jaidedk

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Hi. So I'm doing a 6 gallon batch of cider. But after racking I've noticed some white fluffy things mostly sitting on the bottom a few 3 to be exact mid carboy.
Back ground-
I picked apples out of my orchard good little mix 4-5 various kinds. Juiced them. Into 6 1 gallon containers added camden tabs Let sit 24 hrs. Boiled [actually just heated to dissolve] 1 gall with sugar to dissolve sugars added it with the rest of my juice to the carboy so after sediment I had a lil less then 6 gallons, then pitched my yeast. Gave a nice swirl to start. (I used champagne yeast.) Put air lock on. Let the fun begin! Let that sit a while maybe 2-3 wks racked right before thanksgiving added some raw organic honey really thick kinda a molasses taste mmmm. A lil bit of sugar and cinnamon. I Should say I heated the honey to get it nice and creamy before putting.it in carboy. Added my cider to my flavors to let sit.( Initial taste when syphoning at racking was bitter) I noticed yesterday that there's these weird white fluff balls sitting on the bottom. And I'm wondering what it is. I've been reading everything and looking for pics but have yet to find something that resembles it. Read about keeving did I stumble into this unknowingly? I also read about yeast balls. Any advice? Was it the honey I used maybe should I rack a third time asap or just let it go till bottle Time?? I will post a pic as soon as I can. I can only describe for now but its almost like blue cheese crumble with no blue.. smells fine looks clear not sure what it is..

Devo9

Recipes 

Why did you add campden tablets AND boil? You really only need to do one or the other.

We usually recomend not boiling because it:
1) changes the flavour, makes it taste cooked.
2) sets the pectins and leaves the cider foggy.
3) is much more work then adding campden
4) I can't thing of 4th reason... I just wanted a forth point! :-D

Can you post a picture? It will be easier to know what is going on if we can see it.

jaidedk

Recipes 

I only boiled 1/2 a gall maybe less just to dissolve sugars. I should also say I sterilized everything I used... and i used organic sugar & honey.. why'd I do both cause I wasn't aware I shouldn't. I thought dissolving the sugars was a good thing. I hope these pics are ok so hard through the glass carboy..

jaidedk

Recipes 

Heres what I have going on....

Devo9

Recipes 

I'm not sure what that is, but it doesn't look like keeving to me. If it is, it is on a really small scale. What's foating in there might be a byproduct of boiling the cider, but I can't be sure...Hopefully someone with a bit more experience with keeving can say more, I've never tried keeving cider before.

Everything should be sanitized before it comes into contact with cider. The campden tablets should kill off anything in the cider, so don't worry about that. As for disolving in the sugars, if you are having troubles disolving the sugars into your cider, I would recomend heating it up to between 104F (40C) to 140F (60C) to help the sugars disolve. That way it won't reach boiling temperature.

Boiling the cider will not wreck it, but it will change it. So if you want to boil some of it that is really up to you, this is all just a suggestion. There are no right or wrongs as long as you are happy with your cider in the end.

LeBreton

Recipes 

Possibly pectin balls, but not a keeve until it forms a full layer completely separates from clear juice. Devo9 is probably correct that it's a result of the raw juice being heated. When you rack the cider, these globs can easily be left behind.

This is what a keeve looks like.

__________________
Bellwether Hard Cider
In all the states no door stands wider,
To ask you in to drink hard cider

jaidedk

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yeah I should clarify that I didnt boil the cider I heated it slightly with the sugars just to get it dissolved. It never reached anywhere near a boil. Now just since Ive posted this at like 830 9 am this morning its starting to raise up higher into the carboy. Could this be a result of using champagne yeast? obviously Im a newb my girlfriend has made a few batches and since we have a lil orchard i figured id give it a go too. I know its to early to try to taste it still, Im just hoping I actually pull this off my hubs might have some doubts hoping I can show him he shouldnt doubt me while we cheers our delicious cider with friends and fam..
Ill try and get a another pic of what its done in just the last few hours.. as with what the top looks like. I didnt think it couldve been keeving as the more I read the more I came to understand that that takes place if you dont remove all the "pulp" or sediment if i understood correctly which I did before I pitched and again at racking.. i should say the honey is raw honey and its really thick i had to set the container in hot water to loosen it up and pour it into the carboy. i see that it looks as though alot of the honey is still sitting on the bottom of the carboy which is fine i suppose from what i was told what ever left over yeast would eat at the sugars added in the racking and the reast will be left to either add some flavor or possibly just all get eattin. dependent on how much yeast was left. when I first noticed it I gave it a swirl it had a few apple farts come out but nothing smelly and then it stopped shortly after.. maybe 10 mins max. who knows what im doing haha crossing my finger and watching steadily in hope to have some good drinks to cheers. ill get some pics now..

jaidedk

Recipes 

heres a few more pics just taken they seem to be rising and going to the top maybe i just had the oh crap jitters and its just yeast clumpies or pectin balls again i dont know... also the honey i used was a buckwheat honey so initially it was really dark seems to be clearing up nicely now though... thoughts anyone?? please

Devo9

Recipes 

Well it doesn't look like anything I've seen before. Honestly it just looks like clumps of sediment. I'd suggest racking and tying a piece of cheese cloth or grain bag on your racking rod so you can rack around it and leave that stuff behind. It doesn't look too ominous to me and if your cider isn't giving off a nasty smell I think you should be alright.

Most (but not all) ailments your cider can pick up give off a bad smell. Give it a sniff and see if it smells horrible.

jaidedk

Recipes 

Thanks for the reply and advice devo9 I truly appreciate it. You taking the time to give a looksie and advice
I think being my 1st batch maybe I got a lil too worried (imagine that). Cause its seems that it must've been yeast or pectin because as of today nothing is floating like that in there anymore, I think its all settled back to the bottom. Theres a few little remnants up top but, just a few. I was thinking of racking a third time before I started reading more and asking about it on here, my concern is this. : If I rack a third time won't I risk losing some of that delicious semi spendy honey I used to sweeten/flavor with? Not that cost is anything but I dont know if I will make it over to the town I got it from anytime soon & I dont want to put anything else in there since I've already used that honey with the molasses taste. I just dont want to many flavors trying to mix..