Not Sure If I'm Doing it Right 2nd Time Around

[samrunner]

Hi folks, first time brewer here. I went to a supply place and got a 5 gal glass jug and 1 gal glass jug both with stoppers and "S" air locks. First batch I did in the 1 gal glass jug with I gal of pasteurized apple cider. I added cider to glass jug and then took a little bit of the juice, yeast and approx 1 lb of white sugar and boiled it to melt the sugar and yeast. I know now that was a mistake because it sat for a few weeks and did nothing, so I then added another "live" yeast packet and it took off running. Bubbles oh my! Very bubbly within days and friends of mine were telling me to let it bubble until there were no more bubbles coming out. If I did drink it before the bubbles stopped completely, then I would get bad diarrhea from it. They were right, and I did.
Anyway, I cleaned out the 1 gal and tossed that batch because it was no good. It did give me a buzz though, after about 2 wine glasses worth.
So, I started a new batch, this time from a cider mill. I dropped off both the 5 gal and 1 gal and picked em' up a little later. Nice looking brown cider, not heated or treated in anyway, not even flash pasteurized. Just raw, fresh squeezed apple juice. I picked the brain of the guy at the cider mill as to how to make some good hard cider. This is what he told me:

Don't add anything. Just put the stopper and air locks on and forget about them. 6-9 months later, they are ready to drink and will give you a hell of a buzz.
I was happy to hear his method which was pretty low maintenance. He also said to not open them until you're ready to drink otherwise if you expose them to the air you may get the bacteria that makes vinegar and you got a batch of vinegar.
I let them sit for a couple weeks in my basement which is about 10 degrees F cooler than my room upstairs. No action, I guess I was impatient. I brought the small one up to my room and once it got up to room temperature, it took about 2 weeks for it to start bubbling and boy was it bubbling! It has since slowed down significantly and is around 1 bubble per minute. Is it done? What is the possible alcohol percentage? I'm happy with close to 5%. I know I need a hydrometer and I'm gonna get one, but I also don't want to risk opening it and disturbing any processes of conversion.

I have included some photos of the two jugs, both different colors, even though they were exactly the same when I started. In the 5 gal jug, there are what look like chunks of something rising and dropping. What are they? Should I be concerned? Is the batch still good? I have not opened it since I started on January 14th, 2012. Thanks so much for any feedback, Sam

P.S. Should I keep them in the dark in cooler temperatures and just wait 9 months?

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-Thanks, Sam

 

[Daze]

first of all the warning to not open it is ridicules. When making wine and cider you need to get in to it from time to time to take readings and rack it off. Yes there is a slight chance that you can get vinegar bacteria in your brew but as long as you are carful, use sanitized equipment and don't do something dumb like setting the airlock on a dirty counter while messing with the cider and then refitting it to the cider with out cleaning it first, you will be fine 99.9% of the time.

your desired ABV is attainable if you let it ferment out dry. most cider in the raw will produce a hard cider around 5% Depending on the apple verity and their ripeness it may be a little more or a little less but 5% is a good rule of thumb.

As to your pix I am assuming the light yellow one has been exposed to light because you brought it up stares??? light can bleach out the color of wines and ciders that is why it is recommended that you brew in the dark.

Your 5 gallon cider looks like you got by accident what many people try to do on purpose. It looks like you have a keeved cider. Do a search on it and you will find that it is a long process but will result in something special.

It is to bad you threw out the first batch. Cider and wine making take times had you let it ferment out dry you could have back sweetened it and or aged it and it would probably would have transformed it in to something fantastic.

 

[andyhat]

(correct me if I'm wrong someone) If you have Unpasteurized cider fermenting, it's possible that you will also have some wild yeasts in there. Also, if it's in a dark cool location, it will ferment slower, usually resulting in less fusel alcohols (the ones that are responsible for given that heat taste when drinking a strong alcoholic drink). Lack of airlock activity doesn't necessarily mean there is no fermentation. Try to let it ferment in a location that is between 60 and 75 F.

 

[Daze]

you are not wrong at all that is exactly what he is using, wild yeast, to ferment his cider. also the slower fermentation you are talking about is also correct that is why people try to keeve a cider. a lot of times there attempts fail because it takes a specific kind of apples and or additives so he was lucky to get by accident what other try to do on purpose.

 

[samrunner]

I guess I lucked out with the 5 gallon jug. I didn't add anything, but it has lots of chunks in it which I guess means it is keeving. I'm curious, what do I do with it when it's done? How will I know when it's done? What do I need to look for to tell that it's done? I don't want to spoil this batch and would like to do it right the 1st time around. My room is approximately 65-70 degrees all the time. Do I save the chunks when I'm done? Strain them out and save them? What are the chunks? Are they wild yeast by products? Do I keep them moist or air dry them out and save them to add to another batch in the future? How long will they last? Judging by the lighter color of my small 1 gal batch, with approx 45 second intervals between bubbles in the air lock, is it almost ready to drink? I started these batches back in January 14th, 2012. Nothing added, never opened. Thanks so much, Sam

 

[Daze]

the blobs are basically tiny apple solids suspended in something similar to jelly. You don't do anything with them, they are a byproduct and will be thrown out when the cider is done. when the cider clears it will be done (this will take months.) then you rack the clear liquid out from between the lees and the keeving.