another vessel. And you're certain it's stopped fermenting. Place a small section of clean copper pipe in it. It might take several hours. I did this once with one of my first batches. I tied it to some fishing mono and let it dangle over night. Clean it real good before you put it in. Swirl your must hear and there to circulate it around the copper some. Take it out once you get it smelling ok. Or if it's been in for longer than 12 hours.
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Got it. I’ll go to the brew store tomorrow and pick up what I need. I need to finish the podcast episode on racking so I know what to do. Thank you Squatchy.


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Squatchy said:
I would let it sit overnight and rack it in the morning onto Sulfite/sorbate. It will probably be stuck at 1010. But that will be ok. Then after you have it in another vessel. And you're certain it's stopped fermenting. Place a small section of clean copper pipe in it. It might take several hours. I did this once with one of my first batches. I tied it to some fishing mono and let it dangle over night. Clean it real good before you put it in. Swirl your must hear and there to circulate it around the copper some. Take it out once you get it smelling ok. Or if it's been in for longer than 12 hours.
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So I’m listening to the podcast episode on sulfites still so forgive me if this is answered in the podcast, but I’ll ask now so I hopefully have an answer by the time it’s time to rack.

You said rack onto the sulfite/sorbate. Should I put the sulfite and sorbate in the empty carboy before racking, or sprinkle it on top after racking, or only use one or the other? I know that you would normally rack first, then do multiple additions of sulfite over a period of time depending on ph and amount of free so2. Considering I’m doing this all tomorrow to get it off the lees, I want to make sure I do it right.


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Well I racked this batch off the lees onto sulfite/sorbate. That was my first time racking and it went decently well. Having a better sanitizer will help the process much more in the future, but it went alright! Some of the sulfite/sorbate is clumping up at the top so I’ve swirled it a couple of times but at this point I’m just going to let it sit for a while. I’ll check gravity tomorrow and the next day, and if it hasn’t changed I’ll put the copper pipe in and try to get rid of those smells.


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So fermentation seems non existent at this point. Lots of sediment forming at the bottom of the carboy. About an inch, inch and a half of the top is noticeably clearer than the rest, and that clear portion is growing. I’m leaning towards letting it clear and racking it again, unless the consensus is to keep stirring the lees into suspension? I was thinking of leaving it to clear, racking again, doing the copper pipe after racking, and then letting it age.

I hate that I’m asking so many questions, I just am trying to cover everything so that I don’t have to ask much more in the future. I want to get self sufficient at this as quick as possible.


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Because you have a reductive batch I would rack ASAP. That can eventually bind and it will be very hard and take a long to go away if ever. Anytime you have a reductive batch, rack just as soon as you can. Then do the Copper.
 
Squatchy said:
Because you have a reductive batch I would rack ASAP. That can eventually bind and it will be very hard and take a long to go away if ever. Anytime you have a reductive batch, rack just as soon as you can. Then do the Copper.
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So I racked yesterday. You’re saying to rack again now as well to get it off that sediment also? Just clarifying.


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If you did a good job of racking and didn't bring across a lot of lees you are ok for the time being. You will get more settlement over time. As long as you don't have any smells going on now you will be ok to wait for a while before you rack again. It's ok to still be stirring, and/or use the copper.
 
Squatchy said:
If you did a good job of racking and didn't bring across a lot of lees you are ok for the time being. You will get more settlement over time. As long as you don't have any smells going on now you will be ok to wait for a while before you rack again. It's ok to still be stirring, and/or use the copper.
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I went ahead and racked again last night. There wasn’t any smell but I wanted to be safe. It’s sitting in the new carboy now and I see no sediment on the bottom at this point. I don’t smell anything bad now. It actually is starting to smell slightly sweet, almost like honey ;) I’m not sure if I even need the copper at this point. I figured I’d let it clear at this point and then bottle.


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So let it age for as long as you can before bottling. There some adjustments you can make before you bottle that will make it even better. I age mine for many months before I bottle
 
Squatchy said:
So let it age for as long as you can before bottling. There some adjustments you can make before you bottle that will make it even better. I age mine for many months before I bottle
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Copy. Should I leave the airlock on or is it safe to just cap it and put it in the closet?


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