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10-13-2011, 03:15 PM
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#1
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Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Joppa, MD
Posts: 6
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First cider attempt is a flop
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I probably should have asked for help before jumping in, but I appear to made 5 gallons of undrinkable vinegary smelling cider. I took the advice from one of the sticky threads in this forum and went with 5 gallons of preservative-free pasteurized cider plus nottingham yeast. I let the mix ferment in a sealed bucket I normally use for beer for 2 weeks while I was out of town. Upon returning I popped it open and racked into a carboy to let it clarify.
After cracking the lid some problems became apparent. First this absolutely reeks of vinegar. To the point where I can't get past the smell to try and take a sip. Second, I think I blew way past the alcohol content I was looking for. I started at 1.05 and ended at 0.9 or 0.85, which I believe to be about 20%.
So, I figure I can solve the ABV issue by keeping an eye on it and racking earlier, but I don't know why everything got sour. I would greatly appreciate any advice, and I'm happy to add details if I left something out.
Thanks!
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10-13-2011, 03:35 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Astoria, NY
Posts: 1,306
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Id be interested in knowing if this was in fact high quality cider vinegar. "This is either a horrible burger, or a fantastic meatloaf."
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10-13-2011, 03:37 PM
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#3
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Half Man, Half Beer
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Austin, Texas
Posts: 960
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Make salad dressing?
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On Deck: Centennial Blonde v2, Ed Wort's Kolsch, Custom Oktoberfest
Primary:
Secondary: County Jail Pale Ale, AHS Anniv IPA, AHS Brooklyn Brown
Kegged: Raspberry Wheat, Blood Orange Hefe, Ranger IPA clone (x2), Newcastle clone, AHS Irish Red, Centennial Blonde
Bottled: Session Series Belgian Saison, Apocalypso, Pecan Porter, DFH 90 Minute Clone, Apfelwein (x2), Wytchmaker Rye IPA Clone, Vienna/Simcoe SMaSH, Munich/Cascade SMaSH
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10-13-2011, 03:53 PM
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#4
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Braumeister
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Methuen, MA
Posts: 25
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Happened to me too. I've read some other threads here within the last day or two. The common reply to the vinegar is either too much oxidation or bacterial infection or both.
Did you bring the cider up to 185F to kill any bacteria or pour directly into the primary from the bottle? That could be the difference. I know pasteurization should kill everything but why chance it.
Just don't let it boil if you care about clarity. Fruit pectin sets after boiling which will give you very cloudy end product.
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10-13-2011, 04:05 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Thiensville, Wisconsin
Posts: 4,664
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sounds like an infection. i doubt notty would get down that far on its own.
i've used notty on store bought juice and it took roughly 8 days to get down to 1.015 (from 1.055), at which point i cold-crashed and racked to stop it from going any farther. pretty decent.
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Quote:
The man who intoxicates himself on bad whisky is sometimes moved to kill his wife and set his house on fire, but the victim of applejack is capable of blowing up a whole town with dynamite and of reciting original poetry to every surviving inhabitant.
– “A Wicked Beverage,” New York Times, April 10, 1894
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10-13-2011, 04:18 PM
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#6
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Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Topsham, Maine
Posts: 2
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I made my first batch this weekend and jumped in feet first with 5 gallons too. I took one of the simplest recipes I could find; 5 gallons cider with no preservatives, 5 lbs sugar and I used Lalvin D47 yeast. It is doing a slow bubble in the carboy and when I get close enough to it I can smell apple. I hope it tastes as good as it smells when it is ready.
TT
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10-13-2011, 04:32 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Reed City, MI
Posts: 15,578
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Check your sanitation. If you used fresh apple cider, you might have needed to add some capden tablets to kill the bacteria before pitching yeast?
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10-13-2011, 04:40 PM
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#8
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Cranky Old Guy
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Willamina & Oak Grove, Oregon, USA
Posts: 24,799
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I also suspect your FG reading is wrong, you should check it. 0.995 is much more likely and that would put the ABV around 7%.
As far as the smell goes, I'd give the batch 4-5 months in a secondary. Freshly fermented cider tends to be harsh.
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10-13-2011, 04:55 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Pasadena, MD
Posts: 287
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What everyone else said. I'm no expert as my first two batches are currently fermenting, but there's definitely got to be something wrong with the hydrometer reading. I've never heard of any ale yeast reaching 0.900-0.850 SG. I'm not even sure if that's chemically possible without distilling as 100% pure ethanol has a SG of 0.787.
That doesn't mean you don't have an infection though, which could contribute to the low FG and vinegar smell/taste.
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10-13-2011, 04:56 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Thiensville, Wisconsin
Posts: 4,664
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did you degas the sample?
__________________
Quote:
The man who intoxicates himself on bad whisky is sometimes moved to kill his wife and set his house on fire, but the victim of applejack is capable of blowing up a whole town with dynamite and of reciting original poetry to every surviving inhabitant.
– “A Wicked Beverage,” New York Times, April 10, 1894
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