Racking

Maybe first I should answer the question, what is racking and why do it? Put simply racking is the process of siphoning the clear liquid too a second container while leaving behind the sediment in the first container . This is done to remove the spent yeast cells and any other solids that settle to the bottom so you are left with clean clear mead

When to rack is a frequently asked question by newbies on the mead message boards and news groups. And I can understand why there is so much confusion, all over the internet you can find recommendations for racking any where from one week after start to two months and all points between. Some would have you rack faithfully every week until there is nothing left, at which point, well I guess your mead is finished.

A common mistake made by a lot of new mead makers (and wine makers) is to rack to soon. This can cause slow or stalled fermentation, then you have a whole new set of problems to deal with. If your mead is happily bubbling away resist the urge to mess with it, the best thing is to leave it alone and let the yeast do there job.

I normally rack when fermentation is complete, or nearly complete. This is usually around 4-6 weeks, when activity has slowed way down and much of the yeast has settled to the bottom and the must has started to clear. I see no point in racking before the end of fermentation because racking removes a lot of yeast from the must and will slow or stall fermentation, why remove the yeast before there work is done? Some slow fermentation may continue after this first racking, this is normal.

The second racking happens 6-8 weeks after the first, by that time the mead has usually cleared pretty well and left a layer of sediment on the bottom again. Any more rackings depend on the mead, if a layer of sediment builds up I may rack again in 6-8 weeks, if not I may leave it alone for 6 months. There is no set schedule for racking, let the mead be your guide.

There are some situations where things are done differently. If I use fruit at the start of fermentation I normally remove the fruit in 1-2 weeks. I do these type batches in a plastic bucket and when the fruit is removed I siphon to a glass carboy. But this is not really racking because I transfer most if not all of the sediment to the carboy to keep the fermentation going strong, then rack as above when the fermentation is finished. Some times I don't add the fruit until fermentation is slowing then wait a couple of weeks and rack when finished.

If you have read my braggot recipe you probably noticed that it gets racked after only 2 weeks. This is because it has a lower starting sg. and the malt extract provides a lot of yeast nutrients so it ferments out fast and is usually done fermenting in 2 weeks.