Recent content by jsiddall

I always use distilled water and measure my StarSan per the directions and still have spray pumps fail. The last one was from Home Depot, Zap brand or something like that, and it only lasted a couple of years tops. I think all that can be said is that StarSan damages plastic so the spray pump...

Definitely make a starter to be sure the yeast is viable when using washed yeast. I have used washed yeast successfully at 6 months. I also tried to start some washed yeast that was 1.5 years old (got stuck in the back of the fridge) and it was dead. YMMV.

Thanks for the post. Good to know this should be working. Maybe the pH was particularly low, which is hard on yeast and makes the sulfite more effective. I'll have to start testing that.

When I first started making cider from juice I used no sulfite at all. Invariably I got MLF and the cider turned cloudy again after clearing. Having decided I don't care for MLF I began adding sulfite to my cider after primary fermentation finished. However, while I have definitely prevented...

On the topic of pushing the quantity of fruit, I needed to clear out some freezer space so I just made a batch with 5.5 lb per gal. It was really hard to get started, likely due to the high acidity. I pitched another yeast after about 4 days of no activity and a few days after that (more than...

Not really a direct answer to your question but I recently made a version of Dragon Blood with Rhubarb, instead of lemon juice, and strawberries/blueberries/blackberries/raspberries. Turned out quite nice really, and while the rhubarb is not a dominant flavor I can confirm that using...

What you are doing is known as "step feeding" -- adding more sugar until the yeast will not ferment it. This allows you to control the final sweetness if done in small enough steps. What you cannot control directly is the final ABV. I would expect some more of the sugar you added to be...

As other stated, make sure it is food grade. The home improvement stores sell both food grade and non-food grade. The food grade will be labeled as such. I once had some juice from an orchard that claimed it had no preservatives, but I could not get it to ferment. I suspect it was sorbated...

I don't go by SG so much as by the activity. There is no point in racking to a topped up carboy if your cider is still fermenting enough that it will blow out the airlock. Halting fermentation is not easy so let it go dry. I find that ale yeasts end at about 1.005 anyway, so no need to...

You seem to have moved a decimal point. Your initial SG reading should be 1.something. So if your initial reading was 1.060 and you are now at 1.006 I think it is done. If you want a lower final SG you may need a different yeast (ex: champagne) that should take the gravity below 1.000. Even...

Regarding primary and secondary: think of those terms as short forms for "primary fermenter" and "secondary fermenter". All you are changing is the vessel. The problem with using a single vessel (which is possible actually) is that early on the fermentation is vigorous and you need more...

Still, that's half a gram of sulfite -- not enough to stink up anything. So it's likely farts, but if it were me I would let it go. It's not going to make your cider bad in the long run.

@Yooper is right, it could be infected or could be oxidized, but since you mentioned adding campden AND meta a few weeks ago I expect the sulfites have protected it. Time will tell. You did say "cork" -- was that literal? If so then I guess I can then assume you didn't have an airlock, which...

You didn't mention how big the batch was, but 0.1 g is a very small does of sulfite so I would be surprised if you could smell that. If you are not near the end of the ferment you could add extra nutrient but otherwise skip it. Left over nutrient will only help spoilage organisms. A few...

Good chance it is fine. What do you think you are at risk of?