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Syphoning Fluffy Lees Material

Often when I rack or transfer from primary to secondary I get a layer of fluffy 'lees' or straining bag escapees. Its fluffy stuff, not really solid, but it makes a deeper layer than I'd like at the bottom of the DJ.

I usually make enough to have a pint left over and was considering trying to siphon hoover out some of this initial secondary fluffy stuff to replace with the clearer lquid from the pint excess while it is fresh. Then I imagined asking the group and in my imagination your Obi Wan style voices said 'think of the bottom-dwelling yeast Luke - and just rack it later'!

I think you are right oh ghostly winemaking apparitions, but I wonder if anyone can confirm if this is what you really would say?

Thanks, Jim

Reply to
jim
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Well, my son...

:)

If you put whatever is left in the tallest, slenderest container you have and put it in the fridge it will usually resettle overnight and you can rack off of that. I routinely dump all of my dregs into a container and resettle them and rack off before throwing the rest out. Ice wine bottle are great for this.

If you are pulling fine lees you may want to think about racking height. On that resettled wine i use a piece of nasal cannula, it's about 1/8" ID. I vary the height of the receiver to slow the flow when I get near the lees.

Joe

Reply to
Joe Sallustio

Or you can decant from the lees instead of racking from a bottle.

Pp

Reply to
pp

Thanks for the replies guys.

I do put the extra in a small tall container to add in once settled out :) The problem is the fluffy lees in the DemiJohn, I'm wondering whether or not to re-rack now while the extra I have is fresh. No one siphons out the fluffy bottom ( :) )sediment so they must have bottle-traps for their excess, I will have to figure out a way to make a tiny bung for a beer-bottle methinks.

Jim

p.s. Sorry pp for sending this to you privately by acident!

Reply to
jim

Ah now I found that after a day or two the fluffy 'lees' are floating to the top of the secondary - no doubt carried up by the tiny carbon dioxide bubbles. From there I can fetch most of them out of the demijohn by straw or teaspoon technology :)

Jim

The problem is the fluffy lees in the

is fresh. No one siphons out the fluffy

have to figure out a way to make a tiny

Reply to
jim

top of the secondary - no doubt carried up

of the demijohn by straw or teaspoon

Why don't you just leave it to settle on its own? If the stuff is coming up like that then your wine is most likely still fermenting actively. You'll have to rack anyway after the fermentation is done so why bother with removing the lees at this point - you won't be able to do it full from the top of the carboy.

Pp

Reply to
pp

Hi, I would normally agree totally with your thinking, but I've had bits like this before that form mini reefs in the wine and they disturb me. They hover above the main lees and get racked out with the clearer wine if you're not 100% accurate/lucky.

Personally I'd rather get material like this out before it sits for months. It is the kind of stuff I'd not expect to escape the straining bag, but it does - as small particles - then forms these reefs or asteroids of claggy material and I'd just rather get it out when it is easy to do so.

I had enough leftover must/pre-wine to overflow the demijohn so it came out - there was an inch thick layer of it in the neck 2 days after racking and I didn't want it there :)

Jim

top of the secondary - no doubt carried

of the demijohn by straw or teaspoon

Reply to
jim

The problem is the fluffy lees in the

is fresh. No one siphons out the fluffy

have to figure out a way to make a tiny

messagenews: snipped-for-privacy@n59g2000hsh.googlegroups.com...

"I will have to figure out a way to make a tiny bung for a beer-bottle methinks."

You can buy tiny bungs.

Guy

Reply to
guy

Thanks Guy, I thought they must be available but after a 5 mile walk I found my winemaking shop was closed today. I will try on Friday.

Cheers again for letting me know that these are available!

Jim

The problem is the fluffy lees in the

is fresh. No one siphons out the fluffy

have to figure out a way to make a tiny

messagenews: snipped-for-privacy@n59g2000hsh.googlegroups.com...

Reply to
jim

my winemaking shop was closed today. I

messagenews: snipped-for-privacy@u32g2000prd.googlegroups.com...

The problem is the fluffy lees in the

have is fresh. No one siphons out the fluffy

will have to figure out a way to make a tiny

messagenews: snipped-for-privacy@n59g2000hsh.googlegroups.com...

What size do you need in mm Jim, Ill get it to you....and obviously a nasal cannula would be no problem if you need one....

Reply to
snpm

A good twist of the carboy usually releases the stratified wine underneath those 'floating reefs of annoyance'. It's a good idea to give carboys a good twist the night before a rack anyways; it seems to get the stuff on the side of the carboy settled.

Joe

Reply to
Joe Sallustio

Thanks Joe for the good advice as ever . And Sean, I will try my wine shop again tomorrow - I have access to the car then, I'm not built for urban walking. If I can't find some stoppers there and the microtubing I surely would appreciate your help brother!

Jim

my winemaking shop was closed today. I

messagenews: snipped-for-privacy@u32g2000prd.googlegroups.com...

The problem is the fluffy lees in the

have is fresh. No one siphons out the

will have to figure out a way to make a

messagenews: snipped-for-privacy@n59g2000hsh.googlegroups.com...

Reply to
jim

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