Recent content by crabbyapple

I make a few batches of this stuff every year. 80% of the time I get strings/globs. I was worried about it at first, but I pasteurized, and a few weeks in the fridge dropped everything to the bottom. I don't worry about it any more.

In the old days, cider was pressed, dumped into barrels, and stored out by the barn over the winter. It froze and melted over and over.

I've tried this in three different dishwashers, all with a "sanitary" or "high temperature" option. One failed to pasteurize the bottles, I put them in the garage and ended up with a sticky mess after two of the bottles burst one night. The second seemed to work ok, but I also kept those in a...

These are great questions, and require a level of expertise that is beyond my own. You will be able to find some answers from the folks on the Cider Talk listserv. Check out http://www.talisman.com/cider/#Digest for more information. Those guys know everything, and questions like yours come up...

I have 10 gallons of orchard pressed cider from this past fall that I fermented out, racked, and stored at about 45 degrees all winter. I'm going to back sweeten and add a "tea" of ginger steeped in canned AJC. I typically bottle condition and pasteurize, but I've never let a batch sit this...

That depends on the Saison yeast that you use. The 3711 that I mentioned in the post above is meant to sit in primary at upper 60s to low 70s. I've used it in must and wort and gotten good saison character. It's the pickier yeasts that really need the temp bump, and even then you can get most of...

I've had decent luck with Saison yeast, which adds some unique flavor profiles. I will say that 3711 has performed the best for me in cider. It will chomp through your must with no issues at mid 60s, no heat required. Some of the more picky strains (I'm looking at you, DuPont) have given me less...

Did not add any canned pumpkin. Wanted to avoid any sources of possible infection this first time around (laugh). I didn't notice it when I bottled, and it seems to be present in all of the bottles.

Hi all, I'm usually a cider guy, and am pretty experienced at that, but I decided to try some beers. Bottled NB's Smashing Pumpkin Ale (Extract) kit two days ago using fizz drops (I know, I know) and when I checked the bottles today, I have some stuff that may be an infection. I'm hoping it's...

Ive had the best luck by simmering mulling spice in a small amount of juice then adding that before bottling. For 5 gallons I use 1/4 cup spice in 2 cups of juice. Bring to low boil then simmer for 20m. I have not had good luck with powdered spices in the brew, nor with oils/extracts.

I guess patience is the winner. 7 days and two pitches, but there's some airlock activity as of this morning (every 5-10s). Never had a batch take this long to start. It was very tart to start, maybe a pH issue. I'll give it a bit and add some nutrient if it smells sulphury.

I'm having the same problem. Pressed three gallons, added 3 campden, tabs, 1/2 lb dextrose (to bring to OG 1055), 48h later aerated and pitched notty. Nothing after 3 days. Added 1 gallon store juice (no preservatives). Nothing after 2 more days. Pitched another notty last night, the time as a...

Is there a recipe for the oat cider?

I appreciate the insight. To be clear, in either infection case, we're not talking about anything dangerous, right? I'm guessing that pasteurizing has taken care of any potential nasties.

I'd be a little nervous heat pasteurizing if you've got gushers and would probably cold crash if it were my batch. As pointed out, the yeast will wake up again if the bottles get warm, so that's a limitation to storage and gifting. If you do decide to try and pasteurize, you might want to use a...