headspace while aging?

[Descender]

racked my melomel into a glass carboy. It's only 3/4 full. Still a little airlock activity, maybe a buble every 10 minutes. Will it be ok to bulk age with all that room?

 

[Arpolis]

No it is not good to bulk age with that much room. I would top up with some juice or frozen/thawed fruit to reduce the headspace. You could also top up with honey water close to your original musts starting gravity.

Some also use sterilized glass marbles to displace liquid and take up head space. If there is some fermentation going on then there is no immediate threat but look around and find what will be the best way for you to reduce that headspace for when you are ready for bulk aging.

 

[MarshmallowBlue]

Arpolis is right; but I think he meant matching the current Specific Gravity and not Starting Gravity (youll drive up the sweetness using Starting Grav).

 

[Kdog22]

Other option may be to just rack into bottles when fermentation is completed and just age in the bottles as opposed to bulk aging. But I would probably just add some honey water to top up if you've got that much headspace and your fermentation isn't complete. But that's just me.

 

[MarshmallowBlue]

If you bottle that early after fermentation you're going to get a ton of sediment in the bottles. Fermentation is only a few weeks for the major bulk of it.

 

[Arpolis]

Arpolis is right; but I think he meant matching the current Specific Gravity and not Starting Gravity (youll drive up the sweetness using Starting Grav).

After re reading yes I meant current gravity. Thanks for the catch.

 

[Descender]

I like the marbles idea! would allow any sediment to go even farther down. Now to convince the wife I need more "equipment "...

 

[VCTFernandes]

I like the marbles idea! would allow any sediment to go even farther down. Now to convince the wife I need more "equipment "...

"It's for the kids, honey..."

 

[MarshmallowBlue]

Just say if you don't buy the marbles, the batch could explode making a huge mess.

Edit: Make sure to use "brewy" words like Attenuation levels, Flocculation, SNA schedule, and most importantly Mead Explosion Accident (or MEA)

 

[Descender]

lol. She has seen and put up with my mead and cider making for years and knows better. At least I can get them at the dollar store...

 

[davidsale]

So, in a 3 gal. glass carboy about what is the correct headspace when going into secondary?

 

[MarshmallowBlue]

As little as possible. Some people use glass marbles to top up (its a pain). Others top p with a honey water mixture equal to their current gravity.

 

[RTPMedic]

I know I'm late, but if you still have airlock activity after moving into secondary the headspace is of less concern because all that 'space' is now CO2....not oxygen. Keep the airlock on it and let it clear.

 

[Yooper]

So, in a 3 gal. glass carboy about what is the correct headspace when going into secondary?

About two inches.

You want to top up to the narrowest part of the carboy, just below the bung where the carboy is the narrowest. Two inches below the bung, give or take an inch or two, would be perfect.