# Holding the lees?



## derunner (Dec 5, 2012)

I only have 2 primaries and both are being used. I plan to use the lees from a piesporter kit that is in one of the primary to make skeeterpee. I am going to get all the ingredients tonight, but have no bucket to mix them in until the piesporter gets below 1.020 and I rack it. Which may be tonight or tomorrow.

However, I am supposed to mix up everthing and let is set for 1-2 days, then add the lees. When i rack off the lees of the piesporter, can i keep the lees in a canning jar for a day while I clean the bucket, add ingredients, let set for 24 hours? Will it hurt that those lees cool to 66 degrees? Do i need to do anything to that jar to keep the yeast alive for that time?

Thanks, Pat


----------



## Julie (Dec 5, 2012)

It won't hurt it, I have kept slurries in the refrigerator and I have a handful in the freezer.


----------



## derunner (Dec 5, 2012)

Julie said:


> It won't hurt it, I have kept slurries in the refrigerator and I have a handful in the freezer.




Thank you Julie.


----------



## Arne (Dec 5, 2012)

Here again, probably not the approved way, but I have racked my wine to secondary, and started dumping the ingredients for skeeter pee right back in the primary bucket. Finished out just fine. Want to know how to do it the easy way? Just ask the lazy guy, LOL, Arne.


----------



## ke3ju (Dec 5, 2012)

I was actually wondering if this was possible. Can this be used as an alternative to always buying new yeast?

Regards,
Ed


----------



## derunner (Dec 5, 2012)

Arne said:


> Here again, probably not the approved way, but I have racked my wine to secondary, and started dumping the ingredients for skeeter pee right back in the primary bucket. Finished out just fine. Want to know how to do it the easy way? Just ask the lazy guy, LOL, Arne.



I was wondering if you could do this, but since it is so easy to store the slurry in the fridge a few days in a jar, I'll probably do that. I have all my ingredients now, but my piesporter need to drop .010 before i rack it. So looks like it will be tomorrow night. to mix everything up and add the slurry Friday or Saturday.

Since Dragons blood is skeeterpee variation, I was wondering if I could use the lees from a WE VR Mezza Luna Red to start it vs using new yeast. Though I bought the yeast so I'll just do that this time.


----------



## Arne (Dec 6, 2012)

ke3ju said:


> I was actually wondering if this was possible. Can this be used as an alternative to always buying new yeast?
> 
> Regards,
> Ed


 
In a word , yes, but don't use it more than one or two times. Others on here say it can start giving you off flavors if you use it to much. Arne.


----------



## derunner (Dec 6, 2012)

Julie said:


> It won't hurt it, I have kept slurries in the refrigerator and I have a handful in the freezer.



Thanks Julie, I have a followup. I racked my wine tonight and i had to much wine in the bucket to fit into the carboy. It may be because there is so much co2 in it now. Is bubling away in the secondary. So i have a little less then a quart of wine, lees, and oak chips.

So if i let that settle a couple days, should i save most of the wine off in a bottle for future top offs and only use the thicker lees that fall to the bottom of the jar? What about the oak. do i try to filter that out or will i loose too much lees in the process. I have strainer bag. would that let lees through and stop the oak?

Or do i just dump he whole thing into the skeeterpee ingredients after 2 days?

Thanks, Pat


----------

