How to Clear Up My First Batch of Hard Cider?

[Fkemp]

Hello! I have just recently started my first batch of hard cider after much research on youtube and brewing communities. I did not have available fresh apples to press and make juice so I ended up going with Treetop Honeycrisp 100% apple juice (the cloudy kind opposed to the clear kind).

At the beginning of the fermentation, I added 1 packet of Safale S-04 yeast, some yeast nutrient, and some pectic enzyme, before closing off my fermentation bucket. I also added a good amount of brown sugar because I wanted my cider to be around 10% abv.

My fermentation started quickly and finished very fast, it was pretty much done within 4 days with around ~1.00 gravity.

After 2 weeks I transitioned the 5 gallons of cider into the secondary fermentation vessel, a glass carboy. It has been only about 3 weeks now in total from the start of primary fermentation and visually my cider looks very similar to the store-bought juice. The haziness has stayed the same from the start and I am worried if it will ever get clear.

My concern lies in that I read somewhere online that if the store-bought juice I bought was heat pasteurized during production then the pectins would set into the juice and stay there. I have no idea if this is actually true or if my juice was produced in this way.

My questions are:
1. Do pectic enzymes take a while to clear cider? Should I add a bit more right now? Would a product like Super Kleer be able to take care of the problem?

2. Does anyone know if there are certain reasons why pectic enzyme would not affect the clarity of my cider?

3. If nothing is actually wrong, how long should I expect to wait before I start seeing my cider clear up a bit? I am aware that it has only been about 3 weeks and cider can take a while, but I just want to be proactive so that I can make my cider clear.

One last thing, I'm pretty sure that the haze is not solely due to the natural yeast haze that is expected with cider since it looks nearly identical to the original store bought juice haze, but also I am a newbie so I'm not really sure.

 

[Rick Stephens]

Didn't used to matter if a quality cider wasn't clear. I bought some of the 'Fresh Pressed' Treetop on sale this week. I don't plan on entering it in a competition, so I am not going to care how hazy it is. I spose a guy could use one of the clay based clarifiers if you wanted, but your cider won't taste different.

Going for a 10% ABV means you probably have to age a while to get rid of the rocket fuel taste. Give it long enough and it will most likely clear all by itself.

Rick

 

[Raptor99]

Time. I bulk age my cider for 4-5 months. It clears up long before that is time is up. As @Rick Stephens said, a higher ABV means you need to age it longer. For my ciders, I aim at about 6% ABV. In my opinion, any thing above 12% ABV is apple wine, not hard cider.

 

[CKuhns]

Best way to answer this is the following:
Haze is most often from Pectin, Neutrally charged particle, Positively charged particles or Neutral particles suspended in your cider.
1. Pectin Enzymes will clear pectin haze
2. KC Super Kleer will clear both positively charged and negatively charged particles suspended in your cider.
3. Time and Cold crashing (Refrigerator temps) will help neutrally charged particles it also will allow some dropping out of all of the above. (Albiet less with the pectin)

My questions are:
1. Do pectic enzymes take a while to clear cider?
Pectin if causing haze will not clear without adding additional Pectin Enzymes or a very long time.
Should I add a bit more right now?
I would if you want it clear.
Would a product like Super Kleer be able to take care of the problem?
Maybe but not well if its only related to pectin haze.

2. Does anyone know if there are certain reasons why pectic enzyme would not affect the clarity of my cider?
Yes - As mentioned above there are typically 4 things that often cause haze in your cider. Pectin is only one of them.

3. If nothing is actually wrong, how long should I expect to wait before I start seeing my cider clear up a bit? I am aware that it has only been about 3 weeks and cider can take a while, but I just want to be proactive so that I can make my cider clear.
I would suggest nothing is actually wrong - you don't have to clear your cider. With no additional chemical or enzymatic additions like mentioned above then it should to start to clear in a few weeks after fermentation is complete. Although could take months to be perfectly or as perfectly as we can evaluate clear.

One last thing, I'm pretty sure that the haze is not solely due to the natural yeast haze that is expected with cider since it looks nearly identical to the original store bought juice haze, but also I am a newbie so I'm not really sure.
That's a little harder - Haze can be caused by a lot of things the most common are yeast, pectin, other suspended particles but much less common are things like an infection or too much or too little acid etc could be the case as well...

 

[thebigbrewbowski]

Just finished a batch up and its crystal clear. Cold crashed in the freezing garage for 3 days after fermentation had stopped for a couple days. Dont rush it. Let it take its time and it will clear up if you dont agitate it. I set it up to cold crash at the same spot I siphon off into the bucket for priming and bottling so as not to move any sediment.

 

[Shimmy1]

Hello! I have just recently started my first batch of hard cider after much research on youtube and brewing communities. I did not have available fresh apples to press and make juice so I ended up going with Treetop Honeycrisp 100% apple juice (the cloudy kind opposed to the clear kind).

At the beginning of the fermentation, I added 1 packet of Safale S-04 yeast, some yeast nutrient, and some pectic enzyme, before closing off my fermentation bucket. I also added a good amount of brown sugar because I wanted my cider to be around 10% abv.

My fermentation started quickly and finished very fast, it was pretty much done within 4 days with around ~1.00 gravity.

After 2 weeks I transitioned the 5 gallons of cider into the secondary fermentation vessel, a glass carboy. It has been only about 3 weeks now in total from the start of primary fermentation and visually my cider looks very similar to the store-bought juice. The haziness has stayed the same from the start and I am worried if it will ever get clear.

One thing you will have to accept if you want to succeed at cidermaking is the need for PATIENCE. It will clear, and in my experience, you don't want to be drinking it before it does. Oh sure, you *can drink it just fine, but why?? Young cider is usually very yeasty, and dirty tasting. If you like that sort of thing, great, but we've discovered it only gets better until it's clear. Once it's clear, then the next timeline begins, based on what yeast you used. Some are good young, some need a year or more to round out.