Recent content by Dragonmead

Absolutely put an air lock on it. Keep it cool.

That's not necessarily true. Some ciders have been found to last decades. Not that they should be kept that long. Yet after fermentation, conditioning, clearing, and stabilizing, your cider should be able to last at least a year. Make a demi john or so, bottle it, then allocate some, maybe...

I carbonate with a carbonation stone, under pressure in a sealed stainless steel vessel. It's a great investment. But for the homebrewer it may be too pricey. I wouldn't put money on bottling post clearing (depending on the yeast strain). But if I were to condition and clear before bottling...

It's most likely ruined. Many people suggest a series of complicated steps. The worst of which is the addition of copper sulfate (it's poisonous over 5 PPM (parts per million)). There's a much simpler, patient course of action for stinky cider. Firstly, add DAP or Diammonium Phosphate...

All Sorbate does is coat the yeast cell and prevent cell reproduction from occurring. A simple fix is to add a fair number of yeast cells from a starter. Sorbate doesn't stop fermentation, it inhibits reproduction. And don't forget to keep a nose out for sulfur aromas. If it smells sulfury...

Cider has a tendency to produce sulfur compounds. When making cider you need to pull out all the tricks. First, add nutrients (Diammonium phosphate) before any sign of fermentation. Second, whenever it gets a little stinky add more nutrient. Third, if you messed up and didn't provide proper...