New homebrewer/first time poster, decided to make a cider for my third brew at the request of my woman. I followed a mish mash of recipes on the site calling for fresh ginger and chunks of apple and cinnamon. Unfortunately the bag I used to contain that collection of chunky pulpy goodness has split (read: I am an ***** and I split the bag and poured everything in). Now when I try and take a hydrometer reading, bits of chunks and such come out. Is this going to affect the SG readings? And is there any way I can somehow prevent this stuff from making it through at bottling time (girls don't like floaties very much!)?
Filtering Beer
- Thread starter nuck_cup
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ben_sa
Now in 3V
Gday Nuck and welcome to the forum mate.
Usually when i bottle/keg i use a clean sanitised stocking around the tap, before it goes into the little bottler/racking tube. Seems to stop bits of grain and crap getting through my brews. (im only an extract brewer)
In terms of Grav readings, after a week or so hopefully most of your chunks have settled at the bottom of your fermenter. I normally half fill the hydrometer tube and discard, then half fill again and she's clean as a whistle.....
Usually when i bottle/keg i use a clean sanitised stocking around the tap, before it goes into the little bottler/racking tube. Seems to stop bits of grain and crap getting through my brews. (im only an extract brewer)
In terms of Grav readings, after a week or so hopefully most of your chunks have settled at the bottom of your fermenter. I normally half fill the hydrometer tube and discard, then half fill again and she's clean as a whistle.....
manticle
Standing up for the Aussie Bottler
I have to ask - what are you doing that you should need to filter grain just prior to bottling?
Nuck - I recently made a cider from crushed apples. Juice extraction was pretty minor so I chucked all the pulp in hoping maceration and fermentation would draw some more juice out over a week or so. I then tried to rack trhough a stocking attached to the tap as described above. Unfortunately the chunks were too much fro the tap and I had to ladle everything out. The stocking however was a good filter - just needed to work out the best way to use it. For me it was stretched over the opening of a second fermenter while the cider/apple mush was ladled through. If your chunks aren't as nasty or numerous you may have success putting the stocking straight n the tap but I would rack the brew to a separate fermenter first rather than trying to filter at bottling time.
Filtering through a stocking will not remove the yeast required for carbonation. Yeast cells are smaller than stocking perforations..
manticle
Standing up for the Aussie Bottler
You could just boil it in water (or soak in water around 80 degrees for 10 minutes). Personally I used it straight from the pack but it was cider and I had a feeling it was wild/apple skin yeast that fermented it rather than the 4766 I added in and the whole process was such a debacle, I nearly threw the whole lot out. Will porobably turn out the best cider I ever made.
If you want to be careful then boil it up in water for 10 minutes and don't burn yourself. Then again, I don't know how heat sensitive stockings are and what nasties they may contain are so maybe just spray it with sanitiser?
On third thoughts maybe just stick with bits in the brew? Are stockings toxic?
Will they leach? Cause Botulism? Are they carcinogenic? Do they have a sodium content?
If you want to be careful then boil it up in water for 10 minutes and don't burn yourself. Then again, I don't know how heat sensitive stockings are and what nasties they may contain are so maybe just spray it with sanitiser?
On third thoughts maybe just stick with bits in the brew? Are stockings toxic?
Will they leach? Cause Botulism? Are they carcinogenic? Do they have a sodium content?
rendo
WTF
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Hi Ben,
I am trying to visualise how you use the stocking around the tap,but still have the little bottler plugged into the tap??
Unless you use the stocking around the end part of the little bottler maybe? I could see that working? but maybe getting caught in the neck of the bottle??
Let us know mate...
(PS....I often used clean/sanitsed stocking to hold hops for dry hopping or for 0min additions that are going to stay in the fermenter. Works a treat! Never a problem)
Rendo
I am trying to visualise how you use the stocking around the tap,but still have the little bottler plugged into the tap??
Unless you use the stocking around the end part of the little bottler maybe? I could see that working? but maybe getting caught in the neck of the bottle??
Let us know mate...
(PS....I often used clean/sanitsed stocking to hold hops for dry hopping or for 0min additions that are going to stay in the fermenter. Works a treat! Never a problem)
Rendo
ben_sa
Now in 3V
i pull the stocking across the tap opening, then place the bottler in the tap.....
the only reason i was getting grain IN the fermenter, was i used to steep then simply use a stocking to cover my pot as i poured into the fermenter, a few times it slipped and a little bit of grain got through.
Now though, i place the grain in the stocking, add the water, let sit for 20 mins then pour the liquid into my fermenter... then refill pot and squeeze the grain to get all the goodness out and pour that in as well.....
Hops are straight in, they seem to always settle to the bottom and i ensure i dont move my fermenter from brew day until after i have filled the kegs/bottles....
i just re read that and realised it sounds confusing..... hmmmmmm Im blaming 12 hour shift and awake for 20-odd....
EDIT: i also USED to move the fermenter before kegging/bottling, hence why i used the stocking.... Learnt that lesson quicksmart
the only reason i was getting grain IN the fermenter, was i used to steep then simply use a stocking to cover my pot as i poured into the fermenter, a few times it slipped and a little bit of grain got through.
Now though, i place the grain in the stocking, add the water, let sit for 20 mins then pour the liquid into my fermenter... then refill pot and squeeze the grain to get all the goodness out and pour that in as well.....
Hops are straight in, they seem to always settle to the bottom and i ensure i dont move my fermenter from brew day until after i have filled the kegs/bottles....
i just re read that and realised it sounds confusing..... hmmmmmm Im blaming 12 hour shift and awake for 20-odd....
EDIT: i also USED to move the fermenter before kegging/bottling, hence why i used the stocking.... Learnt that lesson quicksmart
ben_sa
Now in 3V
i USED to just throw the grain in a pot, with water, no grainbag/stocking....
I would leave all the chunks in (I'm not bothered), but it's for my lady, and she doesn't like pulp orange juice so chunky cider would be a nono methinks. If only the sediment trap on my tap had a mesh on it as opposed to just that weird hole thing!
Maybe I should just buy a hops bag and let it drip through that into a second fermenter, and THEN into bottles. What a conundrum.
Maybe I should just buy a hops bag and let it drip through that into a second fermenter, and THEN into bottles. What a conundrum.
rendo
WTF
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Hmmm. I am thinking this...get a length of tubing. Attach it your tap and coil the other end up in the bottom of a second fermenter. At the end of the tubing(in the 2ndary) attach a baggie made out of swiss voile (cheap cheap stuff from Spotlight...used for BIAB and all sorts of things in brewing). Make the baggie kinda big like a big paper bag so it doesnt get clogged up with all the chunks that come thru.
then once it has drained thru just make sure that you dont drop the baggie back into the brew on the way out!!! IT MIGHT WORK. How you would attach the baggie to the tubing...I dont know....thick rubber band maybe??
then once it has drained thru just make sure that you dont drop the baggie back into the brew on the way out!!! IT MIGHT WORK. How you would attach the baggie to the tubing...I dont know....thick rubber band maybe??
Scruffy
Ahh Glasshopper
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- you could try siphoning - scrunch a sterile stainless scouring ball into/onto the end of the tube and start the transfer - you may have to exercise a pit of patience!! You could source some of that Swiss voile everyone raves about (it's only very fine polyester lace curtain material, from Spotlight/similar), and make yourself a filter bag - assuming you have the means to transfer the soup to another similar sized vessel...
manticle
Standing up for the Aussie Bottler
I generally do it for a week and have no trouble with carbonation. I think you'd have top do it for a while (or chill, then rack, then repeat) to rop out that much yeast.
Just a few more questions if you guys don't mind helping a nublet!
Recipe was:
Brigalow cider kit ($5 at BigW, thought 'why not?')
275g raw sugar
1kg dextrose
2 pears, 1 granny smith and 1 red gala apple (chopped into small chunks)
300g ginger (food processed)
4 cinnamon quills
2.4 L Apple juice
3 L Apple and Pear Juice
Made up to 18L and pitched with EC1118 Lalvin Champagne yeast at ~22 degrees
-The OG was 1.060, so is the champagne yeast going to chew through basically every fermentable and bring this beast down to around 1.010?
-What is the usual carbonating process when using champagne yeast for cider, does it change at all or can I just bulk prime usual amounts?
-What amount of bottle conditioning am I looking at? Girlfriend is very eager to try it, I'm thinking I might have to lock the fridge
Cheers
Recipe was:
Brigalow cider kit ($5 at BigW, thought 'why not?')
275g raw sugar
1kg dextrose
2 pears, 1 granny smith and 1 red gala apple (chopped into small chunks)
300g ginger (food processed)
4 cinnamon quills
2.4 L Apple juice
3 L Apple and Pear Juice
Made up to 18L and pitched with EC1118 Lalvin Champagne yeast at ~22 degrees
-The OG was 1.060, so is the champagne yeast going to chew through basically every fermentable and bring this beast down to around 1.010?
-What is the usual carbonating process when using champagne yeast for cider, does it change at all or can I just bulk prime usual amounts?
-What amount of bottle conditioning am I looking at? Girlfriend is very eager to try it, I'm thinking I might have to lock the fridge
Cheers
