Cold must

Hi, all.

So, I decided to try my hand at some cyser as a first project and followed all of the instructions for making the must. I pitched the yeast and the must sat at 66 degrees for a day and a half due to environmental issues. I moved it to a warmer space and the airlock bubbled a couple of times and then, the storm hit. So, without power, the must is probably some around 59.

I opened the lid and saw that there was the tiniest bit of foam on the top. Is it still salvagable? Should I pitch more yeast when the heat comes back on? Or will it come back on its own?

Have you checked the gravity? Is the gravity dropping?

There are quite a few wine yeast strains that can work at the cool end of the temperatures, so you might be just fine. Which yeast strain did you use?

Plus it sounds like it hasn't been all that long since you pitched the yeast, my impression is that if the yeast doesn't like the temp it kind of just goes dormant and will reactivate if you get it into the temp range it likes, which is usually listed on your yeast package (not the rehydration temp, just the ferment temp range). You could get it back to that temp range and if it doesn't resume within a day or so pitch in more yeast?

Red Star Cote de Blanc yeast, and it sat for maybe 60 hours after pitching. I put a brew band on the bucket and now things seem to be getting to bubbling.

Thank you for all of the attention!

So, just to add to this since I like going back and making sure all of the information is in there.

The store-bought cider had sorbate in it. Probably gave me a rough start, since I didn't let it evaporate out and didn't whip it overmuch to help it along.

The things you learn.

gporhp said:

So, just to add to this since I like going back and making sure all of the information is in there.

The store-bought cider had sorbate in it. Probably gave me a rough start, since I didn't let it evaporate out and didn't whip it overmuch to help it along.

The things you learn.

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Something else for your learning curve, sorbate doesn't dissipate. You're thinking/alluding to sulphites.

fatbloke said:

Something else for your learning curve, sorbate doesn't dissipate. You're thinking/alluding to sulphites.

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Good gouge +1

nitack said:

Good gouge +1

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Not a gouge at all. Just that because sulphites and sorbate are often used in concert, it would be easy to think of the wrong one for dissipation over time.

And that sorbate doesn't, sulphites do.....

fatbloke said:

Not a gouge at all. Just that because sulphites and sorbate are often used in concert, it would be easy to think of the wrong one for dissipation over time.

And that sorbate doesn't, sulphites do.....

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"good gouge" is military terminology for "good information". It was a compliment...