Showed an online buddy of mine the GotMead? site, now he's interested in it. Said he was considering homebrewed beer, but this might be a more interesting alternative. Like most of us neophytes he had no idea there were so many variations to play with.
Spreading the faith
- Thread starter WikdWaze
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Besides that, beer equipment is expensive! It would be harder jumping in to something that is expensive from the get go rather than cheap and easy like mead.
Trust me, I'm a believer on the cost of beer equipment. Thousands of dollars on that hobby. I still love to brew it, but all grain brewing systems can be costly, along with the extra refrigerators, corny kegs, tappers, brewhouse setup, ya da da, ya da da!
But, the upside is that I can use most everything I did acquire to make three times as much mead in one sitting so . . . LIFE IS GOOD!
Oskaar
But, the upside is that I can use most everything I did acquire to make three times as much mead in one sitting so . . . LIFE IS GOOD!
Oskaar
Gaad!
I'd never use a racking cane for 100 gallons. Sheesh, I'd be like, 100 years old before it got done. LOL On something like that kind of quantity a mass fermentation and storage vessel with a good large valve for transferring would be needed.
Oskaar
I'd never use a racking cane for 100 gallons. Sheesh, I'd be like, 100 years old before it got done. LOL On something like that kind of quantity a mass fermentation and storage vessel with a good large valve for transferring would be needed.
Oskaar
Oskaar said:
Yes that's why plastic bucket fermentors are so popular, because they have a valve.
Aren't the plastic buckets with spigots mostly for bottling? I mean I'm sure they'd be fine for fermenting, but the yeast would settle into the spigot lumen, and a lot of the yeast would probably come off the yeast cake on the bottom when you decant to your secondary.
Have you used this before? Just curious because I'd thought about it but upon rexamination I figured there would be too much of the yeast transferred to the secondary?
Enquiring minds want to know.
Oskaar
Have you used this before? Just curious because I'd thought about it but upon rexamination I figured there would be too much of the yeast transferred to the secondary?
Enquiring minds want to know.
Oskaar
Well alot of people like plastic fermenters because of the valve. I've never heard of anyone using it for bottling, I've only heard of it being used for a primary fermentor.
The valve is positioned right above where the lees settles so the thing is made for racking.
I havn't used one though, but I may one of these days. The pros and cons of a plastic fermentor are detailed pretty well in Shramm's book. Heres What I remember:
Pros:
-Easy clean up.
-The valve for racking.
-Often easier to add ingredients. No funnels.
-No plugged up carboys when adding fruit in primary.
Cons:
-Some meadmakers don't like the use of plastic, even food grade plastic.
-More headspace, but Shramm emphasises that this is not a problem. For one thing, the CO2 from the yeast pushes out any oxygen that might be in the headspace. This is why these are only used for Primary however, since headspace is more of an issue in secondary.
The valve is positioned right above where the lees settles so the thing is made for racking.
I havn't used one though, but I may one of these days. The pros and cons of a plastic fermentor are detailed pretty well in Shramm's book. Heres What I remember:
Pros:
-Easy clean up.
-The valve for racking.
-Often easier to add ingredients. No funnels.
-No plugged up carboys when adding fruit in primary.
Cons:
-Some meadmakers don't like the use of plastic, even food grade plastic.
-More headspace, but Shramm emphasises that this is not a problem. For one thing, the CO2 from the yeast pushes out any oxygen that might be in the headspace. This is why these are only used for Primary however, since headspace is more of an issue in secondary.
I like the valve idea, but something strikes me as odd. The valve can't possibly be at exactly the right height for every recipe. There would have to be times when the valve was too low and the lees came through. Either that or they set the valve so high that you'll lose more precious mead than you would by racking.Norskersword said:
I have a similar problem with the fancy conical fermenters where you're supposed to open the bottom valve and drain the lees out instead of removing the mead from the lees. Sounds great in theory, but I can see all kinds of things going wrong in the harsh light of reality.
I've got a plastic bucket with a spigot that I never use anymore. The spigot is impossible to clean, and I'm not willing to risk a batch by even letting my mead touch that bucket. So it has been demoted to an equipment storage bucket.
Conical fermenters work great. Lees fall to the bottom, you open the valve to get rid of them, the mead stays in place, etc. No worries.
Conical fermenters work great. Lees fall to the bottom, you open the valve to get rid of them, the mead stays in place, etc. No worries.
WikdWaze said:
As to my understanding, the valve is a little above the lees. This isn't a problem, however, because even racking with a racking cane requires you tip the fermenter a little to save more of the mead. Being able to do this without getting much lees is where the racking "skills" come in.
ScottS said:
There are a few kinds of spigots to choose from and some are easier to clean than others. It sounds like you have one from the "hard to clean" catagory.
On the other hand, I havn't had experience with these, however. I only know what I've read. Shramm seems to supports them however.
