Lovestojam
Member
Hi all,
I'm new to the forum, though I've been browsing for a couple of weeks. Just went today and picked-up my starter equipment - 5 Gal Glass Carboy, 7 Gal Bucket w/ Lid & Spigot, Tubing, Air Lock, Stopper, Hydrometer, brushes, etc.
My idea is to start out making a basic cider using a mead yeast & a mixture of Delicious & Gravenstein unfiltered apple juice. I may additionally add a few cups of fresh crab apple juice depending on the acidity and tannic levels in my mixture. My plan is to start the fermentation process in my 7 gallon bucket with lid using the mead yeast. I may need to add some excess sugars depending on what the preliminary gravity readings show. I would ideally like to have a specific gravity reading somewhere around 1.060+, as I'd like the alcohol content to be somewhere around 7.5+%. Once I have the sugar/gravity correct, I'll add the mead yeast and yeast nutrient to the primary. Once secondary fermentation has completed, I'll rack the cider into my secondary (5 Gal Glass Carboy) via the auto siphon. Of course I'll be testing the gravity and sugar contents along the way. Once the batch has been setup for secondary fermentation, I'll store away the carboy for a couple of months until I'm ready to sample.
A couple of questions for the experienced cider brewers out there...
1.) Am I missing any important steps?
2.) What are most folks preferences with regards to secondary sugars?
3.) Is there any specific process for preparing the mead yeast for primary fermentation?
4.) Generally, how long should it take for primary fermentation to complete where I can rack to secondary fermentation?
5.) Any additional points/advice?
I really appreciate there being a forum like this where questions/comments are encouraged. I really look forward to hearing from you guys/gals.
Cheers,
LTJ
I'm new to the forum, though I've been browsing for a couple of weeks. Just went today and picked-up my starter equipment - 5 Gal Glass Carboy, 7 Gal Bucket w/ Lid & Spigot, Tubing, Air Lock, Stopper, Hydrometer, brushes, etc.
My idea is to start out making a basic cider using a mead yeast & a mixture of Delicious & Gravenstein unfiltered apple juice. I may additionally add a few cups of fresh crab apple juice depending on the acidity and tannic levels in my mixture. My plan is to start the fermentation process in my 7 gallon bucket with lid using the mead yeast. I may need to add some excess sugars depending on what the preliminary gravity readings show. I would ideally like to have a specific gravity reading somewhere around 1.060+, as I'd like the alcohol content to be somewhere around 7.5+%. Once I have the sugar/gravity correct, I'll add the mead yeast and yeast nutrient to the primary. Once secondary fermentation has completed, I'll rack the cider into my secondary (5 Gal Glass Carboy) via the auto siphon. Of course I'll be testing the gravity and sugar contents along the way. Once the batch has been setup for secondary fermentation, I'll store away the carboy for a couple of months until I'm ready to sample.
A couple of questions for the experienced cider brewers out there...
1.) Am I missing any important steps?
2.) What are most folks preferences with regards to secondary sugars?
3.) Is there any specific process for preparing the mead yeast for primary fermentation?
4.) Generally, how long should it take for primary fermentation to complete where I can rack to secondary fermentation?
5.) Any additional points/advice?
I really appreciate there being a forum like this where questions/comments are encouraged. I really look forward to hearing from you guys/gals.
Cheers,
LTJ