Hard cider still not getting carbonated....

Hi all,

I made a cheap batch of hard apple cider. However to carbonate I added an extra can of apple juice (no preservatives) to the 6 gallon batch.

A week and a day later I opened one. It tastes great but only a slight hint of carbonation.
I was under the impression that one can of frozen concentrate would be too much, so im wondering if something went wrong.

Maybe I should wait the 2 weeks and see what happens?

Well Im about to bottle another batch of the same thing and am wondering if maybe next time I should add some extra sugar in there...

Mines not carbonated either. I'm thinking at 9.5% and sg of 995 the yeast is to pissed to eat the sugar I put in.

Maybe we should follow the lead of the big boys and use a different strain for bottling.

I was thinking about taking a little from a yeast starter and using that to mix in the bottling bucket, what do you think? Amounts?

I don't see why you'd use different amounts than you'd use for beer.

Ive got a mikes hard fruit punch clone made and it needs to be sweetened up a bit. Im thinking about adding one can of fruit punch and 2 oz of priming sugar to the bucket.

Hopefully I dont blow this, literally.

britishbloke said:

Ive got a mikes hard fruit punch clone made and it needs to be sweetened up a bit. Im thinking about adding one can of fruit punch and 2 oz of priming sugar to the bucket.

Hopefully I dont blow this, literally.

Click to expand...

it should prime ok but you won't get any sweetening as the yeast will use the sugar up. i would check the amount of sugars in the punch to make sure you don't get bottle bombs.
use lactose or splenda to sweeten as they are unfermentable.
i used lactose (about 1 1/2 cups) in 5 gallons of my mikes lemonade clone and it is poular with all the people who have tried it

but lactose doesnt make it sparkling though right?

Well I added a can of fruit punch and 4 oz corn sugar and primed.

I tasted it and it still tastes watery, no strong fruit taste.

I only bottled a case worth and am thinking about saving the rest in the secondary and adding some more juice to sweeten it up.

Id like it carbonated in the end eventually.

What do you think?

I made a couple batches of cider using champagne yeast. The 2 week old batch (about 1 qt apple juice fermented in a glass rum bottle with an airlock) is so carbonated that hubby likens it to an apple brut. In fact, we're going to toast the new year with it.

The concern I'm having is with the other batch, which is in a bucket fermenter. My understanding is that champagne yeast can tolerate a fairly high alcohol level and is very effecient at converting the sugar. I'm expecting a dry cider but am concerned about bottling it because of the high CO2 level. I've read some websites that suggest killing off the yeast before bottling but I'd love to bottle condition the brew.

britishbloke said:

but lactose doesnt make it sparkling though right?

Click to expand...

correct lactose does not ferment, but you said you wanted it sweeter so that is why i suggested it. the concentrate will just ferment out and not sweeten.

with a can of concentrate and 4 ounces of priming sugar i would watch those bottles carefully

MariaAZ said:

The concern I'm having is with the other batch, which is in a bucket fermenter. My understanding is that champagne yeast can tolerate a fairly high alcohol level and is very effecient at converting the sugar. I'm expecting a dry cider but am concerned about bottling it because of the high CO2 level. I've read some websites that suggest killing off the yeast before bottling but I'd love to bottle condition the brew.

Click to expand...

as long as you make sure fermentation is done - ie no bubbles in airlock and gravity the same for 2 days in a row it is safe to bottle.
you can add 3/4 cup of priming sugar to 5 gallons if you want it sparkling.