Results of first brewing (comments or ?)

So I gathered information from several people on here (thank you to them) and also experimented a little on my own. I made 2 seperate batches at the same time, both are very similiar but curious to see how the differences turn out.

Batch 01 Batch 02
5 gal. cider/ 6 gal. carboy 2 3/4 gal. cider/ 3 gal. carboy
2 cinnamon sticks 1 cinnamon stick
5 tsp ground nutmeg 2 tsp ground nutmeg
8 cups white sugar 3 cups white sugar
1/4 tsp potassium metabisulphate 1/8 potassium metabisulphate
1 pack Red Star montrachet yeast 1 pack Red Star montrachet yeast
1.070 before fermenting 1.060 before fermenting
1.000 after primary (10 days) 1.005 after primary (8 days)

Both had 1 gallon heated with the cinnamon and nutmeg, then cooled and added to carboy (cinnamon sticks removed), stored around 60 degrees F, dark tshirts over them while fermenting, and vodka filled airlocks. The smaller batch was bottled and placed in fridge for 3 days to kill any remaining yeast, then boxed and stored. The larger batch was returned to sterilized carboy with airlock, added another gal. of cider to try and add more apple flavor, then re-covered and stored under tshirt again.

Both actually tasted like a very good beer after initial fermenting and I'm hoping that letting them sit for an extended amount of time will make them less dry and that the apple flavor returns more.

kjames3 said:

Both had 1 gallon boiled with the cinnamon and nutmeg, then cooled and added to carboy (cinnamon sticks removed), stored around 60 degrees F, dark tshirts over them while fermenting, and vodka filled airlocks. The smaller batch was bottled and placed in fridge for 3 days to kill any remaining yeast, then boxed and stored.

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I have two comments.

Cider is usually not boiled.

Refrigeration does not kill yeast. Warm it up and fermentation may start again.

One recipe I came across said to stove heat a small amount of the cider with the cinnamon and nutmeg just to get the flavors into it, I should have worded that better, wasn't taken to a full boil.

The idea of refrigeration came from a post on this forum that said it would kill of any remaining yeast, If that's not correct then I'll just transfer it back to the carboy, would this be the correct idea for that?

Refrigerating the cider is usually referred to as cold crashing. The cold causes the yeast to become dormant and settle out. It does not kill the yeast. Warm it up again and the yeast wake up and look for sugar to eat.

Is it in beer bottles? It sounds like you bottled at 1.005. That could be a problem if fermentation restarts. Transferring it back to the carboy is an option, but you want to try and avoid oxidation. Keeping the bottles refrigerated until you drink them is a possibility if you have the space. I would be tempted to open a bottle now and every couple days for a week or two and then one a week for the next month. If you hear a "pssst" when you pop the cap, then you know fermentation has restarted. Just recap the bottles after you open them (or drink them if you prefer).

It was in 1 liter EZ cap bottles, I'm actually tossing the whole small batch so I can try the whole thing over and detail what I'm doing with it better. Wanted to do a sparkling cider but not exactly sure on bottling and carbing.

Any ideas on recipes that would be just idiot proof step by step for the whole process?

kjames3 said:

The idea of refrigeration came from a post on this forum that said it would kill of any remaining yeast, If that's not correct then I'll just transfer it back to the carboy, would this be the correct idea for that?

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I don't know if the underlying issue behind this has been stressed - and if you don't realize it - here it is.

1.005 is cool and all. But the day you make a cider and still have quite a bit of sugar left, or bottle it by racking onto a ton of honey or fermentable sugar, then bottle...failure to pasteurize or keep on constant refrigeration can turn your bottled goodness into a little hand grenade. A very powerful explosion with glass shrapnel.

That being said, just make sure you pasteurize the real way or never take out of the fridge after your desired level of carbonation has been reached.

don't chuck it, just throw it in the fridge, start another batch and drink up those bottles so you can refill them.

Yeah, ended up reading every post on here about pasteurizing I could find last night and also understand that if it's sealed and still producing gas it will explode, just wasn't sure on things due to reading recipes for dry and sparkling ciders. I'll let everyone know how the next one turns out, and Bill, I grew up in Tacoma, great place.

OK, the new one is in a 6 gal. carboy. Just 5gals unpasteurized cider, 3 cans grape concentrate (no pres.), 2.5 lbs dextrose, and 1 pack red star champagne. Hopefully this one goes better.