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I was thinking of pitching 4 packs to be safe. Not sure how to make starters. Might have to search here for an article on that.

This year I will be using 3 varieties for hard cider: Red Delicious = sweet rich Golden Delicious = Sweet. Rich semi-firm Jonathan = Tart, spicy I've read that you want a mix of Sweet, Sour and tart. I wonder if this group will have enough sour and maybe I should add Tannin at 1/2 tsp...

Im thinking about using a single 55 gallon carboy instead of the many 5 gallon carboys this year. In the past I would add a single packet of dry yeast to each 5 gallon container. This worked fine. If I use the 50 gallon container can I use a single (or 2 or 3) packet for for the whole...

Im getting ready to press 18 bushels of apples. This year chose to sanitize my containers with Star San. One ounce per 5 gallons and dont rinse it says. The problem is foam is still in the containers 24 hours later, albeit the foam is much less. Will this foam contaminate the juice from...

That's a nice pump, but $139 vs. $20 for a cheap fountain pump that will do the job for the brewing hobbyist?

Im wondering about using a $20 fountain pump. They are small. submersible, self priming but not food grade. Surely one could be sanitized prior to the job. Any thoughts?

..or don't just take out a little for consumption. Completely transfer to stainless steel Cornelius kegs or equivalent when aging complete. This also gives an opportunity to force carbonate. Just use the oak barrel for aging. mmmm I can almost taste the bourbon aged flavor of a normally harsh...

Sounds like you've done this before.....I would love to see pictures of the detail.

Anyone think a bourbon barrel could be pressurized just enough to keep oxygen out when full? Just enough to have positive pressure?

Here's another thought with regards to 53 gallon wood bourbon barrels. I wonder if one could be configured with Cornelius keg posts and pressurized to something under 5psi to replace the head space when sampling the keg? Could a full bourbon barrel handle that small amount of pressure? As...

I thought that was some kind of joke... so I looked it up...its for real http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/579/65042

Ive thought about the wood chip idea. Much cheaper than buying a full barrel. I was thinking about aging the cider for several years in the barrel. I would figure age and the bourbon barrel would only enhance flavor over time. I read most people limit the aging to just a few weeks...not sure...

Im seriously considering buying a 53 gallon bourbon barrel and doing this in the fall....I would like to read up on how to properly do this. I'm not finding any "how to" guides on the net, just a lot of forum chatter guessing how. I wish someone could commend some specific reading on the...

Im wondering if there could be any flavor advantage to aging cider (applewine) in a Bourbon barrel? Any thoughts?

I never used any additives. In years past, the champaign yeast appeared to have over whelmed the wilds and with all the sugar, I got a high alcohol content. I feel an infection of some kind is likely.

I didn't know there were different kinds of juice. I try to get at least 3 varieties of apples from a local orchard. This year I did have it pressed at a local Amish press, which didnt look as sanitary as what I used in years past. Bacterial or wide yeasts could have been picked up there.

so, yeast or bacteria contamination is more likely rather than O2. I will try a little back sweetening.

This is my forth year making hard cider or what I think is really apple wine because I add sugar. This year I used Nottingham yeast instead of Red Star Champagne and about 2 lbs sugar per 5 gallons instead of the usual 5 lbs. Fermentation has really been slow by design hence the reason I...

My juice is at 1.000 SG. I added 2 tsp Potassium Sorbate Stabilizer to a 5 gallon container to stop the fermentation......It got very cloudy. I never used this stuff before....did I do it right? Do I need to wait to let the cloud settle for a day or so?

Maybe your right, just not finished....I need more patience......those slow containers are bubbling better at this hour. Tomorrow might be a different story