how long do you ferment?

[new2brew1221]

so, i am thinking of making a cider for the fall. i have seen the recipes using pure apple juice, and am thinking of going that route. my questions are, what temp do you ferment at, and how long do you leave it in the primary/secondary? i am currently doing beer and transferring from primary to keg after 3 + weeks, no secondary. i would like to do a batch of cider so that it would be ready in the fall.

 

[BadgerBrigade]

so, i am thinking of making a cider for the fall. i have seen the recipes using pure apple juice, and am thinking of going that route. my questions are, what temp do you ferment at, and how long do you leave it in the primary/secondary? i am currently doing beer and transferring from primary to keg after 3 + weeks, no secondary. i would like to do a batch of cider so that it would be ready in the fall.

I'm no expert but I would try to stay in the low 60s Information for three weeks to a month In primary then transferred to secondary for another two or three months MINIMUM... Again, I'm no expert and everybody will have different opinions but that's my method....

Good luck and when it's completely finished let me know how it came out

 

[saramc]

You need to look at the temp range for your chosen yeast, then realize the higher the potential ACV the longer amount of time you will need to age. Most ferments, whether a 6% cider or a 12% wine, will ferment to their natural FG within 2-3 weeks, usually utilizing 75% of fermentables within 5-8 days. All depending on many variables, but if you choose the cooler side of temp range the anticipated time to reach FG can be much longer...but low and slow can yield some great fruit flavor. Then, allow a 6-7% cider to bulk age for 4-6 months and you are usually happy, a 10-12% wine needs 6-12 months bulk aging, leaning toward long term. But it all boils down to drink it when you want to.
As far as how long in primary before transferring to a secondary container...I typically do an aerobic ferment until OG drops by 2/3, or 10 days-whichever comes first, then transfer to secondary carboy and apply airlock, check SG in a month, rack if at FG (or check weekly) & proceed with serial racking every 60 days, as needed/if needed, to ensure clearing.
** this is for an all liquid must**

 

[UncaMarc]

I can make a delicious cider from start to bottle in three weeks. I tried a longer period with fresh juice in four different recipes last fall, all of them fail miserably compared to the faster method.

 

[tokerlund]

It depends, like others have said, on temp and AVB. I just brewed up 7 different gallon batches with 7 different yeast strains. Notty, SO4, Montrachet, Cote De Bois and my personal favorite, WB-06 were all fermented out by 3 weeks. I just bottled them yesterday. As I bottled I drank and all of them were very tasty. But, I used Great Value juice without any added sugar. That left the OG @ 1050 and the FG around 1005 or about 5.5-6.5% AVB. I also fermented at about 72* - 75*, which made the yeast work fast on those sugars. That is normal temp for the wine yeasts, but a bit high for the ale yeasts. All in all, they all came out damn good, in my opinion.

 

[bmd2k1]

@tokerlund do u ever make any flavored ciders? Ie) cinnamon, cherry etc