If it taste horrid after being in bottle for 2 days...?

I bottled some cider a few days ago and decided to open one up just to see the progression its going to make... well, it taste like yeast and stale apples, unbearable to drink (and I can drink almost anything, I'm not picky)

I know its early, but my question is, will the taste improve over time? or if it taste this bad now, will it take a year to get better? or are my bottles just holding wasted cider?

my first batch was pretty bad for the first month and a half, I pulled it off the yeast cake to early though, it has become much better in bottles so I would say let it sit a few months. I'm sure there will be a few saying the same later...

Quick, somebody bar the door!!! Don't let Revvy in here!!! Oh, crap, I think I see him coming!!! I'm outta here.

I just think that theres gotta be some line....

like time cant fix everything...

and I just wanted to know if it taste horrid now, is it going to get drinkable? or is there a good chance that it might improve a lil bit, but not much?

stop judging the taste of your cider when it's young or undergoing bottle shock from just being bottles. Let it sit a few months and don't open another one until that time.

so what it sounds like is, it doesnt matter how bad it taste, eventually its going to taste good...

It is going through fermentation again in the bottle, that is why it tastes all funky. Give it at least 3 weeks before you try it again

CROM - Green cider can taste and smell horrible.
Some I have made tasted more like rotten apples mixed with kerosene. Four months later they tasted fantastic.
I don't even taste the cider until two months in at least, and even then I just make a note like "I hope this taste better later".
How long from pitching the yeast to bottling? And what was the OG and FG?

nealf said:

It is going through fermentation again in the bottle, that is why it tastes all funky. Give it at least 3 weeks before you try it again

Click to expand...

My first batch was not drinkable on bottling day (or the day after) by the 3rd week, it actually wasn't bad. I had to drink it all at that point because the bottles were going to explode if I didn't, but I'm willing to bet that it would have been even better if I could have waited longer.

Relax don't worry bla bla bla...

Not everything will get better. If you pooped in your bottling bucket, well aging most likely wont' fix it. But most bevereages will taste bad when they're severely young for their category (cider, wine, beer)

Cider needs time to age much more than beer. Makes sense, as there is so little in cider for an off flavor to hide behind.

Two days in bottle is way too young. Think two months in bottle. To me, cider comes across more as a wine process that beer. Wine usually needs to age upwards of 6 months to a year or more before it starts getting mature.

I made some stuff earlier this year that could have passed for Nyquil with a little food coloring. Now I'm not ashamed to give it for Christmas presents. Next Christmas I'll probably be kicking myself for having given it away...

Kauai_Kahuna said:

CROM - Green cider can taste and smell horrible.
Some I have made tasted more like rotten apples mixed with kerosene. Four months later they tasted fantastic.
I don't even taste the cider until two months in at least, and even then I just make a note like "I hope this taste better later".
How long from pitching the yeast to bottling? And what was the OG and FG?

Click to expand...

ahhh, cool cool... cause this is what my cider tasted like too hahaha, this givees me hope

IrregularPulse said:

Not everything will get better. If you pooped in your bottling bucket, well aging most likely wont' fix it.

Click to expand...

Even that will turn to compost in a couple of months--during which time you will have hopefully purchased another bottling bucket...

then shot yo' self for deficating in an innocent fermenter!

Not everything will get better. If you pooped in your bottling bucket, well aging most likely wont' fix it. But most bevereages will taste bad when they're severely young for their category (cider, wine, beer)

Click to expand...

I poop in my bottling bucket>....you sugest this is bad practice?
...I knew there was a flaw somewhere in my proceedure (damnit)

"who laid the fudge dragon.. in the fermenter, m'kay?"

I think IrregularPulse tried it once...he said it didnt get better...I tried it once too, but mine tasted like **** for the first few weeks....wtf?, then cleared up nicely

IrregularPulse said:

Not everything will get better. If you pooped in your bottling bucket, well aging most likely wont' fix it. But most bevereages will taste bad when they're severely young for their category (cider, wine, beer)

Click to expand...

damn I have a batch of poop fermenting as we speak....should I just toss it? Or can I back-sweeten to taste?

annasdadhockey said:

Quick, somebody bar the door!!! Don't let Revvy in here!!! Oh, crap, I think I see him coming!!! I'm outta here.

Click to expand...

Jeez some people need to stop trolling and start actually helping people out :cross:

....sometimes I think Revvy just searches the forum for his name and posts where people have mentioned something along the lines of what you said. LoL

dont get me wrong, Revvy is THE MAN, but you can at least attempt to answer and help a brewer out!


To answer the original posters question, and to add another tally to most of the other responses....I agree, wait and you shall be happy with your cider results most likely. You WILL however get a bad batch once in a while. Just keep your cleaning and sanitizing practices up and you won't have too many of them.

Even after aging, if you find that you don't like the cider you made, try another recipe. Most of the people that complain about cider are expecting it to taste like something else. The good news, is that people have figured out how to make it taste the way they want. There is no "single recipe". It's like cooking...odds are you won't make it perfect the first time, or even like what you cook. The more you do it, the better you will get and the more you will understand what you want out of a cider. Also, why not try aging it?