3 Months and still bubbling?

[Phishfinder]

hey guys. had started a thread regarding these batches and am looking for some further advice.

4 batches started Dec 1st. Moved to secondary 3 weeks later. All slowed down to almost a halt and then started back up. Consensus said MLF was the cause. It's now March 1st and here's an update.

Batch 1 - no bubbling with a pellicle
Batch 2 - consistent bubbles nothing on surface
Batch 3 - slower than 2 but still a few bubbles
Batch 4 - the odd bubble nothing on surface

So is it still just a waiting game and hoping for something drinkable on the other side or at this point should I just dump and move on? Before bottling I have to wait for a full stoppage of whatever is going on or I'm asking for boomers correct?

Appreciate any and all advice.

 

[dmtaylor]

Don't dump it! Check the specific gravity and taste it. Then wait 7-10 days. Then repeat, check and taste. If gravity stays the same over that long of a time, it's safe to bottle.

 

[Phishfinder]

Thanks for the reply!

Does SG indicate progress of MLF if that is indeed what is causing the additional bubbling? I thought SG was a measure of sugar, not Malic acid content. Are you thinking maybe MLF is not the what I'm seeing?

 

[dmtaylor]

I bet you it's all done fermenting and it's just off-gassing. There's a lot of dissolved CO2 in the finished cider and it's just taking time for that to all fizz out... probably.

I'm not an expert on MLF, but that could be it too. Someone else can chime in.... anyone? Bueller? Bueller? Will gravity change if MLF is going on? I should know this but I honestly don't. Great question.

 

[Phishfinder]

Hahaha. Love the bueller reference!

 

[bembel]

Batch 1 is likely vinegar, it got exposed to air. Get it away from the others, it can infect them even through the air locks and bleach the hell out of everything that touches it, tubes, wine thief, etc. When you empty it make sure you are nowhere near the area where you plan to make future cider as the acetobacter will get into everything and they are worse than bed bugs. You can be somewhat lax until your first infection (unless you started off in a dirty environment). Either way, after the first batch turns, you have to be OCD about cleanliness. I learned the hard way.

For the rest of the batches. Take a gravity reading. If any of them are 1.001 or below totally safe to bottle even with corks as long as the OG was close to 1.050. The drop from 1.001 to .999 or so will just ever so slightly kiss the cider with carbonation, not even enough to push out a regular cork though. Totally fine if using bottles with caps

Also, classic mistake that I had to learn the hard way as well. AS SOON as you remove the airlock the first time, for a sample, a reading, etc, if you plan to condition any longer before bottling, use fresh juice to fill the head space RIGHT UP TO THE BOTTOM OF THE AIR LOCK STOPPER, not 2 inches, not an inch, but as little as 1/2-1/4 of an inch. This is why Carboys are great for secondaries as the narrowing of the neck allows you to completely eliminate the air, which is likely what allowed the pellicle to form in batch 1. The 100ml or so of fresh juice will not affect your FG and will help produce a little co2 blanket for the conditioning if you plan to let them sit a while

 

[eman_resu]

Don't dump without tasting. If it's mlf it could turn out delicious. I recall that the malolactic bacteria eats the malic acid and turns it into lactic acid, so maybe it doesn't affect gravity readings? I think mlf can take some time, so I would let them sit and judge by taste if it's ready (or a dumper). Hell, age one of them for 6 to 12 months and see what happens?

 

[bembel]

No gravity change with MLF. It will also occur after bottling unless you sulfite.

 

[Phishfinder]

I can't express my appreciation enough for the replies and well explained answers.... Thanks guys!

Can MLF cause boomers though? So if I bottle something which SG indicates is ok buts it undergoing MLF, would that not cause a problem. Reason I didn't add sulphite is that I planned to try bottle carbonating after a month in secondary, and then whatever started up, started up.

Funny thing about the pellicle was it tasted fine the day before the pellicle formed.... We must have taken too much out during sampling and left too much space for air. Dammit.