New member here

Hey everyone,

I'm a fairly eclectic guy with a bunch of random hobbies including bow hunting, horticulture(exotic plants mostly), apiculture, mycology, and cider brewing, just to name a handful.

This will be my second year brewing ciders. Last year I had made 4 gallons; 2 using ale yeast and 2 using English Cider(the one from WL). I was a lot happier with the English cider one's taste. So this year I'll only be brewing using that one.

I also haphazardly tried to do a natural ferment of not-so-ripe concord grapes I grew last year which ended up turning into some homemade vinegar. haha

This past winter I got into the world of kombucha and subsequently abandoned the 2 gallon "Jar" I had/have brewing due to not being able, or rather not having the patients to perfect my recipe. So there it sits at the back of the kitchen table in it's jar with a scoby the size of a huge 10 inch wide 1 inch thick pancake forever growing.

Fast forward to today...........

I picked up a 5 gallon HDPE bucket from home depot and headed off to a local mom and pop orchard for some cider. They don't treat in any way other than UV pasteurization - no heating and no preservatives added at 6$ a gallon not a bad deal. I got home and pitched in 1 half gallon of starter culture I made with freshed juiced apples, along with a cup of brown sugar.

Now since I have pectin enzymes and yeast nutrients left over from last year I'm on the fence on whether or not I should add them. After some quick research I'm considering not adding anything this soon, at least until I can taste test it after 1F and see how it turns out. From what I've read additives can mess with the taste? Plus since it wasn't heat treated the pectin shouldn't be activated if I'm understanding correctly.

So the plan is a cool 55-65F room temp(in the kitchen) ferment for the next month at least, then letting it age for another couple of weeks before bottling and aging it some more.

I have access to syringes for precision measuring and a ton of food grade flavorings so I may end up testing my hand at flavored cider once all is said and done.

Phew, long winded typing...

That's all for now. Any questions, comments, or golden nuggets of wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

-J

I can't comment on the cider since I don't make it, but welcome to HBT.

What is the starter culture that you added to the cider?

I think pectic enzyme would have been good to add, but I think it might be too late. It helps to clear the cider and keep strings of jelly from forming. Not a big deal, though. It may very well not be a problem anyway. A lot of times, cider clears well anyway (very thin).

The yeast nutrient is good to add because apples don't have some of the nutrients that make yeast work well. You could add that now. But I would avoid opening the fermenter too much for the next month. (Like, add the nutrient now, then let it sit.)

Some additives can affect the taste, but those should be ok.

Welcome to the hobby, and the group, from CO