2018 Apple Harvest Cider Thread

[MattH1973]

sounds like you have done all the right things. It may be that the fermenter isnt airtight and the CO2 is sneaking out. You can test this by gently depressing the lid or the sides and see if the airlock moves, and holds a constant pressure. If the levels initially move but then go level again you have a leak - and that should be fine for a week or two of primary fermentation.

you can also test a sample with a hyrometer of course - but you would need to have taken an initial reading when you started. lots of info on that on here.

 

[private4587]

Thanks Matt just came in from my brew shed and there was still no sign of fermentation so i took a reading using my refractometer and found i have action. My initial reading was 11brix(1.044) and now is 7brix(1.019) so i guess panic over. I will let it run for the two weeks and check every couple of days. It is almost a pea green colour so hope it clears well towards the end. Would you suggest cold crashing at the end, i do this with my beers to aid clarity of the brew before bottling. Also whist i am on I am going to be bottling this brew when finished have you any suggestions for amount of sugar to put in bottling bin for carbonation?

 

[freester]

I am slightly anxious about the 5 litre batch having enough yeasties left to carbonate - we will see but I think it was OK when I did it this way last year.....

Don't worry about that. I added a pinch of yeast along with sugar to each bottle I wanted to carbonate. This was on a batch that had been sat in secondary for way too long and had completely cleared.

 

[freester]

Would you suggest cold crashing at the end, i do this with my beers to aid clarity of the brew before bottling. Also whist i am on I am going to be bottling this brew when finished have you any suggestions for amount of sugar to put in bottling bin for carbonation?

I don't know about cold crashing I don't know anyone who does that with cider.

As for carbonation ballpark figure is 1tsp per litre for slight sparkle and 2 for sparkling!

 

[dan125]

Evening cider fans
I've never made any before, but may have the opportunity to get some fresh pressed juice from the farmer down the road who I found out last w/e makes cider from his apples, so would like to give it a go.
To best make use of the beer brewing kit I have, and make a slightly sparkling, not overly dry cider, I was contemplating naturally carbonating in my fermentasaurus as it ferments out, but would need to try to leave some residual sweetness in the cider to do this, rather than back sweeten - so I'm wondering about adding some non-fermentable sugars before fermentation. Do you know if cider yeast can ferment lactose?
Is this just a stupid idea?

 

[rich_Wales]

Morning,

In process of transferring to my secondary fermenter. It's hit 1000 on hydrometer but v hazy. Should I keep it same temp as before, I.e. above 20 not above 26, or is the idea to put it somewhere cool?

 

[prog99]

Juiced 10kg of mixed apples on tuesday (hours of fun with a domestic juicer). Checked the gravity today and its finished fermenting. Tasted ok, cloudy but a nice looking apple juice like colour. Will bottle tomorrow.

(Disclaimer, I normally only brew beer so winged this somewhat)

 

[Dutto]

Juiced 10kg of mixed apples on tuesday (hours of fun with a domestic juicer). Checked the gravity today and its finished fermenting. Tasted ok, cloudy but a nice looking apple juice like colour. Will bottle tomorrow.

(Disclaimer, I normally only brew beer so winged this somewhat)

I've had cider brews go down to less than 1.000, so what FG did you get to consider that it had finished fermenting?

I would hold off bottling it for at least another five days.

 

[prog99]

Thanks for the advice. I can probably hold off another 3 or 4 days and then it needs to be done due to other commitments.

 

[Dutto]

Use at least one PET bottle so that you can "feel" the pressure build up. If the PET bottle gets too hard then any glass bottles that have been used will be at the same pressure; and may need releasing before they "blow".

 

[private4587]

Well my cider is now down to 1.000 from 1.044 so reckon about 5.9%. It is still very cloudy almost a pea green colour. I am hoping to bottle it at the weekend if i still get consistent readings. Hoping it will clear to a normal cider colour i.e. amberish. If it doesn't should i consider adding some sort of finings to clear it. I cannot really leave it in the fermenter for much longer as i have pears on the tree ready to be picked and juiced to make a perry. Any suggestions?

 

[MattH1973]

I have always found everything will clear in the bottles given time, the cludier it is then the more sediment you get.....

Conclusive proof was obtained last year when i tipped the dregs of my secondary fermenter, post siphoning, lees and all into bottles just to see what happened. Initially it was totally opaque, but it quickly cleared to leave a full centimetre of sediment or so, and whilst i had to be careful pouring, the resulting cider was delicious. I have three such bottles this year, clearing nicely.

So if you are at 1.000 and it isnt changing then bottle away..... and good tip from the post above about using at least one plastic bottle per batch so that you can check firmness. On that score my 24 lite batch that came out slightly cloudy is firming up nicely, but the 5 lite batch that nearly cleared after just a week in secondary is taking a lot longer.....

 

[prog99]

Well I bottled last night. Tasted quite pleasant.
It’s definitely carbing up. I’ll get it somewhere cooler in a few days.
Clearing fast too, quite impressed.

 

[Dutto]

Well my cider is now down to 1.000 from 1.044 so reckon about 5.9%. It is still very cloudy almost a pea green colour. I am hoping to bottle it at the weekend if i still get consistent readings. Hoping it will clear to a normal cider colour i.e. amberish. If it doesn't should i consider adding some sort of finings to clear it. I cannot really leave it in the fermenter for much longer as i have pears on the tree ready to be picked and juiced to make a perry. Any suggestions?

Looking good!

"Time + Gravity = A Clear Brew" so be patient because:

1. At 5.9% the cider will keep for months!
2. Cloudy cider is good for you!

In order to maximise the juice extraction, take your time with harvesting the pears and make sure that they have softened.

 

[MattH1973]

A good day's pressing today, following the wife helpfully picking all our apples over the last couple of weeks....

got 45 litres in a long afternoon, divided as follows:

- 5 litres, "au naturel" (credit to freester for that). Didn't add chalk, pectolase or camden - so this batch will do its own thing
- 25 litres, with precipated chalk, pectolase, and camdens added, yeast will go in tomorrow. My usual recipie.
- 3 more 5 litre batches with same additions as per 25 litre batch above....

thanks to the selections scratter, I am no longer short of juice, so ready to try the "au naturel".....

20180930_182149 by MattH3764, on Flickr

All in I think thats 74 litres this year, which is above the limit of my bottling capacity, I may have to leave the 25 litres in secondary whilst I drink some of the first batch......

PH 3.1 and hydrometer reading implying I will finish at 7-8% cider - I am so fortunate to have such feisty juice.....

 

[MattH1973]

forgot about an extra 5 litres - 3 litres in the freezer and the kids drank the rest - delicious juice.....

 

[freester]

Nice work that man you've got room for one more batch! Don't rush the traditional stuff that will be a lot slower so no rush to bottle it!

 

[MattH1973]

adding yeast and nutrient tonight - back to Youngs cider yeast and no faffing about warming up water......

Freester - i am sort of regretting not putting the au naturel in a glass DJ. I might buy one and transfer it the next time i do some siphoning....

 

[MattH1973]

By Thursday that batches with yeast added are going like a barn door in a hurricane......

 

[Dutto]

By Thursday that batches with yeast added are going like a barn door in a hurricane......

Like the analogy ... and hope that it's sat somewhere where it can't do any damage!

Wives get really picky if your brew starts flowing over her Mum's best carpet!

Enjoy!