Racking/second fermentation confusion

[thechemister]

I've seen a few tutorials on making mead, and it seems what to do after the primary fermentation is not thoroughly explained. From what I can deduce from what I've seen, the following process is as such:

After a month of fermentation, rack your mead into a new container leaving behind all dead yeast and other particles (such as orange slices, raisins, etc).

Place airlock on new container, let ferment another month.

Rack into new container, again leaving behind dead yeast.

Bottle mead, at which point I would add potassium sorbate, potassium metabisulfate, and bentonite as needed.

So, does this process seem correct? Feedback please and thank you!

 

[Bearmaul]

That's the basic process, yes, but don't worry about the time frame. Not every fermentation is going to complete in a month. Primary fermentation ends when fermentation stops and the SG of your mead stops dropping.

Secondary fermentation is where you'd add any additional flavorings that you don't necessarily want to ferment completely - fruits, spices, juices, etc.

Again, secondary fermentation ends when fermentation itself ends.

If your mead is dry, you shouldn't need to stabilize with sorbate and sulfite at all, as this can affect the flavor of your mead. But if there's still a good bit of sugar left in the mead or if you want to backsweeten, cold crash the mead for a few days and then rack it onto the chems. This will not stop an active fermentation, but it will "shock" the yeast and will prevent a fermentation from starting again - hence the cold crash.

Time will solve most all clearing problems. If it's been a good number of months and your mead isn't clear then you can use bentonite or your clearing agent of choice.

I'm sure someone else will have something to add. Happy mazing!

 

[fatbloke]

If you rack before primary is complete, you leave a lot of the active colony behind and risk messing up.

Equally, mentioning orange pieces etc suggests a JAO batch. That's a very specific method which isnt racked period. You just follow the instructions. ....