not doing anything by half!

[Dibison]

I have 3 ciders on the go :P

Just had one little curiosity question, when it comes to bottling I know if I want a fizzy cider I'm going to have to prime it, I was wondering though what if I just bottle it before my hydro says <1? like for example at the stage where it says medium? (I'd have given the figures but I don't have it to hand... :nah: )

as always, any in put is appreciated!
:hmm: :drunk:

 

[Brewtrog]

It'll keep going in bottle and if you get it wrong bang goes the bottle, which can be very dangerous (especially with glass bottles). In theory you could do it this way, but I wouldn't think it worth the risk, if you want a sweeter than dry cider just backsweeten it with nonfermentable sugars (eg sucralose) and just prime the bottles.

 

[alanywiseman.]

It'll keep going in bottle and if you get it wrong bang goes the bottle, which can be very dangerous (especially with glass bottles).

This would be my worry. You will also get more repeatable results by letting it ferment out and priming

 

[Dibison]

ahh ok I thought that might be the case, I was just wondering if there was any other way of getting myself a nice fizzy cider :P

one other thing I was going to ask was the apple and blueberry cider I set off on 02/04/13 was blurping away like theres no tomorrow a couple days ago now airlock has all but stopped... When I look at the demi I can still see loads of little bubble, is this anything to be worried about?

 

[graysalchemy]

have you taken a hydrometer reading?

 

[scott78]

you should be able to bottle at ~1005, if you were planning on 5g sugar prime per 500ml bottle then that should be around the same of sugar. i would do it in plastic bottles for peace of mind.

 

[Dibison]

I haven't yet, from what I've read fermentation can take between 7-14 days, my rooms been a little cooler than usual but the other 2 are going fine.

I shall do that just now, give you a little more info then :)

 

[graysalchemy]

you should be able to bottle at ~1005, if you were planning on 5g sugar prime per 500ml bottle then that should be around the same of sugar. i would do it in plastic bottles for peace of mind.

But that is assuming that it will drop to 1.00 or below. It may not drop that low, i have a TC which finished at 1.004, so if I had done that I would have been disappointed. It seasier to let it finish let it clear then prime that way you will minimise the sediment in the bottles as well.

 

[Dibison]

worrying for nothing then by the looks of it, my hydro reads out at 1.002 (the very first line after the 1 :P )

think i'll rack it later and leave for 3-4 weeks before I prime and bottle
(hmm there is a nice wee layer of sediment, should i rack it off this or could i leave it to clear over the 3-4 week period on top of the sediment there?

 

[graysalchemy]

It will probably be fine for a few weeks, unless the FV is dirty and there is a risk of infection. :thumb:

 

[Dibison]

Nah it looks clean its just the sediment I was worried about....
I'll play it safe and rack it later tonight :P

*note to self before posting and making yourself looking like a numpty, take a hydro reading :thumb: *

 

[graysalchemy]

Nah it looks clean its just the sediment I was worried about....
I'll play it safe and rack it later tonight :P

*note to self before posting and making yourself looking like a numpty, take a hydro reading :thumb: *

You are not a numpty or look like one but it is the obvious answer to give when someone is concerned whether a brew has finished or not. :thumb: :thumb:

 

[Dibison]

lol you are too kind :hat:

I just thought it'd have taken longer, I can chalk this up to its all a learning curve, yeah? :hmm:



Oh! I might as well save myself another post, the malic acid secondary fermentation thing, how much of the acid do you need? (the pomegranate and blueberry juice I used has some in it. Again from what I've read this take 3-6 months to take place but is this in the bottle or in the demi?)