First Cider and carboy question!

Well I am getting ready to start my first batch wednesday...


My recipe:

2 gallons pastuerized apple juice...NO preservatives....
4 cups dark brown sugar
1/2 packet champagne yeast

I plan on first fermentation in a plastic fermenter....a 5 gallon water jug...like ya use in a water cooler....

Secondary within a 12oz bottle with 1/2tsp of priming sugar in each bottle....

So, is it OK to use the 5 gallon for a fermentor or should I go buy a 3 gallon glass carboy today?

I got it free and its in great shape and clean! I also know all about sanitation!

Also, with the above recipe what kinda cider am I looking at having? Sweet? Dry? Potent??

I am patient....so I will wait until all frementation stops....

Cheers!

Stonedog

Stonedog said:

Well I am getting ready to start my first batch wednesday...


My recipe:

2 gallons pastuerized apple juice...NO preservatives....
4 cups dark brown sugar
1/2 packet champagne yeast

I plan on first fermentation in a plastic fermenter....a 5 gallon water jug...like ya use in a water cooler....

Secondary within a 12oz bottle with 1/2tsp of priming sugar in each bottle....

So, is it OK to use the 5 gallon for a fermentor or should I go buy a 3 gallon glass carboy today?

I got it free and its in great shape and clean! I also know all about sanitation!

Also, with the above recipe what kinda cider am I looking at having? Sweet? Dry? Potent??

I am patient....so I will wait until all frementation stops....

Cheers!

Stonedog

Click to expand...

I just did one with champagne yeast and it's DRRRRYYYY. I'm going to sweeten it up when I keg it by mixing it with my maple wine.

Stonedog said:

Well I am getting ready to start my first batch wednesday...


My recipe:

2 gallons pastuerized apple juice...NO preservatives....
4 cups dark brown sugar
1/2 packet champagne yeast

I plan on first fermentation in a plastic fermenter....a 5 gallon water jug...like ya use in a water cooler....

Secondary within a 12oz bottle with 1/2tsp of priming sugar in each bottle....

So, is it OK to use the 5 gallon for a fermentor or should I go buy a 3 gallon glass carboy today?

I got it free and its in great shape and clean! I also know all about sanitation!

Also, with the above recipe what kinda cider am I looking at having? Sweet? Dry? Potent??

I am patient....so I will wait until all frementation stops....

Cheers!

Stonedog

Click to expand...

You should probably get the smaller carboy if you're only going to make a couple of gallons- You don't want a lot of extra empty space, as that could lead to oxidization and nasty flavors.

Also, I might suggest you avoid doing secondary in the bottles themselves. You could get bottle bombs. I've seen it happen.

Well, I said what the hell, and bought a 3 gallon glass carboy! You only live once and besides...I LIKE drinking cider!

Now, I always have done my secondary in the bottles with beer....in glass no less...and my house is a constant 65 degrees...in the fall winter and spring...no explosions as of yet....and I just use 1/2 tsp of priming sugar (not white or table sugars).

Oh and I stopped and bought Ale Yeast....want it sweeter than what champagne yeast will give...or at least to my research and the archives.....

Like I said, my first attempt ever!

Cheers!

Well....I got it going today!

2 gallons of pasteurized (NO preservatives) apples juice...with 4 cups dark brown sugar......about 3 grams of Ale yeast! I am fermenting in a 3 gallon glass carboy. I mean ya only live once and life is toooo short to drink or brew cheap cider and beer....am I right? So I just went out and bought the 3 gallon glass carboy....it was only 15$....which I thought was a good deal....

I am hoping the ale yeast will result in a sweeter cider....not as drrrryyyy as Cheese's turned out!

I got it done at 0900 today and set it a top the fridge so it wont get touched!

Left at about 1100 to sight in the deer rifle (season starts saturday)...just got back at about 1530....I gots bubbles!

I also saw my first bubble thru an air lock! Never used an air lock (it's a 3 piece) before...I had always used my Mr. Beer with no air lock!

Now the waiting!

I also wrote everything down...going to start a brew log to track everything!

You might find it a bit warm on top of the fridge to keep it there for very long. Too high of a temperature during fermentation has been known to cause some unpleasantness in beverages. A nice draft-free spot on the floor might be better.

Just my 2 cents worth....

Well....I did move it! LOL!

To the top of my roll top desk (its a BIG honkin chunk o' furniture)....I took a temp reading there and it read 69 degrees.....

Actually, it was the wife's idea....

But she still thinks I am a bit odd to watch juice bubble and get excited over it!

Well, its been 24 hours.....my cider is still on top of the roll top desk....I took a temperature reading.....67.3 degrees F......should be 'bout perfect!