Small batch racking

[MetalDan]

A friend and I are looking to make up 12 small batch meads, each using the same process/yeast/temp etc, and put a different honey variety in each (to really understand what each honey variety brings to the table). To keep costs down, we're looking to make 1L batches of each, and take a few other shortcuts I don't usually do in my normal mead making practice to again save on costs/time.

Primary fermentation
I usually primary ferment my meads in a pail, as they need some extra head room for degassing. For these 1L batches, I plan to buy some 1.5L mason jars and ferment in them. Any jar would do as I'll just glad wrap the lid, but thought the mason jars are more re-usable in my pantry etc once the experiment is finished, and are pretty cheap.



Secondary fermentation
After a month in the primary I'll rack (using a racking cane) from the mason jars into 1.25L PET bottles to age for another month (I'll use the PET bottle lids, and just have them slightly loose to allow any CO2 to escape).

Racking
Here is where I'm a bit stumped and would welcome input. Any suggestions on how I can rack out of the 1.25L PET bottles, as the lid will be too small for my racking cane. My current plan is stick in some hose and suck (using a sterile removable mouth piece), any better suggestions?

Bottling
Question two I'm after feedback on, any good suggestions on how to bottle with as little waste as possible (I would usually just rack to a bottling bucket, but that would leave too much leftover in a 1L batch). I'm currently investigating whether I can somehow attach a rapid bottling wand or a fermenter tap to say a 1.25L PET bottle, and then bottle from this (as I could then keep waste to a minimum).

Thanks for any help/tips, I'll make sure to post our results to the site once the tasting is completed

Note: I decided not to post this in the non-beer brewing area, as it's more about racking/bottling process than about the mead itself.

 

[TidalPete]

Cheap & nasty but should do the job if you take the filter off.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/2-Meter-Brew-Syphon-Tube-Pipe-Wine-Beer-Making-Tool-Brewing-Food-Grade-Material-/132113678988?hash=item1ec296c28c:g:oogAAOSw4CFYrpuk

 

[pcqypcqy]

Are you equipped with kegging gear? A carb cap on each PET, some beer line and some corny disconnects and you'd have a closed system to transfer. Just squeeze on the bottle you are trasnferring from to generate the pressure to begin with. If both lids are slightly loose (to let air in or out), and the secondary bottle is higher, then you'll just transfer via siphon. Not the cheapest option if you're not equipped for this stuff already.

Otherwise, I've done what you suggested and used a small length of oversized hose (or a proper diameter hose joiner) over the end of the hose. I suck on that to start the siphon, and then quickly remove it to prevent contact. Takes a bit of practice but it works.

 

[wynnum1]

Have been thinking about how to eliminate the oxygen if you want to remove the oxygen from a bottle fill it up with water and that removes the air and if you then pour the water out in a CO2 filled container the bottle is full of CO2 sand blasting type cabinet with gloved hands would seem to be best option .

 

[MetalDan]

I ended up finding a PET bottle lid that perfectly fits my bottling wand which is a bonus! So I'm going with the plan of flushing a PET bottle with CO2, rack using a hose and then throw on the lid + bottle wand, invert the PET bottle, cut a hole in the bottle for airflow and then bottle away!