Black rock cider kit, getting better

[apoole]

Hi all,

I put down a black rock cider kit a few months ago after a long hiatus from home brewing & found after bottling that it was flat and horrible with a distinctive sulphur taste. I figured I hadn't sterilized the barrel properly (PET bottles were sterilized with a no rinse mix) so just left it on the shelf. Now after sitting in the bottles for a good 10 weeks it seems to be getting fizzier and better tasting.

Is this something that you've experienced before?

Adam

 

[JDW81]

Cider isn't a brew you can have finished off and into the glass within a few weeks. It always needs a long conditioning time to reach it's peak.

Ciders yeasts can also throw a bit of sulphur, which they will clean up but it can often take a bit of time.

How long did you wait before you sampled your first bottle? Wait till you've had it in bottles for 6 months (if it lasts that long) and it will be an entirely different drop.

JD.

 

[apoole]

Thanks for the advice. I tried it after 5-6 weeks in the bottle then left it another 4-5 weeks, totally different already

 

[Airgead]

Traditionally, cider was brewed in autumn with the apple harvest, conditioned cold over winter and was drunk in the spring.

Its really an apple wine and like any wine it will benefit from some age.

Cheers
Dave

 

[JDW81]

Traditionally, cider was brewed in autumn with the apple harvest, conditioned cold over winter and was drunk in the spring.

Its really an apple wine and like any wine it will benefit from some age.

Cheers
Dave

This is generally how I plan my ciders.

Brew in April/May, bottle early June (or early july in the case of my last one. Bloody exams got in the way) then drink over the summer.