Video of my home made Real apple cider

[Parsnip]

A very amateurish video of me an my missus making cider from our 7 apple trees that I promised to do in a previous thread. Also I have a few questions to ask if anyone manages to watch it.

Video link

http://youtu.be/QBn2D5rCmSU

Another thread I made describing in more detail how I made my first batch, which turned out very good.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f32/first-attempt-274464/

Questions, if anyone can be so kind to answer

Q1.

Why did my yeast "immediately" decide to give up working once I topped my airlock up with water. I mean, It was going like the clappers, spitting water out it was bubbling that hard. Then as soon as I replaced the lost water, boom, it stopped!

Q2.

Why do you need an airlock?

Q3.

What will happen if it has a leak?

Q4. We have a new bung en route. Will removing the cork plug and replacing it harm the process as it will let in oxygen. I will also add more sugar and yeast when I swap the bung as it hasn't been on long, just to get it bubbling again, is this a good idea?

Cheers
Henry.

 

[MindenMan]

Henry,
It is doubtful your yeast stopped when you re-filled your airlock, you may have bumped w/o knowing, and the CO2 pressure goes around it. Airlocks are to keep out O2 and anything that climbs that likes sweets, like mice. CO2 is heavier than O2 so your cider has a gas blanket on it if you do not disturb it.

 

[Parsnip]

Henry,
It is doubtful your yeast stopped when you re-filled your airlock, you may have bumped w/o knowing, and the CO2 pressure goes around it. Airlocks are to keep out O2 and anything that climbs that likes sweets, like mice. CO2 is heavier than O2 so your cider has a gas blanket on it if you do not disturb it.

Hi MindenMan,

Thanks for your reply. Even if I did bump the Demijohn the pressure/bubbles have never come back since. I replaced the bung after adding more yeast mixed with food and sugar. The pressure in the bottle went mental as it did originally, spitting water out of the lock, but died down to a complete stop within an hour. Their is always panic surrounding cider making ( Or any other brew ) because you dont want to lose your batch. But when you have hand chopped and juiced every apple, the pressure is unbearable.....I need to lie down just thinking about it.

 

[MindenMan]

I feel your pain. A week ago, I juiced a bucket of apples and put the juice in a gallon freezer bag. The next thing I know, there is apple juice everyplace. Apparently the bag wasn't zipped properly. It makes like what seems forever, even longer when using a home juicer. When I get 6 or more bags full of fresh juice, I will run a 5 gallon batch to make sparkling bottled cider for SWMBO.
Were the yeast and the sugar completely dissolved? I know this may be kind of a stretch, but it is possible there were nucleation site in the additives Any sort of granulated anything being added after fermentation has started, will cause an instant release of CO2. Think Diet Coke and Mentos. Here is an idea: swirl the jug gently, and then put a small plastic bag secured with a rubber band on the neck of the bottle, and wait. Make sure there is as little amount of air possible left in the bag so signs of fermentation will become obvious.

 

[Parsnip]

Forget whatever I have worried about before, everything was probably fine. I say probably because Ill never know. The airlock stopped bubbling because it was ready and the yeast was dead after a week. It was all dead because I put way too much sugar in initially, 10Kg for 50 litres of real apple juice. I tasted it as I transferred it over to a secondary and it was like drinking a cross between wine and some apple schnaps/spirit hybrid. 1 pint of it and i was well on my way. The taste isn't the best, tasting thick and heavy and the morning after didn't feel like it should, a strange hang over kind of feeling that was...was...different...with a bad lingering after taste.

I bottled it anyways in the hope it will improve over time.

 

[WVMJ]

When you add sugar to a CO2 saturated must it usually goes crazy for a little while, you are lucky you didnt get a valcano. Did you do anything to stablize this before you bottles it? If not I think you next video will be exploding bottles WVMJ

 

[Parsnip]

When you add sugar to a CO2 saturated must it usually goes crazy for a little while, you are lucky you didnt get a valcano. Did you do anything to stablize this before you bottles it? If not I think you next video will be exploding bottles WVMJ

What do you mean by "When you add sugar to a CO2 saturated"?

Initially when I added the sugar and yeast food at the very beginning it did " Volcano" but the 65ltr Demijohn contained it. Any idea what I have made, because its not cider.

 

[phug]

You could call apple wine, or if preferred apple hooch, or apple-kick-your-ass-the-next-morning


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[RachmaelBenApplebaum]

That's definitely enough sugar to make it apple wine, not cider, but I wouldn't fret, just let it age about a year, you'll be surprised.

 

[WVMJ]

When a wine ferments initially it produces a lot of CO2, that CO2 wants to escape but it needs a nucleation site or lower pressure to release. Sugar provides nucleation sites to the bubbles which is why it gets active all of a sudden when you add sugar, its not an instant renewal of fermentation but just the release of gas. WVMJ

 

[Parsnip]

You could call apple wine, or if preferred apple hooch, or apple-kick-your-ass-the-next-morning


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

Your right, after I drank a pint of it I felt like Id been beaten half to death the morning after.

 

[Parsnip]

That's definitely enough sugar to make it apple wine, not cider, but I wouldn't fret, just let it age about a year, you'll be surprised.

True or not this just made me feel a hell of a lot better.

 

[Parsnip]

That's definitely enough sugar to make it apple wine, not cider, but I wouldn't fret, just let it age about a year, you'll be surprised.

1 year later.

I bottled last years disaster in the hope you was right and guess what, you was!!!

Its definitely not cider but a crystal clear smooth, creamy, sweet snaps like drink. Much much better, definitely drinkable, in fact Id compare it to some commercial drinks of this type Ive tried in the past. Lovely.

 

[GatineauBrewer]

Haha! I just love the fact that you returned to provide an update... I was wondering how it would turn out. Really good of you to do that. Thanks dude!

 

[Parsnip]

Its the least I could do after the nice surprise I got due to the advice I received here.

Also, this years batch turned out much much better, Im also trying to let it age and reap the rewards for patience.

Ive been making my own cider for 4 years now, starting from, and all thanks to this forum, so I thought maybe I could give a bit back. Ive gathered all I learnt and hope to share it here on this forum in the near future. Maybe even the most experienced can pick up a few titbits.