Argh! Cider Smells Funny

[barfridge]

My cider seems to have taken a turn for the worst. I took some to the perth meet, and it was a nice brown colour, and tasted great.
Now its turned a cloudy pink, and smells of sulphur. The taste doesnt seem to be affected too much so far, just a slightly tangy aftertaste

Its currently in a cube in the fridge, and I just tested a tiny bit before bottling it.

Anyone have any ideas? I hope its like what happens to lagers, and will dissipate in the bottle.

 

[Jovial_Monk]

Ummmm

Yahoo have a ciderlist, might be worth finding it and asking there

I wonder if your cider is going through a malolactic ferment? Is it in a keg, or bottles and at what temp is it stored?

Jovial Monk

 

[barfridge]

JM: the cider is currently in a 20L cube in my fridge @ about 4degrees.

Doing a bit of googling it sounds like you are right about the malolactic. Will this just clear up over time? Does it need to come back to a higher temperature? Or is it right to just bottle it and wait for it to clear?

Many sites mentioned it as a good thing for wines and ciders, but noboy had any info on how to handle it, or how long it lasts

cheers

 

[Jovial_Monk]

I would certainly take it out of the fridge into room temperature. From my vast experience of making errr ummm one cider I think the ml should take a month.

If after that time it still reeks of sulphur the Yahoo ciderlist recommended putting a small piece of copper in the secondary. Still recommend you find that list and ask your question there

JM

 

[Guest Lurker]

Oh No! That was a pretty tasty drop at the Perth meet, dont remember any suphur at all in the taste.

 

[pr1me]

I've had one of these on one of my first cider brews, I gave it two months at room temp, it sorted it self out.

DO NOT, put copper into a cider. The Cider WILL eat the copper. Most cider brewers avoid all metals other then SS in their equipment and pubs run by people with brains dont run cider through cooper piping to the tap.

This is a good resource for when you hit problems: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/a...w_lea/part5.htm

 

[pr1me]

also a good resource on materials that shouldnt be used with cider.
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/a...w_lea/part3.htm

 

[Jovial_Monk]

The copper was only left in the cider while it smelled sulphury.

some extended ageing should also reduce the sulphur tang

Jovial Monk

 

[pr1me]

I've read that cider can dissolve copper quite fast, to the point where cider left in copper tap lines can taste quite bad the next day.

Apparently it can eat through a brass tap, by leaching out the copper and leaving the zinc.

I wouldnt add it at all, i'd let the cider mature at its own rate and resolve itself over a couple of months.

 

[barfridge]

thanks for the advice guys.

I might give it a month or so at room temperature, and hope for things to clear up by themselves. Otherwise I've been advised to boil the whole thing, then add some more fermentables, and more yeast.

*sigh* these things are never as straightforward as they first appear.

 

[Jovial_Monk]

*sigh* these things are never as straightforward as they first appear.


HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA amen!

Jovial Monk

 

[GMK]

Barfridge

Why not do both

Split the cider in 2 - boil 9 ltrs for 20 mins.
add 2lltrs of juice and re pitch high grav yeast.

Leave the other 9 ltrs at room temp for a month.

This way you should save at least half - maybe a better way to go than possibly loosing it all.

Hope this helps.

 

[barfridge]

Just an update on this, in case anyone comes searching down the track. I just bottled the cider, and after sitting at room temp for a bit over 3 weeks, the smell has dissapeared completely.

The stuff now tastes beautiful, and I cant wait for it to carbonate and mature a bit more

 

[GMK]

That is great - so you just left it alone for 3 weeks and it worked out.

Nice...