3 out of 4 fermenting, all with the same set up ... what's wrong with number 4 ?

[Lester Barnes]

Hi All,

First post and very much a newbie on our third year of cider making, First year ..... made some.... tasted HORRIBle but with the name 'Grandma' Piss' quiet apt !

Last year's was much better, more time spent .... tho one of two stainless steel 25 litre fermenters didn't ferment ...went natural ... one did, one didn't

This year, four x 25 litre amounts, mixed apples, same mixed orchard, cut and scratted at the same time, mixed juices ... portioned into four fermenters ( two steel and two plastic buckets with lids and bubblers )
All four left 24 hours after pressing with powdered campden tablets added at pressing - fresh yeast and yeast nurtrient added as advised ... sealed and left in the same room with a temp of 20 - 24 ..... all but one bubbling away.... but one steel fermenter doing nothing ! ? . . . Changed the bung and bubbler and checked the seals .. all seems ok but nothing ? what could be wrong ?

Lester

 

[DaveC73]

I just did something similar. Three batches of cider all from the same press, two started and one didn't. My best guess is that I had one bad/dead packet of yeast. I repitched a new packet in the non-active fermenter and it took off in about 12 hours...

 

[Kickass]

Did it look like it was fermenting when you removed the lid? Foam/bubbles beginning to form at the surface? Lids and air locks can be leaky and finicky

 

[Lester Barnes]

When I’ve taken the lid off (to add more yeast and nutrient and a bit of sugar) the just seemed to be effervescent and lightly fizzing but no froth ? Cleaned the lid, reseated it so hopefully see how it goes tomorrow ?

 

[cmac62]

if it was effervescent it was fermenting. No worries though, it should be fine.

 

[Kickass]

^^^ sounds like what is supposed to be happening, is happening.

 

[Chalkyt]

As I mentioned in a post elsewhere, I get some "comfort" from shining a torch through the cider (easier with glass containers). It makes the tiny starting bubbles much more obvious. If you can see them then fermentation is starting. For some reason (don't know why), I have also had similar batches getting going at different rates.

 

[Lester Barnes]

Still nada so transferred it from the stainless steel fermenter back into a clean plastic bucket - no froth, tastes very dry - added some sugar and a bit more yeast-sealed it up for one last chance .... .fingers crossed ?

 

[Zambezi Special]

Tastes very dry?
The same as the juice before you started fermenting, or drier, less sweet?
Can you do a SG reading? Almost sounds like fermentation has already finished?

 

[Miraculix]

Still nada so transferred it from the stainless steel fermenter back into a clean plastic bucket - no froth, tastes very dry - added some sugar and a bit more yeast-sealed it up for one last chance .... .fingers crossed ?

That sounds like it's done.