2nd hard cider

[Woodknack]

Not technically a cider I suppose but just a simple recipe until figure out what I'm doing, 64oz apple juice, 1/2 cup brown sugar, few raisins, 1/2 cinnamon stick, Nottingham ale yeast. Plan is to ferment 7 days, chill, then bottle. Debating on adding apple juice concentrate before bottling.

I made the same recipe previously but haven't opened a bottle yet, the pre bottle sample was good.

 

[dmtaylor]

Kaboom. It won't be done in 7 days. Your bottles will explode. Try 7 weeks.

 

[Seamonkey84]

Why such a small batch?!

 

[Woodknack]

Kaboom. It won't be done in 7 days. Your bottles will explode. Try 7 weeks.

7 weeks for fermentation? The recipe called for 7-10 days depending on temp. The last batch practically boiled it was so active but was calm after 5 days, I let it go 7 then bottled and they haven't exploded but I haven't opened them yet.

 

[Woodknack]

Why such a small batch?!

Testing the waters before I commit, kinda like dating for awhile before meeting parents. If these work I'll do a 5g batch. If I don't like them I'll switch recipes.

 

[Seamonkey84]

I see tests as 1 gallons, even then it’s a shame to wait a month or more to find out it tastes nice but only get 4-5 bottles... I’m thinking wine

 

[Blacksmith1]

Wine, cider, mead, it still sucks to get it right and only have a small amount.

 

[DIYer]

Kaboom. It won't be done in 7 days. Your bottles will explode. Try 7 weeks.

I don't know what kind of cider you're making, but mine is always fermented to dry in less than 2 weeks, usually closer to 1.

 

[dmtaylor]

I don't know what kind of cider you're making, but mine is always fermented to dry in less than 2 weeks, usually closer to 1.

I'm making the kind that tastes good.

 

[DIYer]

I'm making the kind that tastes good.

It's not necessary to have 7 weeks of fermentation to get cider that tastes good.

 

[Woodknack]

I tasted batch one and it tastes good, not great, but good. Getting ready to start a bigger batch.

 

[Woodknack]

Batch 2 update, after 8 days.
Starting 1.060
Today 1.000
Thoughts?

 

[Woodknack]

Day 12 .998

Definitely smells like alcohol and the flavor is yeasty & harsh compared to day 8. I wouldn't enjoy drinking it as-is although it mellowed after setting out a few minutes. My wife says the smell from the cupboard is like rotten food, but the the liquid itself smells like old apples.

 

[TwistedGray]

Try a cider specific yeast. I've done dozens of one gallon batches, and they'll all ferment out within two weeks (typically less). Cider yeasts also do not strip the apple flavors and aromas like high attenuating yeasts do. Also, with cider yeasts you can go from bottle to belly a lot quicker because you don't need to it to agree on order to mellow flavors.i do small batches to play around with...

 

[Blacksmith1]

Time. My ciders smell.off for the first month or two. By month 4 they are great. And my wife doesn't like the way any of my brews smell at first.

 

[Woodknack]

Try a cider specific yeast.

Safcider, Mangrove Jack, Cider House, are 3 I've seen... they good?

 

[TwistedGray]

Safcider, Mangrove Jack, Cider House, are 3 I've seen... they good?

I exclusively use Safcider

 

[dmtaylor]

Cote des Blancs white wine yeast for all my ciders and meads.

 

[TwistedGray]

Cote des Blancs white wine yeast for all my ciders and meads.

Which explains your need to "ferment" for such an extended period of time; it's not fermenting for six or seven or whatever number of weeks you noted earlier. You are aging at that point, and I guarantee your cider is less apple-y when you bottle unless you have to hit it with sweetener or extract.

Not ragging on your selection; I'm just pointing out the trade-off. You do get a much higher ABV than my 5-6%. My guess is you're in the 10% range? That's about what I was getting before changing yeasts.

 

[dmtaylor]

You do get a much higher ABV than my 5-6%. My guess is you're in the 10% range? That's about what I was getting before changing yeasts.

Not much higher. My ciders average 6.5-7.0% ABV which is fine. I guess I could always dilute down with water to get a cider of similar strength to yours. I do add a little xylitol these days to sweeten slightly, simple and yummy. True, mine doesn't ferment much longer than a few weeks and I leave it longer just to clear and to be certain it's done before bottling.

 

[CKuhns]

To help the aging process and smell consider degassing. Time as mentioned above of course works but takes a few weeks to months.

 

[TwistedGray]

Not much higher. My ciders average 6.5-7.0% ABV which is fine. I guess I could always dilute down with water to get a cider of similar strength to yours. I do add a little xylitol these days to sweeten slightly, simple and yummy. True, mine doesn't ferment much longer than a few weeks and I leave it longer just to clear and to be certain it's done before bottling.

You might try a blind test of running a cider yeast to your wine yeast...if you haven't already, you might find that you enjoy a more apple-y cider. Give it a try, let us know

 

[dmtaylor]

You might try a blind test of running a cider yeast to your wine yeast...if you haven't already, you might find that you enjoy a more apple-y cider. Give it a try, let us know

Plenty appley with CdB yeast. I've read several articles in past of blind tastings by others where cider-specific yeasts were rated the LOWEST compared to other yeasts. But of course this is all personal preference. We'll all do what we want, experimentation or not.

 

[Woodknack]

To help the aging process and smell consider degassing. Time as mentioned above of course works but takes a few weeks to months.

I've been shaking mine everyday and it still throwing a good bit of pressure, enough to blow cider out around the lid if I forget to pop the cap.

 

[CKuhns]

Assuming there is no yeast activity and it has somewhat clarified. The cider can still hold a lot of CO2 in suspension.

 

[Woodknack]

It's clear.

 

[dmtaylor]

It's clear.

Groovy. Still I would advise you to wait another week, check gravity again, and just be sure it's totally done fermenting before packaging it up.

 

[Woodknack]

@ .996 and tastes disgusting. I chilled overnight and will taste again. Waiting definitely isn't improving it.

 

[Seamonkey84]

Rack off of any lees, then degas some more before any judgement. Pour the sample, swirl it in the glass a lot. Even let it sit 15-30 mins before drinking. Need to let the yeast farts dissipate so you can tell what it’s covering up.
Oh, although chilling clears it quicker, the gas won’t come out of solution as easily when it’s cold. pour your cleared sample into a glass and let it sit till it’s warmed up before degassing and swirling. Cover with a paper towel if there’s flies around.

 

[dmtaylor]

Do you like it sweeter? Add some sweetener, maybe that will help.

 

[TwistedGray]

@ .996 and tastes disgusting. I chilled overnight and will taste again. Waiting definitely isn't improving it.

What does mean by "disgusting" tasting? Maybe some more descriptive text will help up better identify what may have went wrong : )

 

[Woodknack]

What does mean by "disgusting" tasting? Maybe some more descriptive text will help up better identify what may have went wrong : )

I can't describe the flavor because I've never tasted or smelled anything like it. It's not like apples, vinegar, sour, or alcohol, it's just unpleasant. I haven't tasted after chilling yet.

 

[Blacksmith1]

Mine tend to be "off" in a way I can't describe some times. I have found that time fixes them quite nicely. And I don't mean a day or a week. I let them sit and bulk age for 4 months.

 

[S-Met]

Definitely smells like alcohol and the flavor is yeasty & harsh compared to day 8

Remember this flavor, its suspended yeast. Only one "fix" - Time. Not days, but weeks.
There is a big misconception regarding fermentation time. While technically fermentation is "done" sometimes as fast as 2-3 days meaning it has reached FG, it does not mean its ready to drink. Yeast remains in suspension for some time and contributes to a very different flavor.

@ .996 and tastes disgusting. I chilled overnight and will taste again. Waiting definitely isn't improving it.

Realize that you have only waited a few days. This needs weeks.

I have found that time fixes them quite nicely. And I don't mean a day or a week. I let them sit and bulk age for 4 months.

This!
Not day, but weeks, months. Sometimes years depending, but most ciders fall into weeks. While you can certainly drink it sooner, your patience will be greatly rewarded.

 

[TwistedGray]

And I am going to fall back and beat the dead horse - @Woodknack switch over to cider yeast (SafCider is good) for a gallon batch and compare the that batch to the same timelines as this one. My expectation is that you will convert to SafCider (or similar) for all future batches.

 

[Sequoiacider]

It sounds like you haven't tried carbonating the cider yet. I have found ciders that are not palatable when Still(uncarbonated) often times, though not always, improve significantly once they are bottle-conditioned for carbonation. This is most likely a combination of mellowing through time (I give a minimum of three weeks bottle conditioning time), the fact that carbonation affects the mouthfeel, the way the bubbles interact with your taste buds, and the fact that carbonation also lowers the pH of the cider.
Think about how a carbonated Beer or Soda is good, but you wouldn't want to drink a flat beer or soda. The same often applies to Cider as well.

 

[Woodknack]

I'm going to bottle and tuck it away somewhere and forget about it. Maybe someday it will taste better than lantern fuel.

 

[TwistedGray]

I'm going to bottle and tuck it away somewhere and forget about it. Maybe someday it will taste better than lantern fuel.

Ah, so it does have a taste, lol. Just getting my jabs in

 

[S-Met]

Think about how a carbonated Beer or Soda is good, but you wouldn't want to drink a flat beer

Depending upon the beer... I've drank a few flat beers.

 

[Woodknack]

This isn't beer, it's cider, which is more like a sparkling wine. And I think the bad taste is yeast. I'll try another yeast and see how it goes.