Cider fermentation- Have I done it all wrong, or am I just impatient?

Afternoon all, I’m Carl from Somerset in England

Over the weekend I started my first ever attempt at making cider, and I’m becoming concerned at the lack of progress that it’s made since. I’ve searched a bit on the forum but haven’t really been able to find much. Here’s what I did:

Saturday:

• Wash and quarter apples
• Juice apples
• Sterilise demijohns and equipment
• Sieve juice to remove froth and bits and pour into demijohn
• Add a crushed campden tablet to kill the wild yeast

Sunday:

• I measured the Specific Gravity of the juice before I added the yeast, which was 1.054
• Removed some of the juice and warmed it in the microwave, then added half a sachet of Wilkinsons ale yeast, and poured back into the demijohn. Then gave a good swish to mix it all up.

I also started a second batch on the Sunday with different apples, but followed the same process as above (SG 1.048). This batch has also not changed, although it is 24 hours newer.

It’s been sat in the kitchen at temperatures around 20-24 Celcius (68 to 75 Fahrenheit if that’s your thing) and next to a window, but not in direct sunlight.

Now iIt’s been 3 days since I added the yeast, and the juice didn’t look any different this morning when I left for work than when I started (apart from being a bit more settled). I’ve been reading all week about making cider, and it seems fermentation usually begins within 12-48 hours. I’m on day three, and I’m not sure if I’m just being paranoid and impatient, or if I’ve done something wrong...

I can think of a variety of things that I might have done wrong:

• Added yeast too soon after the campden tablet, so my yeast was killed
• Didn’t add any sugar for the yeast to feed on
• Have kept the demijohns by the window (although out of direct sunlight).

Has anyone got any advice on what’s gone wrong? Or am I just being paranoid and need to wait a little longer haha?

Cheers

Carl

Patience is probably all that is required. I probably would have left for 24-48 hours before pitching yeast. I just put wilkinsons wine yeast in warm water with a good spoon of sugar and wait till its frothing well. If it has,nt done ow't in the next few days, pitch some more yeast and give it a shake. Your method is sound tho.

You need to wait at least 12 hours after adding campden tabs before you pitch the yeast. It might still take off, you didn't say how many liters/gallons you were making; 1 campden tab in 1 gallon is different that 1 campden tab in 6 gallons.

You could take a SG reading & compare that to your OG to see if it's just going slow or if it's doing nothing. If it's doing nothing, you can pitch more yeast.
I'd take it out of the window, I keep my fermentations in a dark closet.
Regards, GF.

I think that the campden killed your pitched yeast. I would sterilize a cup of water with a few tablespoons of sugar dissolved in it. Cool it to 80 degrees F. and then pitch another packet of yeast in that. Wait about an hour and then pitch that into your must/wort. You should see fermentation start within 12 hours. You may need to add yeast nutrient to fully get it fermenting. I don't always ferment in the dark and have not noticed any difference there.
Good luck to you.

Thanks for the advice everyone

I measured the SG again, and it was about the same as when I added the yeast. I decided to add some more yeast and now it's bubbling away like crazy!

Oh, and I'm making two batches which are just below a gallon each.

Now I just have to figure out how to solve the problem of my house smelling like rotting eggs... Think I might attach some pipe to the end of the airlock and poke it out the window, haha.

Thanks again all

If your wines smell like rotten eggs you might have a problem, did you add any nutrients to these? Are you making using 2 different kinds of apples to make 2 different ciders? Good luck, WVMJ

Cuffbertt said:

Thanks for the advice everyone

I measured the SG again, and it was about the same as when I added the yeast. I decided to add some more yeast and now it's bubbling away like crazy!

Oh, and I'm making two batches which are just below a gallon each.

Now I just have to figure out how to solve the problem of my house smelling like rotting eggs... Think I might attach some pipe to the end of the airlock and poke it out the window, haha.

Thanks again all

Click to expand...

Yeast nutrient will help cut down on the rhino farts coming from your cider.
Regards, GF.

WVMJ said:

If your wines smell like rotten eggs you might have a problem, did you add any nutrients to these? Are you making using 2 different kinds of apples to make 2 different ciders? Good luck, WVMJ

Click to expand...

I used some regular apples from Tesco for the first batch. I think they may have been Royal Galas? And for the second batch I drove to a nearby farm and bought a box of their Discovery apples (which were much cheaper, I might add!)

gratus fermentatio said:

Yeast nutrient will help cut down on the rhino farts coming from your cider.
Regards, GF.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip, I'll add nutrients next time and hopefully it'll reduce the smell. The cider has been banished to the shed now as it was stinking out the house! The weather is prety consitant at the moment, around 60F to 75F, so hopefully it'll be ok.

After a few days the first batch has begun slowing down, from around a bubble a second in the airlock to one bubble every 5 or 6 seconds. I'm really happy with how it's going so far.

My second batch, however, is not so good. I added a second lot of yeast after my first attempt didn't work, but it still appears the same. I'm not really sure what to do now... Is it safe/a good idea to pitch a third lot of yeast using Doveguy's method above, and add some nutrients to help it? Or after two failed attempts and 8 or so days is it best to give up on it, ditch the juice and start from scratch with new apples?

Did you hydrate the yeast in a glass of warm water and a spoon of sugar and leave for 30 minutes prior to pitching?