First time making any cider and I have questions...

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moorhead1976

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I am looking for some opinions on what I should do now that I have started the fermentation process. I used pasteurized apple juice (4 gallons) and spiced apple cider (1 gallon), none of which had any preservatives listed on the bottles. I did not heat/boil any of the juice. I also added 2 lbs of brown sugar. I am using 1 packet of champagne yeast and I didn't add any yeast nutrients. My hope is that I will end up with a dry cider with a little spice to it.

My thoughts are to rack after primary fermentation is complete and to carbonate in the bottle. I had considered a secondary fermentation process, but I think because I used pasteurized juice my cider won't clear. Am I wrong on this thought? Regarding carbonating in the bottle, anyone have a suggestion on what is the best way to do this?

Once I bottle, how long will it take to carbonate the product? When should I begin to enjoy the fruits of my labor? Finally, do I have any reason to worry my cider will begin to turn to vinegar if it ages too long?

Thanks for any help you can provide!
 
You'll bottle it just like beer. No problems there. I rarely use secondaries on anything, only if I have a compelling reason to do so (like dry hopping).

I'd bottle it and wait at least 3 months. You can drink it sooner, but it'll get a lot better with age.
 
Agreed Secondary won't help it clear anymore than a long primary. Give it a long primary and be careful not to kick up the yeast when moving to the bottling bucket.

Also agreed to bottle like beer, my only caution is make sure your fermentation is complete before doing this. I just finished some cider with champagne yeast and that stuff tears through sugars. Had you used white sugar I would have guessed your FG would have been .998 or so I'm not sure how much unfermentable sugars the brown sugar added I'd say when you think fermentation is done give it another week, then do 3 days of readings to make sure it's done, then add priming sugar and bottle.

Alternatively if you want a cider with some residual sugars you can look up Papper's pasteurization technique in the sticky at the top of this forum.
 
Once I bottle, how long will it take to carbonate the product? When should I begin to enjoy the fruits of my labor? Finally, do I have any reason to worry my cider will begin to turn to vinegar if it ages too long?

Thanks for any help you can provide!

I think it depends on how warm it is when you bottle. My first batch only took 3 days to carb up to where I wanted it, but the temps were in the 80's. My second batch took well over a week to carb up, temps were in the 50-60's. First batch was drinkable almost from the get go but tasted soooo much better after 6 weeks or so. Are you going to be bottling any testers? Really helps when watching the carb level. Also, you can use a plastic water bottle.
 
Regarding the priming sugar. The recipe I'm pseudo following says to boil 1 cup water with 3/4 cup brown sugar. It says to pour this into the sanitized bottling bucket and then to siphon the cider over to the bottling bucket. It mentions it should mix naturally, but I can stir slowly if necessary.

Does this seem recipe seem reasonable as far as the amount of sugar it is calling for in a 5 gallon batch?
 
As far as primary fermentation is concerned, it sounds like this typically takes about 2 weeks. Based on one the comments above, I should wait about three and then take SG readings until they seem stable. When I take these readings should I just sterilize the hydrometer and put it in the fermentor? Also, would opening the fermentor cover multiple times to take these readings oxidize the cider too much and goof it up?

Sorry if these are basic questions, but this is my first attempt and any brewing/fermenting cider...

Thanks again for any help you can provide!
 
As far as primary fermentation is concerned, it sounds like this typically takes about 2 weeks. Based on one the comments above, I should wait about three and then take SG readings until they seem stable. When I take these readings should I just sterilize the hydrometer and put it in the fermentor? Also, would opening the fermentor cover multiple times to take these readings oxidize the cider too much and goof it up?

Sorry if these are basic questions, but this is my first attempt and any brewing/fermenting cider...

Thanks again for any help you can provide!

It's a better practice to draw a sample from your fermentor with a sanitized wine thief or turkey baster and take your reading in a test tube, this limits the chance of contamination. Don't pour the sample back in, most people give it a taste for the hell of it. You CAN do the otherway but risk infecting your whole batch.

Opening the cover a few (3-4) times won't risk oxidization. You should be able to take the lid off, take a sample in 30 seconds or so, then return the lid. It will be fine as they say RDWHAHB.
 
bear in mind that if you see bubbles rising, even tiny little ones, that they are delivering CO2 to the surface, and this will form a little gaseous protective blanket over the surface of your fermenting slop, so if you have minimal surface area (ie filled to the neck), and bubbles and you aren't splashing it around, then you are probably not going to oxidize it very much
 
Update... I bottled it all on 12/9. Half (2.5 gals) primed with 2 cups apple juice and half bottled still. I did the Pappers pasteurization procedure tonight (12/20) on the carbed bottles. The bottle carbed cider has a nice head when poured and minor bubbling while in the glass. The still of course has minimal bubbles. Taste wise, both my wife and I found the carbed cider is starting to taste pretty good. The still is a week and a half behind from a taste perspective. Carbed bottle has a nice apple taste with just a hint of the spice. Still has minor apple taste with a smokey flavor (which is what the carbed tasted like a week ago).

Anyone else find that carbing cider accelerates the "improvement" process?
 

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