So, I'm trying to learn to make cider well before my trees start bearing fruit and I can start making it from scratch (all my batches are for test, made in gallon jugs)- Still a little shaky on some items though-
-- I get that "racking" means transferring the liquid to another vessel, but what is really involved here? Does this mean, you're siphoning the liquid from the top of the vessel, to remove any precipitant that has fallen out of solution (mostly yeast, but other stuff as well- I'm guessing yeast produces other stuff besides CO2 and ethanol in its lifecycle, yes?) If so, how low do you go? Basically when do you stop siphoning?
--The cider I get in the store is fizzy and sweet (even though it tastes like a wine cooler). How do I do fizzy? How do I do sweet? More to the point, how do I get a little fizz without the bottle blowing up? How do I get a little sweet without the yeasts eating the sugar, short of exceeding their tolerance and killing them? Ideally, I'd put a mixture in the fermenter for a month, bottle it, and let it mellow for however long its alcohol content warrants, be it months or years- here's my current thinking- let me know if I'm missing anything:
1. Mix up must and put in primary (juice, campden, yeast, brown sugar, spices). Every single thing that touches the must spends a few minutes in a StarSan solution. Wait one month, more or less.
2. Add 1/2 tsp Potassium Sorbate per gallon to must to stop fermentation. Wait 5 days to make sure it's not bubbling at all.
3. Re-sweeten (how much?), rack into bottles (going with 1 liter clear Grolsch). Label, leave alone for an amount of time based on its alcohol content: 6 percent is 4 months, 18 percent is 1-2 years, extrapolate from there.
So, am I on the right track? No bottle bombs or undrinkable results to be found? I admit I'm on the tolerant side for harsh alcohol flavors- I have been known to drink Scotch from the flask, so I'm not too worried if my stuff comes out a little rough.
Thanks in advance!
-- I get that "racking" means transferring the liquid to another vessel, but what is really involved here? Does this mean, you're siphoning the liquid from the top of the vessel, to remove any precipitant that has fallen out of solution (mostly yeast, but other stuff as well- I'm guessing yeast produces other stuff besides CO2 and ethanol in its lifecycle, yes?) If so, how low do you go? Basically when do you stop siphoning?
--The cider I get in the store is fizzy and sweet (even though it tastes like a wine cooler). How do I do fizzy? How do I do sweet? More to the point, how do I get a little fizz without the bottle blowing up? How do I get a little sweet without the yeasts eating the sugar, short of exceeding their tolerance and killing them? Ideally, I'd put a mixture in the fermenter for a month, bottle it, and let it mellow for however long its alcohol content warrants, be it months or years- here's my current thinking- let me know if I'm missing anything:
1. Mix up must and put in primary (juice, campden, yeast, brown sugar, spices). Every single thing that touches the must spends a few minutes in a StarSan solution. Wait one month, more or less.
2. Add 1/2 tsp Potassium Sorbate per gallon to must to stop fermentation. Wait 5 days to make sure it's not bubbling at all.
3. Re-sweeten (how much?), rack into bottles (going with 1 liter clear Grolsch). Label, leave alone for an amount of time based on its alcohol content: 6 percent is 4 months, 18 percent is 1-2 years, extrapolate from there.
So, am I on the right track? No bottle bombs or undrinkable results to be found? I admit I'm on the tolerant side for harsh alcohol flavors- I have been known to drink Scotch from the flask, so I'm not too worried if my stuff comes out a little rough.
Thanks in advance!