Fermentation Support Forum

Hey,

I have some mead being aged for its secondary fermentation in a carboy with an airlock. It's been there since late October.

It's still bubbling gently. Fermentation has obviously slowed from the fast bubbles, but it hasn't entirely stopped. I know Sandor Katz book says to rack it into a new carboy after a few months. Is this necessary? People on reddit say *not* to do it and that you lose good yeasts.

What's the advantage?

Leaving any brew to sit on the lees will impart flavors to the end product. If you like those, you leave it longer. If you don't, you rack more frequently.

I'm not an expert, but my understanding is that the active yeasts are floating around throughout the column of liquid and the lees are made up primarily of dead microbes and their waste. I've brewed batches with more and less racking and not experienced a problem either way, but I don't think I know enough to identify the taste of a long lees-sit without guidance from someone who knows better.

This is really helpful. I feel like I should probably rack then. I used a lot of linden flowers in my open-vessel fermentation, so maybe it's better to rack and get rid of some of the lees.

Anyone else have any ideas?