skone

Recipes 

thanks for the input, wreckinball9. i stuck with the white sugar per the recipe but will be sporting improvisations in batch two, to be sure. i did a first check on the cider batch in question when i got up this morning. after about 15 hours in the carboy, the yeast was CRANKING. airlock gave me a nice bubble on the second, every second. super tight, little bubbles absolutely pouring up the wall and collecting on the surface edges. it was at 70 degrees on our living level of the house so i have now taken it down to the basement where it's a constant 60 degrees on the button. i can get it colder on our front porch (vermont) but the temp is not constant. 45 - 70 depending on time of day and the weather. let me know your thoughts on temps regarding this. i'm thinking it's best to stick with 60 degrees and avoid the temp swings? gotta tell you. feels good to have something in the fermenter again. two years is too long!

wreckinball9

Recipes 

yeah i would opt for the constant basement temps also. but once you get close the FG you want (probably around 1.010) you may want to leave it outside for the night if you dont have room in the fridge. the cold temp will really slow down the fermentation.

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And how is education supposed to make me feel smarter? Besides, every time I learn something new, it pushes some old stuff out of my brain. Remember when I took that home winemaking course, and I forgot how to drive?- Homer S.

skone

Recipes 

Good advice. Thanks again - will follow up with a progress post...

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skone

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My batch of this here cider is on Day 10 in the primary carboy. Bubble in the vapor lock every 10 seconds. Still steady streaming, tight bubbles on the walls up to the surface edge. Planning on a gravity reading (perhaps) around 15 days. I'm stand-offish though to be honest. I've forgone gravity readings completely in the past and been fine. Since I might do it can I ask: do you guys syphon out quantity in a narrow vessel that will accommodate the length of the hydrometer? Or do you loop a string around the hydrometer and lower it into the 5 gallon carboy? I'll google and search this site for my options but would appreciate the peanut gallery's comments on just how you like to do it. Thanks in advance.

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Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey - A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?

gratus fermentatio

Recipes 

I draw off a sample with a wine theif & test it with hydrometer/hydometer jar, then I always do a taste test. I NEVER pour the sample back into the fermenter. Regards, GF.

Kauai_Kahuna

Recipes 

Most times I pull a sample with a sanitized wine theif, or a sanitized measuring cup and measure in a tube. I also never put it back in.
I use an ale pale for primaries of ciders and meads, it just makes it easier to work with. With that some times I just sanitize the hydrometer and put it in the bucket and take a reading.
I think tying a string on it would not allow a proper reading due to the added weight.

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In Primary: Belgium Chimay clones.
In Secondary: Braggot, pale ale, end of the world white.
Conditioning: Mead, Cider, braggot, Belgium Wheat.
On Tap: Clones, Chimay Blue, Red, Porter, malted cider.
Bottles: Far, far, too many to list.

skone

Recipes 

Thanks for the hydrometer reading tips. I realized shortly after that I had not taken a reading from the get-go and so would have nothing to compare against --- meaning can't do the second reading if you missed your chance to take the first. At least that's my logic. So gravity will be a mystery on this one I guess. I bottled my 5 gallons into Grolsch swingtops and a couple mason jars on December 5th. I took a taste test this eve (not quite a month). Carbonation is beautiful. Appropriate alcoholic taste to it. The sweetness is a little stronger than I bargained for. I guess I thought it would get drier. Will it get drier as it ages? It's still rather young. Hell, even as is - - it's a definite thumbs up already. Thanks again.

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Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey - A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?

corexcore

Recipes 

@skone: The sweetness might mellow and blend into other flavors, but if it gets much drier, thats an indication of continued fermentation in bottle, and with any kind of carbed drink, especially one using a sweet mead yeast that's rated for at least 12% ABV, you've got to be on the lookout for bottle bombs already.

This recipe seems like something you'd have to drink fast, or else risk having fermentation continue in bottle and having bottles blow up. How do you compensate for having a sweet and bottle carbed cider, BrewFrick?

tj-los

Recipes 

Well I decided to try this recipe on Post#1 of this topic and the Cider is in the loft doing its thing at 68F. I started with a OG =:1.070. I think I have been reading too many topics under the forum and just getting different facts piling up in my head its somtime gives me an overload. Many opinions about being able to bottle, not being able to bottle, back sweetening. Anyone create a cider with this recipe? Just looking at what kind of sauce I am going to end up with.

skone

Recipes 

I cracked this cider in late December at about one month old. Too sweet for me. I risked the bottle bombs and hung onto it. Thanks to my Grolsch swingtops, not one bottle bomb and it's nearly March. You should hear the pop on these guys though, when you open them. Yowza. The extra time in the bottle really helped dry it out, and in my opinion make the whole thing worth the effort. Only three left now and I'll be sorry when they're gone. I think next time however I'd cut back on added sugar in the primary.

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Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey - A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?