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**jmg727** · 11-07-2012, 03:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zippox

I think putting them in the fridge for one to two days is the most common. I asked the bottling after pulling it out of the fridge question and I was told that it's fine to pull it out of the fridge and bottle it with the priming sugar. Once the bottle temps get to room temp, the yeast is happy and can start carbonating the bottles.

For testing carbonation, fill the first and last of the batch in two 16 oz bottles like you were describing, and when they are hard like when you first bought it then stove pasteurize all the bottles.

And yes, they need to be left out at room temp to carb up. The time this takes is between three and 24ish hours. So you need to have a free weekend when you get to the carbonating and pasteurizing because it's a guessing game for how long they will take to be ready.

Thanks for the information on this process. I made some great cider and then cold crashed it at about 1.00 two days ago. I added some honey to make it a bit sweeter, and planned to keep it in the fridge until it was consumed.

The only problem is that I made it a bit too sweet. So I'm going to bring it back to room temp. and let the yeast start up a bit until it dries out a bit. Once it does, I'll follow your instructions.

Oter · 11-15-2012, 02:22 PM

Has anyone added frozen fruit to the primary in this recipe. I realize fruit isn't usually added to the primary because of flavor loss, but since there isn't a secondary here I figure there isn't another option. Also is 4-5 days enough time for the fruit to impart any flavor? I am thinking frozen blackberries and blueberries.

**Matterpro** · 11-19-2012, 03:44 PM

Ugh... just add started going on a batch for this weekend and pulled some 1056 yeast from the fridge that I harvested this last weekend. I added some of the cider to the yeast in the jar to wake them while I cooked down the sugar into the cider. They mixed nicely but when I was done I looked over at the yeast and it was flat-packed to the bottom of the jar and completely separated from the juice. This is 1056, it doesn't flocculate that fast ever!! Looks like this cider had some sorbate or something in it that killed the yeast that wasn't on the label. Back to the store I go.

Oter · 11-19-2012, 05:44 PM

I bottled mine this weekend. Put it together Wednesday night. OG was 1.060 and it was down to 1.010 on Saturday morning and still fermenting like crazy. After I bottled it up I stuck one in the fridge and drank it a few hours later. I can only describe it as watery. Not dry or sour. Just watery. I used whole foods brand unfiltered apple juice. what flavor there is tastes great. Just kind of disappointed. Maybe I will try another juice brand next time.

newbrewcandl · 11-19-2012, 07:53 PM

Okay so I'm a total newb at this how do you Hydrate and Pitch yeast do we need to boil it then add it?

**Matterpro** · 11-19-2012, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by newbrewcandl

Okay so I'm a total newb at this how do you Hydrate and Pitch yeast do we need to boil it then add it?

No, never boil yeast. If you're doing a standard packet of dry yeast boil about 4oz of water (actually about 5-6 oz to boil down to 4oz) and let cool covered until it gets to about 85-90 degrees. Make sure you use tap or spring water and never distilled or osmosis water.

Once you hit that temp on the boiled sterile water pour the dry packet of yeast on top of the water and don't stir. Just let it sit on top of the water for about 15 minutes. After that, stir it gently with a sterilized spoon (I use plastic chop stick!) and let it sit for another 5 minutes.

Now, as long as it's roughly the same temp as your cider or wort (room temp) you can toss it in on top of your cider or wort in the fermenting bucket and stir.

Or, since dry yeast doesn't need to be re-hydrated you could also just sprinkle it on top of your cider (or wort) close the lid ad your air lock and wait. I like to hydrate to speed up the initial process but to each his own. If it ferments in the end, who cares.

OutlawJosey · 11-20-2012, 01:47 PM

I started a batch this past Sunday; wanted it to be done in time for Thanksgiving dinner. I followed the recipe closely only omitting the cinnamon and adding one more gallon of apple cider and sugar to compensate.

I have made this batch before, using the same or similar brands of cider only different yeast (last time used Red Star Champagne yeast) and it came out dryer then I wanted.

Here's the problem. It is not fermenting, I do not see any activity in the airlock (do see some surface activity) and the hydrometer actually reads higher (1.068 when pitched) 1.072 two days later. I have re-pitched thinking that I may have made a mistake in the hydrating process, check the expiration dates of the yeast and still no real activity. I checked the labels of the cider to make sure there was no sorbate. What else can I check or do? Or is it the drain for this batch?

**Soilworker** · 11-20-2012, 06:07 PM

Are you sure no other preservatives were added? Potassium sorbate isn't the only preservative added sometimes. You can also try using a different strain of yeast tho not sure why your current yeast wouldnt work.

**dudius** · 11-20-2012, 06:36 PM

I used Red Star Champagne yeast and you could hear it bubbling after a couple of hours (I made one gallon with a quarter pound light brown sugar). My uneducated guess is that your cider has something that kills yeast? Or maybe it isn't warm enough? I think mine fermented for 5 days at ~70°

OutlawJosey · 11-21-2012, 12:26 AM

I re-pitched with Red Star Champagne yeast and looking at the labels again, nothing in the form of a preservative is listed so I am thinking that there is something in the apple cider that they didn't list. Which really sucks I was looking forward to having this with Thanksgiving dinner. Oh well I will start another batch over the holiday weekend and wont have to share

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