Maggots

[chickenbob]

Morning everyone, can you help? I had my apple pulp fermenting for 3 weeks in a bucket covered with a towel in a corner of the office (about 20kg) and when i went to press it last night, it is full of fruit fly maggots. Do i throw it out? as i assume it will no longer be drinkable. Or can i carry on. Or can it be used for something else (ie) Cider vineger, Please help

 

[ohiobrewtus]

I'm certainly not well versed in brewing cider, but I'm guessing that you'll want to throw it all away. Very quickly.

 

[Adolphus79]

+1... dump it... better safe than sorry...

 

[Cap'n Jewbeard]

A couple of things to learn from that:

1) You may want to get an actual brew bucket with a lid and an airlock

2) It may have finished fermenting some time before then. Generally, as it ferments, it creates a C02 blanket which will prevent things like fruit flies from getting in. So, either it didn't ferment properly, or it finished and the blanket dissipated. Either way, a lid with an airlock should help the next batch, coupled with checking on it a week or 5 days after you pitch the yeast.

Better luck next time! Go out and get some hard cider from the store and console yourself. :cross:

 

[david_42]

This is one of the reasons that people ferment cider and not the pulp. Cider ferments faster, which kills the eggs. The top of the pulp can dry out enough that the fly eggs can survive on it.

 

[chickenbob]

thanks everyone for the responses, i feel a bit foolish now, and i've wasted all those apples. i think i'll try a batch with juice only next time

 

[flyboy]

Don't feel foolish, my friend. We're all here to help each other out. The only fool is the fool who doesn't ask questions.

 

[placervilledan]

I have never heard of fermenting the pulp. Is there some bennefit to that which would out way the risks?

 

[Yooper]

I have never heard of fermenting the pulp. Is there some bennefit to that which would out way the risks?

Well, I ferment all my wines on the pulp initially. Then after about 3 days, I remove the pulp and keep the juice. When people make wine, they usually press after a few days depending on what they are making. White wines aren't fermented on the skins, but red wines are.

 

[Adolphus79]

Starting fermentation on the pulp generally adds a little more color to the finished product... but you don't want to go too long, I generally only leave it on the pulp for a week or two...