2014 batch 2: Currant mead (7) - Racking

When I did the back sweetening I noticed that a layer of solids up to the 5 L mark of the fermenter. When I poured in the currant juice there was plenty of solids in there (cellulose?) which I also observed shortly after juicing the berries. I figure the yeast would break these solids down during the fermentation. This did apparently not happen :o( Also, I did not see a the thick layer of yeast at the bottom even though the top liquid had cleared. I guess that the yeast adhered to the solids to make a fluffy bottom layer that just did not sink below the 5 L mark.

So, today I tried to rack the mead. First I racked the top layer the normal way and put this aside. Looking into the fermenter I got a bit discouraged, but decided to give it a shot.

First I put a large coffee filter in a sieve and tried to filter the mead through this. Did not work. The liquid stop dripping shortly after I filled the filter.

Next step was to use a diaper cloth, which I rinsed on boiling water to ensure that it was clean. I put it in the sieve without folding it, and filled the sieve again. This time the liquid came through, but after a short time, the flow through the cloth was also blocked.

In the end, and after a lot of patience, I stopped. I poured the 1 L I did salvage into the new fermenter too, and the total volume was now only about 20 L.

The last 4.5 L was then poured............ in the toilet. !"¤%&¤#"?.

Now here is another lesson learned: Rack first, back sweeten afterwards!!!!!! And to step in it a little more: 4.5 L, or about 20%, means that I wasted 20% of the honey I back sweetened with - around 350 g down the drain.