Waiting for fruit to drop out?

[hausbrauer]

I recently made some cider (only a week ago, on August 2nd). I used 7 liters of apple juice and 3 kilos of nectarines, blended/pureed with a bit of water. Total volume was about 10 liters. I used Breferm top-fermenting (ale) yeast.

Now, it's been a week and I realized that the fruit is mostly floating on the surface. Should I wait for it to drop before bottling, to make sure the yeast has extracted all the sugar from it? Anything I can do to hurry it along?

 

[WayFrae]

I doubt it is finished fermenting after a week but I have only brewed 2 ciders. For me they tend to ferment slowly but that is probably because I haven't used yeast nutrient in them.

 

[Yooper]

You can rack (siphon) off of the fruit into a new vessel anytime. After about a week, the fruit starts to break down and decay. You don't want to leave it on the fruit at that point.

It can sit in a new carboy or jug, until clear and no longer dropping lees (sediment). Then it can be bottled. Hydrometer readings help alot, so you know when it's done. But if it's not clear, it's not done.

 

[WayFrae]

You can rack (siphon) off of the fruit into a new vessel anytime. After about a week, the fruit starts to break down and decay. You don't want to leave it on the fruit at that point.

It can sit in a new carboy or jug, until clear and no longer dropping lees (sediment). Then it can be bottled. Hydrometer readings help alot, so you know when it's done. But if it's not clear, it's not done.

What are the consequences of leaving it on the lees? I might need to get another fermenter to rack the cider off the lees.

 

[bernardsmith]

The fruit may be floating on the surface because of the CO2 being produced by the yeast and released from the cider. If you think (or have evidence ) that the fermentation has completed then degasing the cider will expel all the CO2 and the fruit will sink to the bottom.

 

[Yooper]

What are the consequences of leaving it on the lees? I might need to get another fermenter to rack the cider off the lees.

A yeasty flavor, or some 'burnt rubber' flavors from longer term on the lees. As lees form, some of the yeast cells burst from the pressure and the yeast cells themselves can start to digest themselves (autolyze). A severe case of autolysis has a very fecal odor to it.

 

[hausbrauer]

I couldn't resist, it smelled great so I opened the tap and poured out a bit to enjoy. There was a ton of fruit in the glass, but it tasted great. I think it'll be ready to drink by next weekend.

Now, how do I remove all this pureed fruit without adding a lot of oxygen? Strain it through a mesh sieve?

 

[Yooper]

Now, how do I remove all this pureed fruit without adding a lot of oxygen? Strain it through a mesh sieve?

No. That will ruin it for sure.

Can you find a large fine mesh bag, like a hops bag, and sanitize it, and use it on the 'in' part of your racking cane? It might clog up, but it might not and you can then get rid of the chunks without ruining the wine.

Next time, don't blend/puree your fruit. Chunk it up, freeze it, and bag it in mesh bags (large ones). Then put it in a bucket with your must, and as it thaws, smoosh it up with a big spoon (or clean sanitized baseball bat or whatever) and then after 5 days, lift up the bag of fruit, letting it drip drain back into the bucket, then rack to the carboy. That should save you lots of headaches and make great wine or cider as well.

 

[hausbrauer]

Thanks for the replies, everyone. I think I'll try the mesh bag over the racking cane and if it doesn't work, then I'll just let the trub go through and pour a bit more carefully from the bottle.

Does cold crashing help with clearing fruit in cider like it does with beer?