sampling my 1st homebrew at 2 weeks any tips?

Sewer_Urchen said:

For stronger ciders like 12%, the longer you can stand letting it sit in bulk the better, mine are usually not even in the bottle for six months. There is a couple rackings involved though. I usually rack to 2ndary after 5-6 weeks, then let it sit for 3 months and rack again, let sit for another month or two and this will help you get a really clear strong and refined cider. The longer you can stand it the better...because when you bottle it'll probably taste like a mixer drink.

It also goes through phases. one month after you bottle it'll taste like pure acid, the next it'll be bitter, the next it'll smooth out and taste more apply, then the residual sugars start to come through and after it's sat in the bottle for 4 months it really gets into a great place. I always brew mine strong, and honest, it's about 10 months to a year before I really start cracking them open.

P.S. glad to have you aboard! You've started a life long hobby that satisfies the soul.

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peachcarmelsoda said:

Hello
I'm samping my 1st homebrew which is a cider. The airlock slowed alot and i thought i would take a hydrometer reading to see if it's done. It's only been fermenting a couple of weeks. And last week it smelled pretty strong. Like something you wouldnt want to drink. And the smell went away.

Well the cider tasted great as a matter of fact. I guess it's only got around 12 percent abv right now and im hoping it would get a little stronger.

I basically want it to get stronger and have more of a spicy kick to it. Does anyone know what i should do at the 2 week mark? Just throw in some cinnamon or some other spice? Or leave it alone?

Also homebrewing kicks ass im so glad i found this hobby. I'm sure this cider isnt nearly as good as it could taste yet it makes the local storebought wine taste like cough syrup. This is so cool i may have to steal another "test" just to make sure i got the reading right.

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peachcarmelsoda said:

Side note... I do got a mead goin aimed at about 18%... I did not realize it would take that long to age. I'm probably going to set 1 bottle aside a month to drink to get a feel for what aging will do to it.

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