does fermenting cider develop a foamy head like beer?

[Walker]

I'd like to try making some cider, but (a) I don't want 5 gallons of it and (b) I don't want to buy a small carboy specifically for this.

If possible, I'd like to just take a 1 gallon glass jug of cider, throw the yeast in, and put a rubber stopper and airlock on it.

However, since I've never made hard cider, I have no idea if it's going to develop a foamy head on it like beer does when it ferments, and I'd hate to blow the top and spray apple juice all over the place.

-walker

 

[Walker]

looking around on the web, it doesn't APPEAR that I will get foaming, so I think I'll try it as I described above. Somebody shout if I'm headed full force into a messy situation.

-walker

 

[david_42]

I've done gallon jugs just as you have described. A fast ferment & very little foam. It will swell a bit as the sugars convert to alcohol, but if there is an inch or so in the top at the start you should be fine. This is a good way to test various recipes.

 

[Walker]

sweet.. thanks, david.

-walker

 

[God Emporer BillyBrew]

Yeah, I think Cat's Meow has a recipe where all you do is pour out some of the juice add some yeast, cover, wait and enjoy. Ah, simplicity!

 

[Windaria]

Yeah... the cider I have going right now doesn't seem to have any foam or anything, so you should be fine. If you want to be totally safe then grab a glass, pour out about half a cup, then let her rip and plug the bottle, while enjoying the half a cup.

 

[Walker]

well.. this sure was easy. A little too easy.

Buy 1 gallon glass jug of pasteurized, preservative free cider.
Remove cap.
Pour a 4 oz glass and drink.
Put cap back on.
Shake like hell.
Remove cap.
Sprinkle Dry Ale Yeast into jug.
Attach airlock.

Did this at 9pm. It's bubbling already.

I somehow don't feel as satisfied as I do after a full evening brewing a batch of beer.

-walker

 

[Windaria]

Well you could have shaken things up by adding a crushed cinamon stick, two crushed nutmeg chunks, and maybe 1/2 a cup of honey for all that, just to play with the flavor if you REALLY wanted to...

But, back to my aged beer question... it seems like beer is decent without as much aging as you should do for cider and other drinks, so the real trick for this isn't being able to start the jug, it is keeping your grubby paws off of it for a year, or as long as you can.

 

[Walker]

I'm going to add some spices when I put it into the secondary fermenter.

I've got plenty of beer brewing, and the cider is an experiment that won't be tested until summer's hottest point, which should be about 9 or 10 months away.

-walker

 

[Windaria]

Well then there you go, you should have the patience to get past what seems to be the hardest part of the cider making.

I actually started an experiment like yours. Hearing how many people use concentrate juices I figured "what the heck". So I took one of the left over gallon glass jugs last night, from my first cider, and threw in 3 things of concentrated fruit juice (2 craynberry and 1 grape, I wanted blackberry but they didn't have any), some cinamon, some yeast, and a dash of nutmeg, and let her rip. I am so curious to see how it turns out.

 

[mch2smw]

Made my frist cider Sunday. 5 gallons cider in a 5 gallon carboy which left about 4" between the top of the neck and the carboy. Pitched my yeast Sunday night and when I came home Monday from work I had a nice airlock volcano going. It wasn't an "explosive" event, it just poped the cap off my airlock and foam was bubbling out and running down the side of the carboy.

Guess next time, I'll do what I do with beer and use my large blowoff tube in a bucket of water.

I'm new to the forums so, Hi there