when best to move to secondary

[brothermoo]

Started my first mead 5 days ago.. I hadnt planned too but some honey that i harvested from my bees was crystalised in the comb so i melted wax and honey out in a big pot, using the honey water ti begin my must.

I threw in 5l of elderflower cordial and 2l apple juice and 400g of chopped raisins then topped up with water (og: 1.120) to make a 4.5 gallon batch in a primary my dad gave me.

Heres my question : i dont have a large carboy/bucket/enough demijohns to move it to yet but was wondering when i should be aiming to move it to secondary??

Thanks
Moo

 

[fatbloke]

Started my first mead 5 days ago.. I hadnt planned too but some honey that i harvested from my bees was crystalised in the comb so i melted wax and honey out in a big pot, using the honey water ti begin my must.

I threw in 5l of elderflower cordial and 2l apple juice and 400g of chopped raisins then topped up with water (og: 1.120) to make a 4.5 gallon batch in a primary my dad gave me.

Heres my question : i dont have a large carboy/bucket/enough demijohns to move it to yet but was wondering when i should be aiming to move it to secondary??

Thanks
Moo

I normally don't move my meads until they've finished fermenting. Then that's to move them off the "gross lees", so it can start clearing.

All the time it's in primary, then it's protected by a layer of CO2, whereas once you move it, you need to minimise the head space above the brew to help reduce the chance of oxidation.

I also don't use heat at all on my meads if I can avoid it (even warming it up to help the honey run/pour better). I would have said just crunch up the comb, add some water and then just keep giving it a good stir a couple of times a day for a week. If you were worried about any wild/stray yeast present, you can always just hit it with 1 crushed campden tablet (or equivalent of powdered sulphite) per gallon. The wax will float anyway and could be skimmed off with a slotted spoon or a sieve.