Question about my first cider.

[eagle23]

I posted last week about Pitching the yeast late. I have pitched on Wednesday, after adding yeast nutrient and oxygen to the juice. By that night there was slight evidence of a krausen, and by the next morning there was about 1 -2 inches of solid krausen on the top of cider.

It has sit around 70 degrees since then. When i went to look at it on Friday morning, it looked like the krausen had grown right up to the top of the fermenter before falling back down.

Now there is a 1/2in layer of white bubbles on top of the cider. It looks more like the head on a beer than krausen from fermenting yeast.

My worry is that its a sign of something else growing in the cider. I haven't opened up fermenter since i pitched the yeast. I am using a big mouth bubbler, which dosnt seem to seal, i have pushed down on the lid a number of times.

My hope is that the bubbles are just part of the fermentation and will fall out when it is done, at which point i am going to check the gravity and rack into secondary. I am going to find a way to purge the oxygen out of the carboy used for secondary. Though i don't really have a way to keep to much cooler than it is.

I am confidant in my sanitation of all the tools that made contact with the cider, and i am at least 80% sure no oxygen has gotten into the carboy. I am fairly sure that there isnt acetobacter growing because there shouldnt be any oxygen in the fermenter but my biggest fear is that there is something else growing in the cider.

Do the bubbles seem like something that is going to be ok, or should i be worried?

 

[popgunandy]

All sounds very normal - I would not worry. It's probably done and you just need to let it settle out.

 

[dmtaylor]

I agree -- don't worry. It's going to come out great. It's easy to make great cider without even trying really.

 

[bernardsmith]

cider ain't beer and during the first stage of fermentation many cider makers (and almost every wine maker ) embraces the presence of oxygen - We aerate a couple of times a day for several reasons - a) because yeast use oxygen to reproduce and repair their cells b) stirring the must removes CO2 whose presence can inhibit fermentation and increase acidity and c) if there is a cap of fruit pushed to the surface by the presence of CO2, stirring (aerating) ensures that this cap is kept wet and so will not be subject to mold.
But cider also will have next to no protein chains and it is the protein in beer that creates the "krausen". The protein traps the CO2 (much like gluten in dough traps the CO2) but fruit juice cannot "trap" the CO2 in quite the same way - so what you are seeing is - I think - the surface tension of the liquid "trapping" the bubbles of CO2 and producing "froth". Bottom line - if your sanitization protocol is adequate then the yeast will pretty much ensure that no other competitor for the sugars in the cider will gain a foothold - and they do this by creating an environment that best suits them and their growth.

 

[ericbw]

Yep, protein makes the krausen (and the head of a beer, while a pint of cider has little to none). If you have a thin layer of foam (and the layer is constantly forming), then you're making cider. It can be fascinating to watch!

 

[eagle23]

Glad to hear that you guys think its ok? Should i start checking the gravity? Or am i better off waiting for a little while down the road?

 

[bucketnative]

Glad to hear that you guys think its ok? Should i start checking the gravity? Or am i better off waiting for a little while down the road?

I'm not sure what your overall plan for this batch of cider is, but cider requires much more patience than does beer. Most people will let primary fermentation go for at least 2-3 weeks, or even longer, prior to moving to a secondary fermentor/carboy to start the aging process.

As far as primary goes, you want to wait until most of the yeast has dropped out of suspension and the cider is nearly clear before moving it to the next stage of the process, whether that is aging or packaging, it's up to you.

Personally, I leave my cider in the primary fermentor for at least 4 weeks prior to moving into secondary to further clear for another 2-4 weeks. Then I bottle (priming sugar if carbonated) condition for at least a month before serving.

I wouldn't bother checking gravity for a while longer, unless your goal is to stop fermentation at a specific gravity that leaves residual sugars. Check on the "Cider for Beginners" sticky in this forum. A lot of good options for your first batch are discussed in the first few pages of that thread.

 

[ericbw]

Wait on that till the bubbles stop at least.