Primary vs. Secondary Fermentation: What's the Difference?

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Take this link to find my notes I wrote and you can follow along:
drive.google.com/open?id=1PmL...
This video is about the difference between Primary and Secondary Fermentation. You can follow the link to read my notes as the video goes along. The difference between the two is really important to know and you should consider the differences when making a mead. If you enjoyed the video leave a like or a comment and thanks for watching! Ask as many questions as you might have.
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[@CoyoteRoseCreations]

Hate to be the one to tell you, when it comes down to home brew mead making, you are becoming one of the professionals.

[@ManMadeMead]

Why thank you!

[@SlavicusVile]

Chris Evans after 25% Super Soldier Serum

[@oibal60]

Thanks for this. I've done beer, ale, cider but not mead... yet. Very informative.

[@matthewlee1524]

I have a lot of questions, I have made mead many times before but I am just now trying to understand the processes, I really appreciate videos like this

[@ManMadeMead]

I’m glad I can help!

[@guiabarao]

Hi! I'm a Brazilian man. Your channel is very good. Congratulations and thank you for sharing your knowledge. I'm starting to produce hydromel and its tips are very useful.

[@gianini777]

Em ingles, hidromel é mead

[@Tuatha_De_Gaming]

"I'm no professional" I beg to differ. I've learned a lot from you.

[@ManMadeMead]

I’m glad I’ve been able to help!

[@izzie1975]

That was really helpful thank you I haven’t done a fresh fruit mead yet but have done dried fruits but I am ready to graduate

[@Dave_en]

Hey dude, I got a workaround for aerating the mead or wine before pitching the yeast. Instead of shaking the bulky jar and risk dropping it, we can use aquarium pump, airline and a stone bubbler (same arrangement to dissolve oxygen in fish tank). I think this will be double effective method than just shaking. Just 20-30min of running would dissolve maximum amount of oxygen.

[@kb2vca]

Not sure I totally agree about your use of the term "secondary fermentation". It's not always the case that any active fermentation is taking place in the secondary. I suspect the expression "secondary fermentation" is a misnomer that has arisen because you have racked from the primary FERMENTER into the second fermenter. The yeast is now cleaning up and removing all kinds of compounds they have produced but they may not be actively transforming any sugar into ethanol. True secondary fermentation is a process found in wine making when certain bacteria are added to a red wine to transform malic acids into lactic acids (a far less strong acid) and this is called MLF or malo-lactic fermentation. Malic acids are not typically found in honey so MLF is not a typical process associated with mead. But during MLF your airlock will be bubbling away. The other thing is that this also points to the problem of using your airlock to determine whether any activity is going on. Changes in ambient temperature or air pressure can force CO2 out of solution but that does not mean that any active fermentation is on going. The only useful way to know if yeast is producing alcohol is to see if the gravity is dropping. MLF , for example produces gases that will bubble through your airlock but not one gram more of alcohol is produced.

[@jamesrobertson5270]

So does cold crashing cause CO2 to escape or is cold crashing to get the mead to settle out or clarify? I am new and just made my first mead a few days ago. Thanks

[@ozoneswiftak]

Malic is from the word malicious. Very aggressive acid. Even though its natural to apples, that's what sometimes upsets your belly when eating an apple in the morning or such example.

[@KnobbyWobby]

@@ozoneswiftak malic is derived from malum or apple (apple trees are malus domestica). It could be that malicious has the same root, but malic acid is definitely not derived from malicious as it literally means apple acid.

[@gilochoa2980]

Thanks for the info!

[@someoneonly]

Are there any chemical differences between the yeast reaction in primary and secondary? At first I thought primary is mainly aerobic(as evidenced by the emission of carbon dioxide) and secondary is mainly anaerobic but from what I have seen online that doesnt seem to be the case. If so, what are the benefits of doing secondary fermentation instead of dumping all the sugars directly during primary(aside from preventing fruit rot in melomels)?

[@stevemacdonald1330]

Excellent videos

[@mikew4859]

So i just found your channel yesterday, i love it, super informative! Im planning on whipping up a batch of just some traditional honey mead at the end of the month here, though iv got one question. When it comes to aerating and degassing, how often do you do it? Do i simply shake/stir the bottle every now and then during the first few stages of the fermentation? Id like, if possible, to have a dry mead, with little CO2. Does simply shaking/stirring the bottle (with the stopper off, i assume?) also aerate the mead? Thanks man, keep doin what your doin!

[@ManMadeMead]

Hey Mike, thank you! I'm glad that I was able to help in some capacity. To answer your question, you should heavily aerate your must before you introduce the yeast into it. Then from there you can add more oxygen into it generally during the primary stage. If you've taken a gravity check I would try to add more oxygen to the mead at the point when 1/3 the sugar has been broken down. You can figure that out by looking at your gravity (Assume your end gravity is always 1.0 and your mead starts at 1.10 ---- The best time to aerate for the second time is at around 1.06). In regards to degassing most people will degas throughout the primary stage and even into the secondary some. You should be degassing it 1-2 times a day during the primary stages by gently shaking (with the stopper off) or stirring the mead. You can also dual aerate the mead some in this way too. Ultimately you just want to get rid of the CO2 in the mead and most of it creeps up in the primary and secondary fermentation stages. I hope this has helped some! Let me know if I can help any more and best of luck with your traditional meads!

[@mikew4859]

Thanks for the reply! That pretty much cleared everything up, im getting very excited to try this out haha. Cheers!

[@Thatoneninja22]

How do you know once its ok to add fruit to secondsry my possible abv is 15% og so not sure what to look for to know when primary is done completely im guessing thats when id add the fruit

[@drfye]

if you add fruit at the primary stage would the sugar content help prevent the fruit from spoiling while it ferments for 2 months? I used regular active dry bakers yeast.

[@GrimShad0w]

If im going into a secondary fermentation do i need to stabalize before i rack into the secondary container from primary fermentation

[@dennismorton4688]

you have good info videos very interesting

[@bleachswordsgirl2322]

Hi there, I'm so glad I found your channel. I'm in the process of making my first mead where I added fruits and left it for two weeks. If I want it to stay on the sweeter side, should I skip the secondary fermentation and jump to the racking stage? Or should I let it ferment a bit more? Thank you so much for your time and content!

[@ManMadeMead]

So you will probably need to stabilize the brew and back sweeten it for you to make it sweeter. Your yeast are probably going to eat all the sugars from the fruit - so moving it earlier or later won't really matter!

[@gantorisdurran710]

What is the purpose of a secondary fermentation (other than maybe adding fruits), I've just started trying to make mead and I just leave it until its finished fermenting then I'm done and I don't understand what I would gain by doing a second fermentation and adding more sugar to make it start again. Also I don't use fruits I buy very good quality juice from a farmers market and use that mostly instead of water which seemed like a good idea to me, 4l of Cherry juice in my Cherry mead and 4l of Apple & Pear Juice in my Apple mead. I just mix it all together, ferment it then its done.

[@jefferymuffinsbobmarley6128]

thank you

[@FrankvdHoeven]

Where do you keep the mead during second fermentation? I just finished my first fermentation and racked it an placed it in my cool basement. Can it stand on the concrete floor or do i need to make shelfs?

[@ManMadeMead]

You can leave it in the floor! I normally put mine in the cabinets I have at my house, but really anywhere that has a consistent temperature is good!

[@laloniesturgill9167]

My first attempt at making mead. I did two batch’s, both made the same way and with the same yeast lalvin d47. I let set for two weeks when bubbling had slowed way down I racked. The one that was real clear I put in to another carboy. The other was still cloudy but bubble was slower then the clear one. I put this one in a bucket and added blueberries. It’s been about 24 hrs and there are no bubbles is this normal? Will my mead still turn? Do I just let it to continue to sit for a couple weeks?

[@ManMadeMead]

It sounds like it finished fermenting which is fine! Putting more ingredients in doesn’t always mean the fermentation will begin again. I would just let it set for a few weeks, it sounds like everything is fine!

[@randomness3235]

From my understanding, adding fruits changes your water:sugar ratios, thus changing the total alcohol outcome but is there an easy way to measure this difference for calculating the SG/FG?

[@jasonzook9725]

I know this was asked a long time ago, but I think think this is the answer: pOg = primary fermentation original gravity pFg = primary fermentation final gravity sOg = secondary fermentation original gravity sFg = secondary fermentation final gravity ((pOg - pFg) - (sOg - sFg) * 131.25) = %ABV (if you add fermentable sugars in the secondary.)

[@billballaro6039]

I just started my first batch of traditional mead in 1 gallon carboys. I want to put apples and small sticks of cinnamon in at least two of the five gallons I made in the secondary. My initial reading was 1.100 and my fermentation is very active. When should I rack into secondary with apples and cinnamon and will I have to do anything to restart fermentation? Thank you, Bill B.

[@ManMadeMead]

Hey! I would wait until it gets down to 1.100 and then add your apples. Wait about 2 weeks after that and then add your cinnamon. If it's not sweet enough you will need to backsweeten it. You will first want to stabilize it (so it doesn't ferment anymore) using potassium sorbate. After you put the sorbate in, wait about 24 hours and then add as much honey as you want to get it to be sweeter. I would at that point (whether or not you sweeten it) add the cinnamon stick!

[@guyfillion9972]

I want to make Mead in these 10 gallon food grade plastic barrels that I already put airlock holes and spigots on them, My question is when I make Mead in the 10 gallon barrels and the fermentation has gone it's course, Could I just leave the Mead in the barrels and just drink from the barrels ? and in time would it change the over all taste of the mead if left in the barrels with the air locks left on them to stop the air from entering the Barrels ? I would like to skip the bottling stage and just do everything from beginning to end in one container, then once it's all drank over time I could start a whole new batch of two barrels at ten gallons a barrel. let me know what you think.

[@ManMadeMead]

Theoretically you could, but it will probably oxygenate as more air sits on the mead as you drink more…

[@zstevens312]

How long does secondary fermentation take?? I have my first batch ever should be coming out of primary soon. I have several empty bourbon bottles I was going to possibly rack into for a traditional. But I also got some apple juice and was thinking of experimenting and add that to the other carboy I have and try to make a Cyser. Is this even something I should try or just stick to the traditional. Another note the honey I use I got from Costco. It was their raw unfiltered honey. I know it’s more of a value honey so I’m tapering expectations but wanted your thoughts on it.

[@ManMadeMead]

It depends on your yeast and how much sugar there is left to consume! It could be anywhere from 7 - 60 days!

[@mohitbatra3280]

I have 2 questions: 1. Do we need to add something else in the secondary fermentation stage apart from the additional flavour ingredients.(like yeast or honey) 2. What quantities of flavour ingredients do we need to add to our mead?

[@ManMadeMead]

You don’t have to add anything in secondary! The amounts really depend on what you’re making and how much flavor you want!

[@ChristianAustinite]

Mine turned into vinegar, couldn't figure it out what did I do wrong, even using the airlock. 🤔😔

[@saulnavarro9440]

Would you recommend to stir my mead during fermentation? ( just like wine producers do) Im concerned about contamination or too much oxygen in the container and turn it to vinegar instead of doing malolactic ferm.

[@ManMadeMead]

You can stir it during the first 5 - 7 days, but after that I would leave it alone!

[@boom-ln5ew]

what about using raw unfiltered honey? will just raw honey and water take longer or even catch at all?

[@ManMadeMead]

Raw unfiltered honey is preferred because it has less process done to it. I won't take longer or short than regular honey!

[@brianwadkins9754]

Hi! ive been using your videos as a refrence on my second attempt at mead making-- i do have two questions though: 1) am i supposed to rack / go to second fermentation BEFORE or AFTER the mead clears up? and 2) would i still need an airlock if i have a flip-top seal on my growler (second fermentation) / bottles after racking?

[@ManMadeMead]

I would rack to secondary after you see the mead has finished its primary fermentation. I would keep an airlock for as long as you can before bottling! It just makes sure there isn’t any extra fermentation causing any unwanted carbonation.

[@brianwadkins9754]

@@ManMadeMead oooh okay thank you!

[@mall360]

How long do you leave your fruit in a secondary before racking again

[@ManMadeMead]

Daniel Reyes It depends on the fruit but normally 10 - 14 days does the job

[@harrisonsgroetsch7797]

So you don't have to rack the mead after the primary fermentation if you put in fruit right?

[@ManMadeMead]

You will still need to rack it because there will be lots of sediment!

[@dilianahummingbird8284]

Hey ! Thanks so much for your videos and info - super helpful !!! I'm making mead for the first time, and looking to start second fermentation and transfer the mead from buckets to DJs...It has however been about 9 weeks since I made it.. Do you recon it's too late, and can I still save my mead ? Thanks x

[@ManMadeMead]

You can definitely still move it and keep it going! Letting a mead sit is actually good for it!

[@dilianahummingbird8284]

@@ManMadeMead amaaazing xxx thanks! I shall proceed with it then x

[@stephenmatos5046]

Sorry beginner here been watching a lot of videos you're awesome! So from primary fermentation to secondary you need rack and then you could add fruit to start fermentation again? But i thought you needed to stop the fermentation immediately after racking to prevent any damage to the mead?

[@ManMadeMead]

secondary fermentation means there is more fermentation. If you want to go into secondary fermentation you can just add your fruit right into the same vessel without racking. If you want to add fruit without more fermentation you will need to stabilize the brew before you add it. This would take it from a primary fermentation straight into a tertiary or backsweetening stage

[@Dave_en]

What would be better method? Adding the fruits towards the end of primary or just after racking? Towards the end of primary, there would be plenty of yeast available to ferment the fruit. Racking removes most of the yeast from the must.

[@ManMadeMead]

I would add mine into the secondary. Generally you get a better fruit flavor that way!

[@Dave_en]

@@ManMadeMead thank you friend for ur suggestion. I will definitely try that.

[@Laidakojis]

Hey, Is it ok if i add my melomels to the mead that has all the yeast dead from the alcohol concentration? Will i still get the flavor even if there is no second fermentation, just the fruit sitting in the mead?

[@ManMadeMead]

Yes! I actually think that I get more flavor that way.

[@Laidakojis]

@@ManMadeMead Really thanks for your honest answer, keep up the great work!

[@kiennguyentrung8396]

Can i use natural year that made from grapes for making mead?

[@ManMadeMead]

Yes you can!

[@noblekunnappillil3051]

Dear..which is best level achchol giving yeast in your knowledge.. I want to know.. How to make wine with more alcohol in wine.. and normal ratio for sugar water and yeast.. pls tell it in grams.. and litter. Thanks

[@ManMadeMead]

Lalvin EC-1118 or Lalvin D47 are your best bets!

[@superodfx]

I read that it is best to rack when the fruit sinks to the bottom, is this waiting too long?

[@ManMadeMead]

Nope! That’s not too long!

[@kubilayalbayrak8419]

hey mate, I want to ask you two questions if you don't mind! the first question is do my racking vessel have to be glass? where I live, glass bottles that size is really expensive so can I not rack my mead into something like a water jug? and the second question is, will too much headspace be a problem for the first fermentation. because I brew beer at home I have a 25 liters brewing bucket but my mead is only 16 liters. will 9 liters of air be a problem? thanks.

[@ManMadeMead]

You don’t have you use glass but I would definitely recommend not aging in plastic for long! Plastic can leak chemically flavors over time. I would let your mead sit in plastic for over 2 months. Also, headspace is okay when it’s fermenting but you don’t want it while it’s aging! Oxygen is bad for the mead and leaving too much headspace will cause it to oxygenate and go bad!

[@kubilayalbayrak8419]

@@ManMadeMead thank you so much. I was planing to rack my mead from my fermenter to 5lt water bottles for a week then aging in 1lt glass bottles. Its easier for me to put airlocks in 5lt water bottles too.

[@MrRhino12667]

Do you treat your fruit with anything (potassium metabisulfite) before you add it to your secondary? Do you have a video on adding fruit to secondary? Do you process the fruit (mash it up)?

[@ManMadeMead]

Robin Heud I don’t generally treat my fruit with anything other than a rinse and a wash of my sanitizing solution. I don’t have a video of adding fruit into the secondary but I should make one. Some fruit I will blend and then freeze and unfreeze. Generally the best thing to do with any fruit is to cut it up, bag and freeze it, thaw it out, freeze again (repeat 2 - 3 times) then mash it up before you add it into the mead. This helps the flavors really pop with most fruit. You don’t want to ever blend berries ( namely blackberries, raspberries or really anything that has tiny tiny seeds. Because they will add unneeded tannins to your mead) other than that most fruit are totally okay to blend or smash when putting them into your mead!

[@MrRhino12667]

Awesome. Thanks

[@jurgenklinsmann77]

I'm attempting to start a blackberry mead soon, my first mead ever! Would you recommend whole berries into secondary, or juicing and straining? Thanks for the great content!

[@ManMadeMead]

I would freeze them and then mash them before putting them into the secondary! That should get the most flavor out of them!

[@jurgenklinsmann77]

@@ManMadeMead Huge thanks for the reply! I've got loads in the freezer from this years harvest so that'll be perfect. After mashing, would you strain it off or leave as is? Also if I may ask, what's a good amount of berries for a 5L batch? Looking for a real heavy berry flavor! Cheers again

[@ManMadeMead]

I would leave it as is. I would strain them! For 5 liters I would look at using 4 pounds (1.8 kg) of berries!

[@jurgenklinsmann77]

​@@ManMadeMead Great, noted! Many thanks for the replies and videos, big inspiration!

[@ManMadeMead]

@@jurgenklinsmann77 I'm happy to help!

[@calebstutesman9477]

Could you just wrack it, stabilize it and then add your extra ingredients after?

[@ManMadeMead]

You can definitely do that!

[@justanothercanuck4660]

So you don’t add any fruit or natural sugar in the primary stage ? It’s just yeast water and honey ?

[@ManMadeMead]

That’s really all personal opinion! Some people enjoy adding their fruit in the primary and others enjoy putting it in the secondary!

[@garykane7354]

How do you clear mead? Thanks

[@ManMadeMead]

You can use different methods. You can cold crash a mead to sort of clear it up (put it in a cold chamber for a bit). You can also just let it age for awhile and it should clear up over time. There are some products that help in clearing like: bentonite, EZ clear, chitosan. You can also filter the mead, that also works!

[@tdeleonruiz6521]

The temperature where I live is between 90 and 96 degrees daily. I do not have central ac in my home. Can I still make mead safely?

[@ManMadeMead]

You can with some yeasts that are made for hotter fermentations! Like this one would work: omegayeast.com/yeast/norwegian-kveik/hothead-ale

[@tdeleonruiz6521]

@@ManMadeMead Thank you so much. I appreciate you taking the time to answer my question.

[@gabrielfewkes1323]

My man, it's been like 4 or 5 weeks and my airlock is still bubbling nearly every 45 seconds, I didn't use any nutrients or anything, just honey water and ec 1118, is this normal?

[@ManMadeMead]

If your yeast didn't get proper nutrition - they could take quite some time! Did you take a gravity reading with a hydrometer?

[@gabrielfewkes1323]

@@ManMadeMead Well thank you for the info and quick response! But unfortunately I did not take a gravity reading.

[@lclbeazt2007]

Have a question. I just made my first batch of mead I did honey water yeast cinnamon. let it ferment for about 40 days I filterd and strained out the bottom gunk and out it back in a container. now i may have fucked up because i added fruits and some sugar but also put in some more yeast.. which i assumed woul be fine am i wrong for doing this and will this mess up my mead batch? please let me know and if i did mess it up what could i do to help it so i dont have to restart my batch? thanks

[@ManMadeMead]

I don’t think you messed up your mead. You might have restarted some fermentation and that’s about it. More than likely your new yeast will just east the sugars of the fruit, which is fine. Ultimately you might end up with a mead that’s rather dry and that you have to back sweeten (if your a sweeter mead guy). But other that that you should be fine! Have you tasted it?

[@lclbeazt2007]

Hey thanks fot getting back to me. I did test it just a sip after straining and getting most of the bottom gunk out alot of weird gunk was floating on top which i believe was cinnamon yeast combo. Tje aroma thats coming from it is a really weird crazy smell mixxed with the alcohol smell. when i tasted it the over all taste was pleasent besides that weird smell its been lingering in my mouth and nostrils since earlier...Im guessing its from the yeast, Ibplqn onbletting it sitbfor another 30-40 days before racking it. i had another smaller batch i made the same time that i didnt mess with further and bottled it for the racking process. again thanks for getting back to me and if ya know the weird smell im referring i would like some input. if its normal and what not

[@lclbeazt2007]

I had a good idea just now im going to do a short video and post it for my record and also if you and others would like to see the process of what im doing

[@lclbeazt2007]

My video is up if you would like to give it a look much appreciated

[@lobov1387]

Hey man! question: How will my mead get more fruit flavor, if I put the fruit on primary or secondary? Thanks!!

[@ManMadeMead]

I’ve found that putting it into the secondary often promotes more fruit flavor in the end!

[@chriskanelos7896]

Can you rack into secondary vessel for awhile and then flavor in a third rack?

[@ManMadeMead]

Yeah! You can totally do that!

[@chriskanelos7896]

Awesome thanks!

[@zoilapayne6924]

I'm making red wine for the first time.. I've started making and I'm on the first stage of fermenting... when do I start the second one? Do I have to wait till my airlock thing stops bubbling?

[@ManMadeMead]

Yes! I would wait for it to slow down and then go ahead and move it into a new container. You can also check it your gravity and see how the mead is progressing. Do you have a hydrometer?

[@zoilapayne6924]

@@ManMadeMead I do have one... the reason why I ask is because my airlock is full of gunk there's a lot coming out.. I don't mind the mess as I can clean it all the time but I don't want to ruin the wine if I am meant to be doing something

[@ManMadeMead]

That just means it’s fermenting well! Some fermentation’s are extra vigorous and it sounds like yours may be one.

[@zoilapayne6924]

@@ManMadeMead It's stopped! It's only been 2 days :-/

[@Soldier957]

I'm a noob but am wondering why honey can take weeks to ferment and something like apple must takes only days. Btw my first batch of mead ever is bubbling away now! :) I boched 1/5 of the honey to a caramel color and the rest as is. Can't wait to try it.

[@Wulfjager]

I'm a noob too and you've probably long since had your question answered, but I think it's due to apples having nutrients in them for the yeast while honey isn't really that good of food for the yeast

[@ricky4497]

@@Wulfjager apples also simply ferment fast by themselves. As does most fruit. They also have their own naturally occurring yeasts. Whereas honey actually doesn't ferment by itself if not exposed to any yeasts. They have literally unearthed clay jars filled with honey that was still preserved in a stable edible state. Apples on the other hand ferment shortly after they fall from the tree. Fun fact: elephants have been known to eat a bunch of the soft apples off the ground to become intoxicated. Intentionally. I wonder how many rotten apples it takes to make an elephant stagger😂🤷

[@troyfederspiel7696]

Secondary Fermentation questions - This is done with out an airlock? No aerating? Degas when done? Thanks!

[@ManMadeMead]

Troy Federspiel Secondary fermentation needs to be done with an airlock. I would leave an airlock on your mead all the way up until you’re ready to bottle. Don’t aerate after the primary stage because you want the yeast to begin dying out some, also at this point you can over oxygenate the mead and that can impact the flavor. Degassing is really only necessary during the primary stage, most of the time the secondary fermentation stage isn’t so active that you’re required to degas. Hope this helped!

[@troyfederspiel7696]

That helps! So... my son thought we should aerate a couple times during the prime ( I disagreed), which we did. We started out ~1.09 sg and are now about 1.01 sg after 3 weeks or so. We are about to go to secondary in 1 gallon carboys...looks like we will need some airlocks :-)

[@ManMadeMead]

Troy Federspiel Aerating is totally okay during the primary and airlocks are so important!

[@franciscovergara6213]

In the secondary fermentation you should add more yeast?

[@ManMadeMead]

Nope! By the secondary fermentation the yeast are thriving and fine!

[@franciscovergara6213]

@@ManMadeMead thanks for te answer thats really helpfull

[@Spacegoat92]

It's been a month and a week and my primary is done and it's started to clear already. There's a nice cake of sediment on the bottom and i'm about to rack into my second carboy. I put a stick of cinnamon in the primary stage and it also sunk to the bottom. Do you reckon i should put another stick of cinnamon in to get the secondary kicked off again?

[@ManMadeMead]

It depends on what your initial gravity was and how dry of a mead you want. What was your starting gravity and what yeast did you use? Also, do you want a dry or sweet mead?

[@Spacegoat92]

Unfortunately i didn't take a gravity reading at the beginning. I used Mangrove Jacks mead yeast, and i'd prefer a balanced mead, not to sweet, but not too dry either.

[@ManMadeMead]

Spacegoat92 Then I wouldn’t try to kick start any secondary fermentation. I would let the primary fermentation stop completely then add the cinnamon stick. If it keeps fermenting it will probably dry out and you won’t have that mild sweet you’re going for.

[@Spacegoat92]

Man Made Mead ok. It's fully stopped fermenting. It's in the second carboy and there is zero bubbles or anything. How long should I leave it in this state before bottling?

[@ManMadeMead]

Spacegoat92 I would rack it over into a new container and then let it sit for a little bit longer. You don’t want to kick start the fermentation again so getting it off the old yeast will help with that. Unfortunately mead is a slower alcohol to make and requires patience, so I would just let it sit for 1 - 2 more weeks and see if there is any airlock activity. I’m a big proponent of letting meads naturally stop fermentation instead of using chemicals, it just requires more patience. Once it has completely stopped after you’ve racked it you can put the cinnamon stick in and then let it sit. Be sure to give it a few sips and try it some as you go through the process so you can gauge where the flavor is at and then decide how much cinnamon to put in and also how long you might want to leave it in!

[@bobu5213]

Okay but then how do you know the "secondary" fermentation has ended?

[@bobu5213]

And if you just rack, then how do you know the mead is ready to bottle?

[@kuunda8363]

I don't watch my airlock because it seems like my meads never start rapidly bubbling. It's just a slow burn where I still end up with alcoholic mead at the end. - So now I'm over here waiting for the bubbles to slow or stop in my carboys. Lol

[@kuunda8363]

Just checked my airlocks. They're still bubbling between once every 30 seconds to 1 minute. They've been brewing almost if not a whole month now. Hopefully they stop soon cause what I really want is to be playing with flavors in secondary.

[@ETWL897]

So.. when you are making your melamel mead BUT not putting your fruit (say cherries or blackberries) in during the secondary Fermentation are you using the yeast for traditional mead or are you still using the ones that are better for the melamels?

[@ManMadeMead]

Shawn Rigoulot I would absolutely use the yeast that will pair best with the fruit. While you are making a traditional mead before you add the fruits ultimately the fermentation will continue on some. The yeast will feed better off of the ingredients during the secondary fermentation if they are paired with the right type of fruit. Ultimately, those “fruit” yeasts, like the K1-V1116 and the EC1118 are both great for traditional meads, the other two just work a little better when dealing with only a traditional mead.

[@ETWL897]

Thanks for the quick reply. That's what I thought but I wanted to double check. I really like how informative and straight forward you have made your videos. Based on a few of your other videos I have to ask, what do you do with all that mead? Are you drinking it yourself or do you eventually bottle it and give it away as gifts or sell it.

[@ManMadeMead]

A little bit of both! Right now it's just bottled and aging some. I'm going to eventually gift it out and then also probably drink some on my own. We will just see!

[@mikeblair3641]

So when my reading hits 1.00 I'm done fermenting ?

[@mikeblair3641]

I've fermenting for a few weeks now now seeing and bubbling, but still reading 1.020

[@ManMadeMead]

@@mikeblair3641 When it hits 1.000 you will have gone through all of the available sugars in that brew. So technically it is done fermenting!

[@kellynogueira9162]

This is Woman Made Mead so hopefully you still answer my question 😊 I’m on my 3 batch of making mead and the 1st two turned out great! This 3rd batch I’m concerned about. I waited till the 1st fermentation slowed down to rack it and add my fruits. But the fermentation never started back up again- no bubbling CO2 out the top... any advice? I’m thinking of adding more energizer and nutrient and hopefully the remaining yeast wake up. Thanks for advice

[@ManMadeMead]

So it could be that your yeast hit their cap so they weren’t able to ferment any more. Can you tell me what your ingredients and yeast were?

[@hankpowell8288]

@@ManMadeMead As it's been a month with no response, can you give a few "if-then's"? For example products like GhosteX or other nutrient restarters, or adding more yeast to help a stuck ferment, maybe?

[@jamesthomas8481]

Fortifying your wine/ mead....?topic for discussion. I'll bring to discord. However I'd like to see a video on the topic as yourself and DC have yet to discuss it.

[@ManMadeMead]

I'lll have to add that to the list!

[@FedericoM-1]

What if i want my mead to have gasification?

[@ManMadeMead]

Not sure I understand what you mean!

[@FedericoM-1]

@@ManMadeMead sorry, must be my english. What I meant was, if I want my mead to have gas, fizziness, like a beer. Should I put it in closed bottles before the bubbles stop? Or is the method you explain here ok?

[@Superlife1369]

@@FedericoM-1 I’m not sure if you found your answer but I’ve noticed if I add more sugar in the secondary fermentation and seal it off (with no airlock) then it will force the gas to remain in the liquid. You just have to be careful that your container doesn’t explode from the pressure building up.

[@EllieHeard]

A bubble every three to ten minutes?? I had heard every minute! Have I racked my mead too soon??

[@ManMadeMead]

Ellie Heard Nope! I think you’re good, racking isn’t the end of the world!

[@EllieHeard]

@@ManMadeMead Question for you! If you just do a primary fermentation, and rack to new container, are you then putting an airlock on that or are you capping it??

[@ManMadeMead]

Ellie Heard So I always leave my airlock on until I’m ready to bottle. There inevitably is always some small amount of fermentation that occurs even after the primary and capping it can sometimes lead to bottles busting if you’re not careful. So leaving the airlock on insures that the little fermentation has somewhere to go and that air still doesn’t get in!

[@danielcurran5503]

On average how long does secondary fermentation take?

[@ManMadeMead]

It depends on what you add but most of the time it’s 2 ish weeks!

[@trevorarmstrong4358]

Hey awesome info, really like your post, but please what you have to understand, real mead was made to purify the water the Vikings had. If you are a true mead maker, make it like they did not the Nurdy way your making it. That's what I do, actual river water and wild yeast, have you Tried that. The Vikings had not yeast, bad water, the honey had bees and shit in it, try that, but not knocking what your saying for this modern Generation. Cheers

[@ManMadeMead]

Trevor Armstrong Interesting fact! It’s cool they did it that way but as times have changed and mead has undoubtedly gotten easier I plan to stick with the modern method. It’s worked for me so far, thanks for watching!

[@Superlife1369]

@@ManMadeMead That was a really nice way to answer such a rude comment! @Trevor Armstrong could have made his suggestions in a much nicer way. Even better, Trevor can make his own video showing us how to make it his way...

[@countryboycharlie9793]

Anyone hear him fart in this video lmao 😂 around 9:30 minutes and seconds into this video shocking good fruity

[@Fireworxs2012]

*Has it ever occurred to you that for centuries people have fermented Mead & Wine in everything from clay pots covered with cloth, to animal stomachs & bladders to non sterile wooden barrels? We modern folk have a really bad habit of over think this stuff. Unless you're a commercial winery, in it to make a living & protect your liability, you need to loosen the knot in your panties a bunch..*

[@Superlife1369]

So rude. I’m sure there is a much nicer way to present your information....

[@oibal60]

We know better in these 'modern' times. I sanitize the bejebus out of everything because I do not want any of my friends to get sick. I think the majority of us homebrewers feel the same way. It's all about TRUST!