first sparkling cider - about to bottle, but lots of alcohol?

[wareemba]

Yeah, only three days...

So thanks guys! I'll just give it the time it needs, i'm glad it doesn't taste like crap though ☺

 

[fletcher]

ah, yes, OK, so will be fine - just bland!

thanks again, ill just bottle this batch and chalk it up to experience - as the HBS guy said - you should just keep experimenting to work it out!

i'll put a new 5L lot with whole juice down tomorrow

then research larger lots of juice from afar... are there any places out Dural way that might sell it?

i've not bought from them but i know there is an orchard is canoelands - http://www.canoelandsorchard.com/

derp. my bad, they don't produce apples. only nectarines, plums and peaches.

 

[Bribie G]

Man did I get wasted on Old Mout when I was in Wellington. :unsure:

Just juice is the way to go, plus yeast nutrient and a decent cider or dry white wine yeast. Supermarket stuff like Aldi plain apple juice will give you around 5.5% and for a sweeter drink just put a splash of Bickfords Cloudy Apple cordial into the glass.

 

[wareemba]

Two weeks at least for full carbonation I find.

it is now 2 weeks, and cracked another.

slight pfft, then a tiny bit of foaming on the pour, then nothing in the glass except right at the bottom where there were very very small bubbles... no bubbles on the tongue.

could I shake them up? will that do anything?

any ideas?

I just bottled a second batch and followed my methods for the first batch almost identically... should I be worried that I am doing something wrong?

(it still tastes nice, but lacks flavor (cause I put water in it!) and bubbles)

 

[Mutaneer]

take the bottles and roll them over, end on end, gently, a few times to stir up the yeast
how warm is it where they're kept? you want it to be around 15-20 degrees.

Also, I like to give it 6 weeks in the bottle.
time is the key to a fine mousse of bubbles and flavour development.

Commercial "craft" ciders are generally aged after being brewed before they are blended, bottled and force carbed.
Some are bottle conditioned on top of the first aging.

ONce you wait out your first couple of batches you'll get a stockpile that you can't drink fast enough and your time in the bottle will extend out to 3+ months

Patience grasshopper

 

[wareemba]

sheesh!

first it is two weeks, now it is six!?!

guess I just better keep putting down new batches and bottling them up!!

they sit at 17'C +/-1'C in my garage cellar (built into sandstone) - i'll give them a gentle roll tonight...

when you say some commercial cider is aged before blending - is that in the fermenter?

thanks Rob

 

[Mutaneer]

They'll finish fermenting, then rack the cider into a separate vessel and store it.
They may do multiple rackings depending on the processes they use.
Some will blend before aging, others may blend right before bottling.

Two weeks is enough time usually to make bubbles, they're not good bubbles and the cider hasn't had time to mellow out
Carbonating cider in bottles is really a true secondary fermentation.
you're again encouraging the yeast to go to work, and as it does it makes it's CO2, but again throws esters, eats/ produces acids, the sugar, etc, etc
given the low numbers of yeast left when you bottle and the delicate flavour of the cider compared with doing beers, it's a slower process.

Beer is easy, and doesn't develop that much after bottling in most cases, sparkling cider is different, much more like a good champagne
as long in the bottle as possible.

 

[wareemba]

thanks for your advice Rob, since the end-to-end rolling - this batch has a lovely fine creamy bubble to it, with head forming evident but not persistent.

looks like my environment and methods need 3 weeks for nice carbonation...

my 3rd batch put down last night is 4L of Nudie apple + 750mL of Preshafruit raspberry & apple... so will be interesting to see how it ferments...