Hi guys,
So...I've got three carboys with racked mead. It's been sitting in secondary for 6 months or so, and the two to the left had quite a bit of sediment in the bottom of the old carboys. They were filled to the rim and this is what's left. The one to the right didn't have much sediment, so I didn't rerack it.
Now, before putting it in storage for another year or so I just wanted to check a couple of things:
1. Should I fill the headspace with water? The carboys are 6 gallons, and I reckon the headspace is between one and two liters. The ABV at the moment is 18% or so.
2. When using yeast stop, should I just sprinkle it on top? Should I use it now, or should I wait?
3. What's the best way to check if there's any yeast left? Siphon off a little in a bottle, add sugar and see if it starts up again? If so, how do I kill it off? Part of this experiment is to backsweeten 1/3 of it in order to try different tastes.
Cheers!
Here's a picture:
So...I've got three carboys with racked mead. It's been sitting in secondary for 6 months or so, and the two to the left had quite a bit of sediment in the bottom of the old carboys. They were filled to the rim and this is what's left. The one to the right didn't have much sediment, so I didn't rerack it.
Now, before putting it in storage for another year or so I just wanted to check a couple of things:
1. Should I fill the headspace with water? The carboys are 6 gallons, and I reckon the headspace is between one and two liters. The ABV at the moment is 18% or so.
2. When using yeast stop, should I just sprinkle it on top? Should I use it now, or should I wait?
3. What's the best way to check if there's any yeast left? Siphon off a little in a bottle, add sugar and see if it starts up again? If so, how do I kill it off? Part of this experiment is to backsweeten 1/3 of it in order to try different tastes.
Cheers!
Here's a picture: