siphoning-just get as close to airtight as possible?

[cessnat37]

I am a little unclear on the rack, cane and siphon thing. I am using 1 gallon glass jugs. I am told that one should avoid oxygenating the mead when transferring to another jug.
I am told that introducing air to the mead will deplete the alcohol.

I don't plan on using an auto siphon.

I asked the local brewing supply owner out here if I insert the tube in the hole in the stopper. He said I just extend the rack into the open jug filler neck.

But this isn't an airtight seal at the jug opening. Am I assuming correctly that the main idea is to keep both ends of tubing beneath surface liquid when siphoning?

Also, I decided I won't use my mouth to siphon. Is this water priming thing as easy as they say, and does it permit an uninterrupted flow of liquid?

What diameter tubing should I use?

Thanks,
Dave

 

[Angus]

Welcome Cessnat,

Read up on the Newbee Guide, Chapter 11 (http://www.gotmead.com/content/view/443/53/). In answer to your questions, oxygenation will result in off flavors in your mead. It is therefore important to avoid exposing it to air as much as possible. When you are racking, some air will get into the bottles. To minimize this, you can blanket the mead with CO2 when you first open it, but some O2 will get in. Don't worry.

It is important to keep the exit end below the surface as this will reduce the amount of exposure to the air.

Finally, the water method does work very well and the flow is uninterrupted. 1/3 to 1/2 inch diameter tubing works great.

Angus

 

[Muirghein Tarot]

How about filling the bottles with CO2 before so when the mead flows in its pushing out CO2 not O2?


Angus, your in progress is getting larger than your posts. You got more things bubbling around you than a Los Vegas show girl!

envious,
Tarot.

 

[WRATHWILDE]

How about filling the bottles with CO2 before so when the mead flows in its pushing out CO2 not O2?

If you have the proper equipment it's an added safeguard. Hyperventilating into the carboy is not an advisable method of filling them with CO2. ;D

Wrathwilde

 

[Muirghein Tarot]

That would be the Lamaze method of CO2 blanketing?

Breath....breath....push the carboy....breath...breath...


Tarot.

 

[Oskaar]

I generally fill my destination vessels with CO2 before racking. It's a good practice to get into, and gives you a nice layer of protection from oxidation before during and after you rack.

Cheers,

Oskaar

 

[cessnat37]

How do blanket with CO2? Do you buy compressed containers of CO2?

 

[JayH]

If you become obsessed like some of us are, or are coming to mead via the homebrew route you will probably have or eventually want to get 5-gallon kegs, CO2 canisters, regulators etc. At that point you will have what you need, but that's expensive.

The other easy solution is a portable CO2 system. You can buy them at any homebrew shop. They fit in the palm of your hand and use CO2 cartridges much like the ones I used as a kid with my BB gun. In addition you might want to buy one of the pressurization caps and the connector so you pressurize a 2 liter Coca Cola bottle to force carbonate some of your mead. It should run you around $20 bucks or so for the CO2 and connector, and anther 12-15 for the cap.

Look here to see what I mean.

http://morebeer.com/product.html?product_id=18305

and here

http://morebeer.com/product.html?product_id=18250

Cheers
Jay

 

[cessnat37]

Thank you all for responding to my inquiry "siphoning-just get as close to airtight as possible?"

-Dave

 

[Scott Horner]

Agree with all the advice above. I dont have a CO2 system at home but have never had an issue with air ruining my mead during the short time it takes to rack to a new vessel. If you put the source carboy high enough you can easily rack into the new vessel in less than 30 minutes.

BTW I am a huge fan of the autosyphon. Been using it for years, no more "suck starting" a syphon for me