Fermentation goes to fast

[Vjuga]

Hello!

So I’ve just started my first 5 liters of cider on the 1th of July.
I put in the yeast (ciderini dry from Browim) and went on a short holiday.

Because I went away I put the jug in the shed in the garden and I thought it would stay a bit cool in there…

Now I’m back and the shed was pretty warm… the water lock was filled with yeast sediment. I cleaned it out and did a measure with my hydrometer. It’s now 1002!

I’ve read that you should put it in secondary at about 1010… it’s still very active and I see a lot of bubbles coming out of the (now clean) waterlock.

What to do? Just wait until it’s stops bubbling and then move it? Will the taste be ruined by this way to fast fermentation?

Thanks in Advance!
Eva

 

[Dog House Brew]

I’ve never used this yeast, but I’m guessing it could throw esters at high temps. It isn’t finished quite yet. I would move it before it is totally finished. It will scrub some O2 from the transfer. Then let it bulk age or package and cellar. Hope it turns out for you.

 

[Dog House Brew]

Remember that ciders take a year to be great. Don’t get discouraged if you drink it young and it isn’t all that. Build a stock and let them age.

 

[Rish]

What to do?

Welcome to cider making! I never use a secondary fv unless I'm adding fruit or spices to my ciders. I'd leave it where it is until it is clear then move it to your bottling jug and siphon into bottles. If you're carbonating you can add priming sugar to the bottling jug or to each individual bottle. If you're making still cider just bottle and cap. Good luck!

 

[epicarmyman101]

What to do? Just wait until it’s stops bubbling and then move it? Will the taste be ruined by this way to fast fermentation?

Personally, I wouldn't worry about the speed. I've had mead and ciders that fermented so fast they started to volcano out the jug. They tasted fine even with me leaving the airlock open for a day while the yeast went nuts. If you're still getting a lot of bubbles in your airlock at 1.002 SG, I am genuinely impressed with your yeast. Though I imagine it won't last too much longer as you don't have much sugars left in your juice.

I like to rack into secondary when fermentation slows down. I don't wait for an arbitrary SG reading. I come from a hard sciences background and really enjoy precise formulas but I've found that brewing and fermenting is much more art than science. Too many uncontrollable variables in a home brewing environment. Or at least in my home brewing environment.

 

[giuzep89]

I've been making cider mostly with Safcider AC-4 lately. Sometimes it ferments juice with an O.G. of 1.050/52 in 3 days, especially now it's summer (if you can call summer in the Netherlands "summer"...). But I just let it sit 1-2 months in secondary after racking it, and I bottle it when it's clear. It always tastes awesome.

I don't like putting it secondary before it's finished. I think it serves absolutely no purpose. It "might" leave SLIGHTLY more sweetness behind, but then you have too much yeast at the bottom of the carboy, and it's not a good idea to leave it very long with the liquid. I like my cider to be nearly clean in secondary.

I think that slow fermentation leading ALWAYS to better flavor is a gross generalization. If you let the cider take some time before drinking it it's gonna taste good whether you fermented it 3 days or 3 months. I found that after at least a month the cider already tastes pretty damn good anyway!

 

[giuzep89]

(oops, double post, sorry!)