Cider fermentation questions.

[pipsyboy]

Hi guys.

Put a pear cider down for SWMBO About 10 days ago and saw very little in the way of 'action'. Never had a single bubble but I know it has fermented as it's sitting at 1005 and was 1030 after a couple of days (forgot og reading).

When I took the last reading it was cloudy and had lumps floating in it. Also the rhino farts smell is still apparent though it has abated quite a bit. My question is should I cold crash now or when the smell has completely gone? Also, if I bottle this weekend and it still has a bit of a smell will it go away in the bottle?

This is my first cider and not sure how it should be going or what I should be doing.

Cheers.

 

[jaypes]

What did you use, pears, pear juice etc.

Most cider ferments lack complex proteins for the formation of bubbles or krausen.

Its also a good idea to throw in some yeast nutrient as juice lacks in this dept as well.

The lumps will just be your yeast, should be safe to bottle after cold crashing

 

[pipsyboy]

Sorry mate. Just a mangrove jacks pouch with 500g of dex.

 

[tj2204]

I did a cider about a month ago. I left it in primary for about 3 weeks before bottling. All the sulphur smell had gone by then, and gravity was still dropping in the 3rd week. I'd leave it a bit longer personally.

 

[gsouth82]

I'd give it 2 to 3 weeks to do its thing. I've not used that pack before however all the ciders I've done in the past have finished around 1.000. It might still have a bit to go which could also help with the smell.

 

[pipsyboy]

Yeah, I'm not going to even look at it now until this coming weekend which will be 3 weeks. Just took the airlock out and had a smell. Barely noticeable now.

 

[wynnum1]

mangrove jacks pouch the yeast has nutrient what temperature was it fermented at as higher temperate may change flavor possibly for the better.

 

[pipsyboy]

mangrove jacks pouch the yeast has nutrient what temperature was it fermented at as higher temperate may change flavor possibly for the better.

About 22-24ish.

Hopefully it will.

 

[wynnum1]

sounds good i did mine too cold .Are you going to put artificial sweeter in i left out and was OK.

 

[pipsyboy]

Are you going to put artificial sweeter in i left out and was OK.

I was thinking of leaving it out as I'd heard/read that it makes it taste artificial.

Did it still have enough flavour? SWMBO complained that the last lager had no taste (it didn't).

 

[wynnum1]

Left the sweetener out but put the pear flavor in and was OK as good as from bottle shop .May have been better letting age.

 

[pipsyboy]

Ah, yes. That's it. The flavoring.

Ok, will put it in.

I put half the sweetener in as I wasn't sure.

 

[Tb1978]

Just got stuck into the mangrove jacks apple brew tonight, keged it last week and let it carb up for a week brewed it at constant temp controlled 23 degrees for 10 days, full sweetener and flavour pouch, end result is very much commercial style, a bulmers taste, took some around to the old mans tonight as he's a regular cider drinker and he loved it, very smooth after taste.. It is on the sweeter side but good none the less, look forward to trying it again with half the sweetener. Can't really taste anything artificial in it, in fact my dad commented how much fresher it tasted compared to the strongbow he had been drinking..

 

[pipsyboy]

Yeah, I only put about half the sweetener in mine so SWMBO was complaining it wasn't sweet enough. Tastes as good as any dry cider I've tasted though. Back sweetening helps to bring it closer to the sweet cider she wants.

 

[TheWiggman]

I've done the Mangrove Jacks pear and strawberry and pear kits. I used the full pack of sweetener in both. The pear was really good, not much between it and Castaways. I snuck a few in myself (to my wife's dismay). The strawberry and pear on the other hand had that sugar free soft drink aftertaste about it that didn't go away in time. Drinkable, but tasted like home brew.
Only difference was I used 1kg brew enhancer 1 for the first batch and dextrose for the second, which is a bit counter intuitive considering the results. And as per above, took at least 2 weeks both times. Can't recall the FG.