rockytop714
Well-Known Member
so I just pitched the yeast on my second try at hard cider, last night. I'd expected to come downstairs this morning to find it bubbling away in the airlock but... no such luck.
for my first batch, I used champagne yeast, but I did a starter with a water, sugar, and honey solution. With that, I got a very strong fermentation. The cider turned out ok, but a little lacking on flavor, which I've already posted about and am attempting to resolve, with this batch. Thank you all very much, again, for the suggestions, there.
At any rate, I felt that that fermentation might have been a little "fast". The cider lost a lot of apple flavor and, in the first few days of fermentation, I was picking up some mild sulpher smells in the airlock.
I wanted to go a little slower with this one. So I did the 24 hr campden soak, added yeast energizer and pectic enzyme, but then I pitched the champagne yeast, dry. it was until I'd already pitched it that I read the package (something I do more than I care to admit - if all else fails, read the instructions, right?) where it said to rehydrate the dry yeast before pitching.
So I don't know if I messed up, or if this is common to champagne yeast. I'm still a beginner brewer but, in the few batches I've made, I'm used to the fermentation starting in the first 5-8 hrs or so. There are no bubbles in the airlock, but there is a layer of foam on the top of the cider and what looks like a layer of lees, already, at the bottom of the carboy... is this evidence of anything?
I have a package of dry ale yeast on deck, if I need to go with "Plan B", but I wanted to get on here, first, and see if this is normal and I should just wait, or if I already screwed something up and might as well dump.
please let me know what you all think, when you get a chance. Thanks!
for my first batch, I used champagne yeast, but I did a starter with a water, sugar, and honey solution. With that, I got a very strong fermentation. The cider turned out ok, but a little lacking on flavor, which I've already posted about and am attempting to resolve, with this batch. Thank you all very much, again, for the suggestions, there.
At any rate, I felt that that fermentation might have been a little "fast". The cider lost a lot of apple flavor and, in the first few days of fermentation, I was picking up some mild sulpher smells in the airlock.
I wanted to go a little slower with this one. So I did the 24 hr campden soak, added yeast energizer and pectic enzyme, but then I pitched the champagne yeast, dry. it was until I'd already pitched it that I read the package (something I do more than I care to admit - if all else fails, read the instructions, right?) where it said to rehydrate the dry yeast before pitching.
So I don't know if I messed up, or if this is common to champagne yeast. I'm still a beginner brewer but, in the few batches I've made, I'm used to the fermentation starting in the first 5-8 hrs or so. There are no bubbles in the airlock, but there is a layer of foam on the top of the cider and what looks like a layer of lees, already, at the bottom of the carboy... is this evidence of anything?
I have a package of dry ale yeast on deck, if I need to go with "Plan B", but I wanted to get on here, first, and see if this is normal and I should just wait, or if I already screwed something up and might as well dump.
please let me know what you all think, when you get a chance. Thanks!