RW1989

Recipes 

Hi

Im new to cider making and just need some help on maturing my cider
I had my cider in a sealed fermenting vessel with an airlock on the top for about a week and a half and the bubbling in the airlock slowed right down so i did a gravity test and it was just below 1.000 so i left it for a few more days and it was still the same but still bubbling every 30 seconds or so, so i decided to put it into a demijohn under airlock to ferment, I put the demijohn out in the garage and left it over nite and when i checked on it in the morning the tempature was about 50 oF and strangeley the airlock was bubbling the other way??? and when i bring it back inside for a few minutes it goes back to normal and bubbles every few seconds,My question is.. is it too cold out there or does it need to be cold to mature, do i need to add any campden tablets/sorbate to stop the fermantation now it is at the correct gravity? Any help would be appreciated, Thankyou

RobWalker

Recipes 

potassium sorbate should kill the yeast off but it can only be used when the yeast is active i think - if it's still bubbling, stir it in.

RW1989

Recipes 

Ok. do i need to stop it frmenting or can i just let it ferment out and leave it for few months to clear. any idea what tempature it needs to be at to clear/age?

lucasbodie

Recipes 

Does the sorbate really kill off the yeast or just retard it...I have read it just slows and retards the yeast...just curious...I'm making my first batch of cider as we speak, and this is a good question...what temperature should the cider age at? Should you "Fine" a cider like you would with an apple wine or just filter it? The cider I am making now I am leaving intentionally unfiltered, but in the future this might be good to know...I should really start my own thread...

hellpatrol

Recipes 

your cider is done fermenting if 1.000. bubbles can be from temp changes. age it at normal fermenting temps, low 60's (F)

Apple_Jacker

Recipes 

Actually, cider can go as low as .990.

Yooper

Recipes 

Sorbate inhibits yeast reproduction, so it doesn't kill the yeast or retard it at all. It only "works" in a finished completely clear cider/wine/mead, and only when there are no lees present that have yeast in it.

I don't filter or add finings to my wines or ciders (or beers for that matter). But I want my drinks to be vegetarian friendly and so won't use most finings.

__________________
Broken Leg Brewery
Giving beer a leg to stand on since 2006