Simplest Cider

[Fermented]

'Evening!

I've read this thread and the other cider threads a few times and have bitten the bullet.

* Juiced 12 kg of Bilpin apples (sorry - haven't identified the species) yielding 6 litre of juice
* Pasteurised the juice and skimmed the crud off
* Topped up to 24 l with Aldi juice
* Whipped it into a frenzy, pitched S-04

... and it's quietly burping its airlock behind me in a warmer room (20C only).

So far, so good.


The only place where I'm having a little trouble is understanding the need to halt fermentation, if it is indeed needed.

Do I just wait, a la ales etc, until SG is stable?

Do I wait until it drops clear?

Or do I wait until I get an SG that I'm happy with (say 1010-ish), bottle, prime at say 140 g for the batch, cool store it at ~14C, wait a couple of weeks then chill it down to 3C for a few days prior to drinking?

Any hints on the final stages from the perspective of a bottler would be well appreciated.


Cheers - Fermented.


EDIT: Clarified juice proportions.

PS - Put the full, dull details on my blog if there is not enough info here about what I did.

 

[bum]

My understanding is that if you're bottle carbing you need to wait for primary to stop just like anything else.

If you're not carbing (just bottling) I guess if you can keep the yeast cold enough to stay asleep then halting fermentation should be ok but you'd wanna be pretty confident of that, IMO. Personally I'd leave it longer to be sure it is fermented out completely (and this will obviously help clarity anyway).

Just out of interest, how much of your volume ended up being juice?

Good luck with it.

 

[manticle]

My understanding is that if you're bottle carbing you need to wait for primary to stop just like anything else.

This is correct. Halting fermentation can only be done if you are kegging. If bottling you will need to sweeten via some other method (eg. lactose or juice backsweetening).

 

[Fermented]

My understanding is that if you're bottle carbing you need to wait for primary to stop just like anything else.

At first look, it seems that way. However, reading more prognostications about 'stuff' has caused me to raise these questions. I can't recall which thread it was in, but someone mentioned FG=0.99x - perhaps a tad hot and dry for what I have in mind. Yes, it could be fixed with some lactose come bottling time but it's nicer to get it right the first time around, imho.

If you're not carbing (just bottling) I guess if you can keep the yeast cold enough to stay asleep then halting fermentation should be ok but you'd wanna be pretty confident of that, IMO. Personally I'd leave it longer to be sure it is fermented out completely (and this will obviously help clarity anyway).

Am rather keen to carb. I like bubbles.

Just out of interest, how much of your volume ended up being juice?

12 kg apples yielded 6 litre of juice. They were some pretty decent sized eating apples. I've read somewhere that the juice yield should be in the 40 - 55% range.

And thank you for the wishes for good luck.


Cheers - Fermented.

 

[Greg Lawrence]

I thought I would give it a crack.

24L of Aldi apple juice
10g Lalvin EC1118 yeast

Its been out in the garage at around 10 deg for 3 days and still no action in the airlock (yes the seal is OK).
I just stirred the yeast in, pehraps I should have rehydrated the yeast 1st.

Any thoughts?

 

[manticle]

Might have been underpitched and maybe better to rehydrate but airlock action is not a reliable indicator of anything. Are there other signs of fermentation - specifically condensation on the lid, foam on the surface or (most importantly) a drop in points between first pitch and now?
(eg gravity/hydrometer etc measurings). If the gravity has dropped, the yeast is working.

 

[bum]

At first look, it seems that way. However, reading more prognostications about 'stuff' has caused me to raise these questions. I can't recall which thread it was in, but someone mentioned FG=0.99x - perhaps a tad hot and dry for what I have in mind. Yes, it could be fixed with some lactose come bottling time but it's nicer to get it right the first time around, imho.

I think the variations you've noticed might come down to yeast selection, rather than people wilfully stopping fermentaion (keggers aside, obviously). Champers yeast and (I think) white wine yeast will both ferment dryer than, say, S-05. Also I don't think yours will ferment down as low as the 0.99x mentioned even with a feroucious yeast - I reckon that one might have been all juice.

Manticle, some UK styles of cider aren't carbonated. Was just leaving open a window for that possiblity.

 

[Greg Lawrence]

No signs at all.
Do you think it would be OK to get some more yeast, rehydrate and pitch again?
Might also try raising the temp a tad.

 

[manticle]

Manticle, some UK styles of cider aren't carbonated. Was just leaving open a window for that possiblity.

Wasn't arguing with you on that chief. Possibilities are good.

I also like windows.

 

[Fermented]

+1 on Manticle's comment, especially on Butters' fave topic - airlocks.

However, I would guess 10C could be a wee bit low. If you can give it a bit more heat some how, I think it should go a bit better.

Have a look at this: http://www.lalvinyeast.com/images/library/EC1118_Yeast.pdf - it seems to indicate a warmer ferment than is happening for you right now.

Cheers - Fermented.

 

[Tyred]

I thought I would give it a crack.

24L of Aldi apple juice
10g Lalvin EC1118 yeast

Its been out in the garage at around 10 deg for 3 days and still no action in the airlock (yes the seal is OK).
I just stirred the yeast in, pehraps I should have rehydrated the yeast 1st.

Any thoughts?

10 degrees is a bit low, but not completely out of range. I think it can work down to 9 degrees but 15 to 25 degrees is regarded as optimum.

 

[bum]

Might have been underpitched

Pitch rate for that yeast (according to manufacturer) is 25/40g per 100 litres. I think he'll be ok with that.

 

[manticle]

I entirely missed the temp reference. I've had success using a wine yeast with cider at about 14 deg. I haven't used that yeast but as pointed out it might need a warmer ferment than 10 degrees.

@Gregor - if there's been no action at all I'd make a starter over about 24-48 hours. In the meantime, try warming the fermenter. If absolutely no sign and the gravity is still the same in a day or so, hit it with the starter. I'm just taking a stab - it's what I would do in the same situation but more experienced cider makers might have a better suggestion.

Does it still taste like apple juice?

 

[Greg Lawrence]

Thanks fellas
I have it sitting on a steel work bench, so Im going to put a lamp under it controlled with a fridgemate set to 15 deg.
I'll also wrap the fermenter in a yoga mat to insulate it from the overnight lows and see how it goes.

 

[Fermented]

Maybe rouse it by rocking and put it in a nice warm place (say 18C-22C) for a day or so to get it going and then find and 18C-ish place to let it run its course.

Cheers - Fermented.

 

[Greg Lawrence]

Got it up to about 17 degrees and wrapped the fermenter.
Bubbling away nicely now.
Thanks again for all the helpful advice.

Gregor

 

[Fourstar]

When my APA finsihes up, i might harvest some slurry of American Ale II, wash the yeast and pitch some into 20L of Aldi Apple juice... really tempting!

 

[Greg Lawrence]

10 days on and its down to 1.000
I forgot to take an OG reading. Can anyone help me out here? It was just plain old Aldi apple juice, nothing else.

Gregor

 

[Steve]

I tried a cracker of a cider a couple of weekends ago from Peteoz77. 20 odd litres of apple juuice from coles, bag of dextrose and some yeast I cant remember the name....lalvinl56 or....?? something or other. It was a ripper.!
Cheers
Steve

 

[Verbyla]

I think plain old ALDI juice has an SG of 1.042-1.046