Should I be transferring it?

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FrankyT

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So I made a batch of about a gallon from apples from my front yard (all the left overs at the end of the season I could get). I didn't add anything, and used the yeast from the apples.

Surprisingly it cleared, but there is a decent amount of sediment on the bottom of the carboy (the first taste test was dry and good). Should I be transferring it to a clean carboy, or should I just bottle to let it age?

(I'm also thinking I'm not going to carbonate (weird macho thing where I don't want anything not from my yard going in))

Thanks!!
 
I would transfer to another vessel and age a little more, but transferring off the sediment to an equal size vessel will leave headspace. Leaving headspace is a bad idea and you don't like the idea of adding anything to your homegrown cider that would eliminate the headspace, so bottling it makes sense to me in your case (as long as it's clarified).
 
i often make natural yeast ciders, and this year i made one from three different but unknown variety trees in a friend's yard, pressed in his grandfather's old school press, i also wanted to use nothing but juice from those trees, as it is a romantic idea, but in the end a few used apples from a local orchard which i juiced to use as priming sugar since we really wanted it sparkling. if i had planned ahead i would have frozen some of the original juice before fermenting, and added it back at bottling. i think you will be fine either aging it as is or bottling now; if you rack it you will need to fill the headspace.
 
i often make natural yeast ciders, and this year i made one from three different but unknown variety trees in a friend's yard, pressed in his grandfather's old school press, i also wanted to use nothing but juice from those trees, as it is a romantic idea, but in the end a few used apples from a local orchard which i juiced to use as priming sugar since we really wanted it sparkling. if i had planned ahead i would have frozen some of the original juice before fermenting, and added it back at bottling. i think you will be fine either aging it as is or bottling now; if you rack it you will need to fill the headspace.


Yeah, I was really mad at myself for not doing this too. Next year though, I'm gonna have it all thought out. Or I'll just get some bees and use their honey.

Thanks for the replies! I think I'll take your advice and just bottle it.
 
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