This evening we syphoned the “Blackberry Batch #1” from the fermentor into 3 five-gallon carboys and 1 one-gallon carboy. We added the airlocks and labeled each jug. Now we can listen to the “bubbling” and watch the sediment slowly settle on the bottom of each jug. The carboys will all be covered with dark bags to keep light out.
We also took out the nylon bags which held the blackberries for the “Blackberry Merlot” batch from the fermentor. We hung each of them on a drywall screw from our beam that spans the kitchen, and let gravity do its job- we collected nearly a gallon of extra juice this way, without pressing the berries (afraid that pressing might crush the seeds and lead to bitterness).
