Yuletide
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- Sep 8, 2020
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Hey folks, finally got my first batch of juice going and had a few questions I'll put below after the progress so far. Here's a thread to share progress as I go.
Source: 4 Gallons, Unpasteurized "Hand-picked, Tree-Ripened" cider from a roadside stand in Philo, CA split into two batches
Yeast: 3 Gallons WLP 670 American Farmhouse Blend, 1 Gallon wild. Pitched 9/6
Nutrient: 1.5g Fermaid O added 9/9 only to indoor batch (a bit late)
OG: 1.049 (1.05 @ 60°)
Picked up the raw cider from a farm stand en route back to the Bay Area from camping and let it sit for a week in the fridge while I sorted out a plan. Initially wanted to go full wild but lost my nerve, so opted for a split batch between sulfite+funky yeast and wild.
9/5: Sanitized everything, added to carboys (big one for funky 3 gal batch, 1 gallon for wild). Added 3/16 tsp of potassium metabisulfite to the non-wild batch. Let sit overnight with foil covering.
9/6: Pitch day! Wild batch already active. Pitched WLP 670 into the big carboy. Bay Area heatwave hits so we move to an interior bathroom hoping for cooler temps. Airlocks added, with one carboy dropping in (whoops).
9/7: Heat wave continues, mega activity from both batches. Interior temps hit 85. Ice packs added and wild batch moved to garage.
9/9: Both batches bubbling away, garage batch much slower as expected. A bit worried about the indoor batch being too warm (last night measured at 75°) and some complaints from roomates about the smell. 1.5g of Fermaid O added with boiled water slurry to large batch.
Questions:
Source: 4 Gallons, Unpasteurized "Hand-picked, Tree-Ripened" cider from a roadside stand in Philo, CA split into two batches
Yeast: 3 Gallons WLP 670 American Farmhouse Blend, 1 Gallon wild. Pitched 9/6
Nutrient: 1.5g Fermaid O added 9/9 only to indoor batch (a bit late)
OG: 1.049 (1.05 @ 60°)
Picked up the raw cider from a farm stand en route back to the Bay Area from camping and let it sit for a week in the fridge while I sorted out a plan. Initially wanted to go full wild but lost my nerve, so opted for a split batch between sulfite+funky yeast and wild.
9/5: Sanitized everything, added to carboys (big one for funky 3 gal batch, 1 gallon for wild). Added 3/16 tsp of potassium metabisulfite to the non-wild batch. Let sit overnight with foil covering.
9/6: Pitch day! Wild batch already active. Pitched WLP 670 into the big carboy. Bay Area heatwave hits so we move to an interior bathroom hoping for cooler temps. Airlocks added, with one carboy dropping in (whoops).
9/7: Heat wave continues, mega activity from both batches. Interior temps hit 85. Ice packs added and wild batch moved to garage.
9/9: Both batches bubbling away, garage batch much slower as expected. A bit worried about the indoor batch being too warm (last night measured at 75°) and some complaints from roomates about the smell. 1.5g of Fermaid O added with boiled water slurry to large batch.
Questions:
- Given the higher indoor temp, should I move the larger batch to the garage also? I have read that cider likes cooler temperatures, but this strain of yeast says optimum temp 68.00-72.00. Garage temp last night was 65 but could easily drop to 50s in the next couple weeks once the orange skies pass. I was worried 50's might be too cold for this yeast (and didn't want to have to move the big carboy again for bottling later). Roomies are also complaining a bit about the smell, so may be able to gently move it to another bedroom with more airflow if indoor is best.
- Nutrients: I've seen folks on both sides of this so I oped to add, given the higher temps lately.
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