Bad start = don't bother??

[Torvik]

Hey all,
Second try at making hard cider from our apple trees.

Last week we pressed our apples and got 2 gallons of cider. Put it in a pail to work with "when I have a minute" (said the father of 2 young children). Yesterday I finally got around to it. Opened the lid and there was a thick layer of foam on top, a few dead flies and a distinct smell of vinegar. I scooped out the foam, put it into jugs and added camden tablets. But, is it too late?

Bacteria turns it into vinegar, right? So if there's already the smell of vinegar, that's not going anywhere, right?

Basically wondering if it's worth the investment to try and ferment it, or if I should just dump it all and try again next year.

Thanks,
Alan

 

[TallDan]

I've only fermented cider a couple times so hopefully, someone else more experienced chimes in here.

I think it's probably too late, and it's likely a dumper. (I blame the flies.) However, you could certainly taste it. If it still tastes sweet and not like vinegar, you might have a chance here. It won't cost you much in time or money to pitch some yeast and see what happens. You'll want to be sure you avoid oxygen exposure after pitching the yeast since you likely have some acetobacter in there and they need oxygen.

Also, I was friends with a guy named Torvik in college. His first name was Ryan, not Alan, but if your birthday in your profile is correct you're around the same age.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Pressed cider at room temp will start fermenting within a couple hours. If you don't want wild microbes fermenting it, you cannot wait to add sulfite, chill, or pasteurize.

I don't mind a little acetic acid (vinegar) in my cider. A little bit of it adds a nice tang and extra dimension. Everyone has different tastes though. That flavor won't go away.

I've had great results from 100% wild fermentations (zero added sulfite and unpasteurized/unfiltered). It does need to be protected from oxygen. In this case I definitely would have recommended that you didn't add sulfite since it was already well into fermentation.

So, now what?
I have some questions:
After letting it sit 24 hours with the sulfite, is it still fermenting? (You did airlock it, right?)
What is currently the s.g.? Measure with a hydrometer.

I would definitely not dump it unless it smells like vomit or feces. Perhaps the wild yeast can still finish it or you can add the yeast of your choice. If you plan to pitch a dry yeast you should rehydrate. You also need to aerate thoroughly before pitching.

Cheers

 

[Blacksmith1]

As I understand it the yeast has to convert the sugar to alcohol before the acetobacter can turn that into vinegar. So if that has happened, try yo look at this as a success at making apple cider vinegar as opposed to a failure at making hard cider.

 

[madscientist451]

My 2 cents:
1. Pull a sample, take a gravity reading and if it doesn't smell bad, go ahead and taste it.
2. If it doesn't taste too nasty (its going to be yeasty) and its not done fermenting, add some yeast and put an airlock on the jug.
You really don't need to do much to make cider, it makes itself with the yeast that naturally comes with the apples.
Before you dump it, relax, stop worrying, have a homebrew, and take time to consider your options.