First cider kit

[Jacalou]

Morning all, my Bulldog 23l cider kit has been going for a week now with no sign of fermentation. I've just used a hydrometer and the reading is at 1.000 unfortunately I didn't take a reading when I started it. It's stored in the shed and I've been checking it every day, has it fermented and I just haven't noticed? Thanks for any replies.

 

[DavieC]

I think it probably has.I made cider from my garden tree apples.og was 1046 finished at 1003 so around 1000 I think is done.

 

[Jacalou]

Thanks Davie, I've siphoned it into another bucket as per the instructions.

 

[VW911]

If it's down to 1.000, it's done.
As discussed before here on many an occasion, no bubbling through the airlock means nothing. Cider is not like beer - very often there is no froth/foam/krausen on top of the liquid.
The escaping CO2 will find the easiest way out of the vessel - just the weight of water in the airlock can allow the gas to escape around the lid of a bucket if it's not fully airtight...

 

[Jacalou]

Cheers VW, seems I have a lot to learn! Thank goodness for you lot!!

 

[Jacalou]

Are hydrometers all the same or are some better than others?

 

[VW911]

At the end of the day, a hydrometer is only a weighted glass cylinder, with a graduated piece of paper rolled up inside!
Check it against water at the appropriate temperature (normally 20 C), it should read 1.000.
A temperate difference of 2 c or more/less will affect the reading.
If that piece of paper moves, then obviously the reading will be wrong...

Stevenson-Reeves ones are usually fairly good, but as in all things, quality varies!

 

[Jacalou]

Cider turned out to be a damp squib! Got a glass demi John full and a load of bottles of the stuff and it's dead flat!

 

[Jacalou]

Cider turned out to be a damp squib, got a gallon glass demi john full and a load of bottles of it. It's all very flat!

 

[stephen1546]

Thats a bugger..

 

[Slid]

Cider turned out to be a damp squib, got a gallon glass demi john full and a load of bottles of it. It's all very flat!

You need to add priming sugar and store in pressure resistant bottles for it to carbonate. Also it takes a good 10-14 days in the warm to carbonate. It does not obviously appear that you did so, as demi-johns are not designed to take pressure.

 

[Jacalou]

Got that Slid about the demi john, added sugar to the pressure resistant bottles and kept them in the house for well over 2 weeks with the same result.

 

[DavieC]

Hi,How much priming suger per bottle did you use? I used 4g per 500ml swing top bottle.sounds like popping a champagne cork when I open them ! Does it taste sweet,as if maybe the priming suger hasnt fermented?

 

[Jacalou]

Hi David 1 level teaspoon as per insructions

 

[DavieC]

Hmm...should be fully carbed and sparkling. I'm not that experienced myself but if the priming suger hasnt fermented the yeast hasn't been able to complete the job.The only other thing would be that the bottles havn't held the pressure,due to leaking caps on glass or screwtops if your bottles are plastic? Need to create a little yeast suger fermentation in each bottle but not sure what the best way to go about that is,maybe an experienced forum member can help? Were any sulphites or cambden tablets added in the kit?(something that may stop the yeast)

 

[DavieC]

Just had another think about this...use 500 ml of you cider in a sanitised bowl..sprinkle just a small amount of cider yeast into it and cover with some sanitised cling film,if your cider contains the original unfermented priming suger in an hour or two it will be bubbling, showing that the problem was yeast.if no ferment starts in bowl presume original priming suger was fermented but bottles did not hold pressure.

 

[Jacalou]

Thanks for the advice DavieC I'll give it a try.