Why do you transfer cider to secondary bottle?

[donttread]

Hello all,

I am making my first batch of Edwort's Apfelwein, and I am confused by some differing advice that I am reading. For many cider recipes it says to transfer the cider from the primary fermentor bottle to a secondary bottle after about a week or two. But Edwort's recipe says to just leave the apfelwein in the primary fermenter carboy for the entire 4 month process. Why do some people recommend transfer to a secondary bottle? What is the purpose of transfering?

Thanks,
Fred

 

[Randzor]

Purpose is to get the cider off the lees, as some people are sensitive to that taste. If your storing for less than on month after fermentation, generally you are good to go. If you are waiting longer than that then it might be a good idea to move to secondary. Personally I have a more sensitive taste to oxidation so I'd rather go from carboy to bottle.

 

[HopSong]

Hey Fred.. many don't rack to a secondary. I think you will find, like brewing beer, it's an option that some pursue and others think is unnecessarily exposing the product to a source of contamination. I seldom rack beer or cider. Some believe, right or wrong, that keeping the product on the lees for more than a few weeks will cause off flavors due to the yeast trub breaking down. I don't know anyone who has had the autolysis problem in home brewing.. so, it may be an old wives tale that keeps getting promulgated on forums. If said enough times it becomes fact.

Racking, if done well can help develop a cleaner product.. i.e., less chance of disturbing the trub on the bottom of the fermenter and transferring to the bottles. I'm sure most ciders will benefit from at least some aging. I've not aged my ciders for more than 3 months.

The new batch I currently have going, I will be doing some experiments with.. I brewed 2.5 gallons of an apple/cranberry cider. This batch will be racked when complete.. probably after about 20 days in the fermenter.. into a bottling bucket. I'll back sweeten and make other adjustments to taste with a fermentable sugar and a touch of bitter apple extract. I'll probably use a concentrated frozen apple juice combo with something else depending on what it tastes like. Then, part will be racked into bottles to ferment a few days and pasteurized.. the other I will let go totally dry.. or as much as the yeast can/will do.. then bottle. To the latter, I'm going to add thin slices of ginger root for a bit more zip.

Hope that helps.. it's at least one perspective.

 

[mdabbles]

I always rack cider at least once during a two month or so ferment. Never had a problem with oxidation. I have found it produces a clearer product going into the bottle.

Sent from my C5155 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[EpicCider]

In my experience it is best for most ciders to age, but it's best if they don't age long-term on the lees.

I usually transfer from a 6 gallon glass carboy to a 5 gallon, and let it age accordingly.

 

[donttread]

Thank you guys so much for your help. What does it mean to rack the cider?

 

[Randzor]

Rack is simply to move an alcoholic beverage to another container. Alot of people will put the original carboy up on a rack, and the new carboy below. I think this is where the term racking came from...

 

[donttread]

Thanks Randzor!

 

[Randzor]

That is from C.J.Berry... May he rest in peace.