First time....

[Nocturnus]

Looks like this weekend i'm gonna throw my hat in and try to make some hard cider. This will be the first time trying something like this (i've not even attempted to brew beer). I will be doing very simple but getting juice (no preservatives or anything) and yeast. I've not decided on if i'd be adding any sugar yet for this. I do have access to everything I need though a friend of mine who used to brew (carboys, hygrometer, thief, airlock).

I've been looking around this forum and reading what everyone is saying with their attempts and questions. With that said, i'm sure i've read things that i've already forgot. Any tips I should follow?

Thanks.

 

[Mista_Sparkle]

sanitization and patience

Relax, dont worry, have a homebrew (in this case microbrew...)

 

[mordantly]

First time....

did you use protection? er. i mean proper sanitation? that is priority a-1.

 

[Nocturnus]

Heh, I was going to make a ref. like that in my original post, but didn't. I will be getting some form of sanitizer when I hit the local brew shop. I might try a small 1 gallon batch to see how things go before I do anything on a bigger scale.

 

[ds5160]

Patience can't be stressed enough. I did my first batch about 1.5 months ago. I did no gravity readings, so I just stuck the juice in a carboy, added the Lavlin EC-1118 yeast (hydrated according to instructions), and then put it in the basement. I checked the basement every day to see how it was bubbling along. In under a day I had a steady flow, and it stayed that way for about 2 weeks. I let it set for another week then bottled. We started drinking it right away. After about a week the yeast flavor started to disappear, and now, 4 weeks after bottling, it's good. Too bad I'm out. I just bottled my second batch using a different yeast.

Hard to wait when I have a limited supply of bottles, and 2 batches that need to be bottled. I'm not a beer drinker, so I can't save those bottles. I need to talk to my neighbor and see if they have collected more for me.

 

[Nocturnus]

Bad thing is, I can get impatient at times. But I do have bottles of other stuff to keep me happy.

My next big question is, whats the best way to go about stopping the yeast for long term storage (ie: something I dont have to keep in the fridge).

 

[f1oored]

If you wait until all the sugar is gone before bottling you wont have to worry about stopping the yeast. If you want to carb your cider, wait for the yeast to finish then add priming sugar before bottling. Now if you want some sugar left in for a sweeter cider you can use K-sorbate to kill the yeast before it finishes or after then back sweeten. If you want sweet cider that is carbonated, you could try bottle pasteurizing. There is a good "how to" on this site but I can't seem to find the link right now.

 

[Nocturnus]

I've been undecided on the whole carbed or not. I'm thinking i'd want a more sweet drink then anything. I'll see if I can find that how-to..

 

[Nocturnus]

Just a update. I am going to try to start a 1 gallon batch tonight to get a feel for it. Is there any special way to add the yeast? I've read about mixing it to add and some that just toss the yeast in.

I was looking at getting some Campden tablets to help kill off bacteria and slow down the wild yeast that might be in the juice or cider I get since i'm going to ferment in the jug it came in.

If doing that, do I need to let it sit before continuing on with the process? Like wait a day after adding the tablets before adding yeast?

Sooo many questions, so much reading... My brain hurts. heh

 

[Mista_Sparkle]

if its pasteurized, you can just pitch the yeast, if not, you might want to boil it or something, but chances are that its pasteurized so its not an issue.

 

[Nocturnus]

I think the juice I got is pasteurized. The yeast I got is wet. I got White Labs English Cider Yeast. I need to figure out how to measure it to get what I need out. I'm only making 1 gallon and the vial is good for 5.

 

[Nocturnus]

This is gonna be interesting. I was adding the liquid yeast and put a taaaaad to much in.. I think I got about 3 gallons worth of yeast in my 1 gallon jug. Is there a way to correct fix this?

 

[johnnyo1977]

that is fine you don't have to worry about the amount of yeast unless you are doing 5+ gallons. since you over pitched it will just add more yeast at the start. The yeast will multiply anyway do to the amount of sugar that is present in the cider.
If there are any wild yeast in the cider they will die off because they can not tolerate high amounts of alochol that will be produced by the yeast that you pitched.

Oh, by ther way if you want to add sugar to your cider try using brown sugar it will add another depth of flavor to your cider.

 

[Nocturnus]

Yeah, I was looking at if I wanted to add sugar. Is there any special time in the process of doing this that is better to add the sugar?

 

[johnnyo1977]

if you want a higher alcohol content then add it the same time you start your cider. if you want to make it sweeter when it is finished you can add splenda before you bottle. there are several topic on back sweetening. here is one that might help https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f25/back-sweeten-sugar-question-100926/

 

[Nocturnus]

Cool deal.. I've already started and wouldn't be able to add anything till tommorow. I do plan on grabbing another gallon and making a 2nd batch starting over the weekend. I'll give that a try then.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Just a update. I am going to try to start a 1 gallon batch tonight to get a feel for it. Is there any special way to add the yeast? I've read about mixing it to add and some that just toss the yeast in.

I was looking at getting some Campden tablets to help kill off bacteria and slow down the wild yeast that might be in the juice or cider I get since i'm going to ferment in the jug it came in.

If doing that, do I need to let it sit before continuing on with the process? Like wait a day after adding the tablets before adding yeast?

Sooo many questions, so much reading... My brain hurts. heh

Just follow the directions on the yeast packet.

If the juice is pasturized, or has ascorbic acid added, you won't need campden tabs.

If & when you do use campden, wait a minimum of 12 hrs (24 is better) before you pitch the yeast.

The whole process is really pretty easy, the hardest part is waiting for it to be done & drinkable. Regards, GF.

EDIT: BTW, don't boil the juice, it will set pectins and you'll end up with VERY cloudy cider.

 

[Nocturnus]

Yeah, didn't use the tablets this time since it was pasturized and didn't boil. This morning it's active as all hell, so I am happy.

I am glad i poured some jiuce out last night, real foamy this AM.

 

[Nocturnus]

So, my cider is going pretty good now. How do you decide when it's time to stop fermentation? I didn't take any readings so this batch is pretty much guesswork. The info I was following to make this let it go for 7-10 days.

 

[flyweed]

do you have a hydrometer? take a reading every day, and if you want a bit sweeter cider..you'll want to stop it around 1.010..or you can just let it go until it starts to clear on its own, and then it'll be dry, like a dry white wine.

Dan

 

[Nocturnus]

Don't think it'll clear. I used unfiltered juice.. I'll be picking up a brew kit Tuesday and that will have everything I need. I'll get a reading then and see where it's at. I can say giving a sniff about the air lock, it does smell alot better then it did a few days ago.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

It will clear in time, I've used unfiltered juice & it cleared just fine, clear enough to read newsprint through. Regards, GF.

 

[Nocturnus]

Donno if it will last that long. Sniffing above the air lock, it's starting to smell nice. On tuesday it will have been going for a week and I am debating if I want to move it to a new (clean and sanitized) jug and let it sit some more.

 

[warispeace]

If you're impatient, the best thing to do is start another batch. That will at least give you something to enjoy while you wait.

 

[Nocturnus]

I'll def be starting another batch, since I want to try a different yeast. I have no issues letting this current one sit longer. I guess I should let it ferment more and wait till the yeast is less active before moving to secondary..

I think i'll be starting a batch of Graff this week..