# Cider Sediment Question



## ciderlover (21/5/14)

Morning gents,

A few days ago I bottled my Brigalow branded apple cider brew but have noticed there was a lot of sediment going into the bottles from the FV during bottling. Now I have this stuff at the bottom of my bottles and on my PET bottles it is also present at the top as well. See pics below.

When I gently shake the bottle the stuff washes off the sides and sinks to the bottom. Should I be concerned?


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## TimT (21/5/14)

Not particularly, a bit of sediment gets into a lot of my brews. Just be aware of it when pouring out!


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## Mutaneer (21/5/14)

you can't avoid it when bottle conditioning.

2 things you need for carbonation to happen.
1) Yeast
2) Sugar
The yeast needs to eat the sugar to produce CO2.

It's the same process as your primary fermentation, but just under pressure.


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## ciderlover (21/5/14)

Mutaneer said:


> you can't avoid it when bottle conditioning.
> 
> 2 things you need for carbonation to happen.
> 1) Yeast
> ...


Sure Rob, I get the basics of fermentation, but my concern is why there is so much of it in cider that ends up in the bottle when there is very little to none at all when bottling Lagers?
Is this a problem mainly with brewing apple ciders and is there a way to produce cider without all of that sediment ending up in the bottle?

It's just not very attractive that's all, especially if you share the drink with others.


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## Mutaneer (21/5/14)

When chilled for a couple of days, the sediment will stay at the bottom nicely if stored upright in the fridge.
All I do is pour off the first glass or two to my guests to give them the clearest parts, and I'll pour the rest for myself, including most of the sediment.

Longer and / or multiple rackings will help the sediment drop out of suspension.
After primary fermentation has finished I transfer mine for a further 2 weeks into a second fermenter.
It drops almost as much sediment as it did in the primary.
It's possible to rack it for months for an almost perfectly clear cider which is how the guys from Captain Blighs do it.
Pretty sure they rack for 3 months before bottling






Below are mine after only 2 weeks of racking and 6 weeks conditioning.
Bottle on the left was rotated when pulled from the fridge, bottle on the right was not, you can just make out the cloudy section at the bottom


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## ciderlover (21/5/14)

Mutaneer said:


> Longer and / or multiple rackings will help the sediment drop out of suspension.
> After primary fermentation has finished I transfer mine for a further 2 weeks into a second fermenter.


Right, I see what you mean Rob, I might go grab another FV to use for racking and give that a go with my raw apple cider which would be due for racking in a couple of weeks.

Cheers!


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## JDW81 (21/5/14)

What yeast did you use? A lot of the cider yeasts stick to the bottom of the bottle like s%$t to a blanked. The longer you leave it (I don't drink my cider until at least 6 months has passed) the more it will stick.

IMHO don't bother racking, just give it time.

JD


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## Greg.L (21/5/14)

I would be concerned about the size of the airspace in those bottles.


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## ciderlover (22/5/14)

What is your concern with the bottle air space Greg?


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## Airgead (22/5/14)

Cider is prone to oxidisation. Too much air space means a lot of o2 in contact with the cider.

Not so much of a problem with beer because you don't tend to age it for long but for a cider that might be in the bottles for 6 months before you start drinking, it can cause problems.

If you are planning to drink quickly then I wouldn't worry. If you were planning to age, i would worry.

Cheers
Dave


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## ciderlover (22/5/14)

Ahh right! Thanks for the tip


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## Greg.L (22/5/14)

Normally the surface of bottled cider stays nice and clear. I have only seen cider like yours when a cap is loose and the seal has broken, letting air in.


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## Airgead (22/5/14)

Yeah.. could be something aerobic growing in there.... Acetobacter?


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## ciderlover (23/5/14)

The problem with this top layer of sediment is that it appeared only hours after bottling and only on my PET bottles, the glass bottles were clear at the top with sediment only at the bottom. Very peculiar because sediment would normally sink to the bottom...


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## Greg.L (23/5/14)

When it is floating on top it isn't called sediment, a better word would be scum. Maybe you shouldn't use those bottles for cider again.


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## ciderlover (25/5/14)

Yeah, I might stick with glass bottles instead.


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## Waltzing Matilda (7/6/14)

Good ol' fashioned vitamin B.
Apparently the best thing for a hang over?


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