To squeeze or not to squeeze

[Yuri]

Hello,

Currently I have a cherry and berry mead in my fermenter with whole squeezed fruit. Naturally I am hoping to get the most volume I can out of this. Once the fermentation has ended I want to rack, but I was wondering, do any of you who don't use bags squeeze this fruit to get some more juices out before, during or after racking? Just curious at you guys' process.

 

[Nicks90]

I always squeeze

It's my juice and I want ALL OF IT!

I tend to use those cheap veg bags or one of my wife's old bra washing linen bags for my fruit. When it's time to transfer I rinse a colander in some boiling water, lift the bag out and rest the colander over the top of my FV and drop the bag in it and then squeeze the snot out of it with a potato masher or the back of a ladle

However I had done similar without the use of bags, but it was more effort. I transferred what I could to the new fv and then ladled the remaining fruit from the 1st FV in to a large sieve over a 2l jug (all cleaned then washed in boiling water) and squeezed it with the back of a ladle. Poured recovered juice from jug in to the FV and put what was left in the sieve in the composter.

 

[MashBag]

Squeeze.

When you press you need to be a little more careful. I can press to 300bar, but often don't.

Squeezin' is spot on.

 

[Yuri]

I always squeeze

It's my juice and I want ALL OF IT!

I tend to use those cheap veg bags or one of my wife's old bra washing linen bags for my fruit. When it's time to transfer I rinse a colander in some boiling water, lift the bag out and rest the colander over the top of my FV and drop the bag in it and then squeeze the snot out of it with a potato masher or the back of a ladle

However I had done similar without the use of bags, but it was more effort. I transferred what I could to the new fv and then ladled the remaining fruit from the 1st FV in to a large sieve over a 2l jug (all cleaned then washed in boiling water) and squeezed it with the back of a ladle. Poured recovered juice from jug in to the FV and put what was left in the sieve in the composter.

Interesting method, are you not afraid of oxygenation when returning the pressed juice to the fermenter?

 

[Yuri]

Squeeze.

When you press you need to be a little more careful. I can press to 300bar, but often don't.

Squeezin' is spot on.

What tool do you use, that you know so exactly what amount of pressure you are squeezing at?

 

[Baldylocks Brewery]

I second Nick’s method

 

[Nicks90]

Interesting method, are you not afraid of oxygenation when returning the pressed juice to the fermenter?

No
I'm squeezing a bit of juice in to a large quantity of wine or a jug. I'm not whisking it with an electric whizz bang whisk
The amount of O2 it will pick up will be absolutely negligible

 

[MashBag]

Interesting method, are you not afraid of oxygenation when returning the pressed juice to the fermenter?

Behave

 

[MashBag]

What tool do you use, that you know so exactly what amount of pressure you are squeezing at?

Just the gauge on the wine press.