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So I bottled my first batches of cider last night -- 7 single-gallon batches. Since I had AJC on-hand and had done some experimentation previously, I decided to prime with it. I was shooting to add .006 points of SG to each batch, thinking for some reason that that was optimal for bottling in...

Well, I was going to try this, but then practicality got in the way. After mixing up a couple 1 gallon batches (one per the original recipe, the other with clover honey to compare the end product, since I'm new and wanted to see the difference in a direct comparison), I started running into...

Question for you: have you taste-tested at this point before? The reason I ask is because if you're adding more sugar, it goes to reason that in prior batches you probably introduced as much O2 into the must during your staged additions, and I'm sort of wondering if what you're tasting isn't so...

I recently started my first batch of mead with Wyeast 4184, and it took well over a week to show signs of life (and developed a small mold infection that I think I may well have actually nipped early enough that it won't be an issue). Good to hear it turned out well. From what I gather, yeah...

I'm going to do some experiments with this. I figure I'll basically be using a juice base and then raising the sugar content by adding AJC to bring it up to 1.100 or so. I'll probably run a few different experiments, actually, maybe trying a more yeast-friendly 1.060 - 1.070 and then doing...

Just a few things to note. The small bubbles I originally saw didn't actually look like bubbles, aside from their round shape. They were small enough that the surface funk was completely opaque, making them look like little white colonies of something. It was very, very easy to mistake them as...

So after trying AO's "Iceman", I learned about ice ciders. Seems like a neat concept, and since I've got kind of a crummy sense of smell (and thus taste), I like the idea of a more flavorful cider. While I'm not averse to concentrating manually, I do have to wonder if there's a good reason not...

Just an update to this. What I'd originally assumed to be an infection was just the yeast very, very slowly ramping up. I don't know exactly why it found the must somewhat inhospitable, but it took about 2 weeks to show real signs of life. The white spots that I assumed were colonies of...

Just an update: I went to check on it earlier as planned and take a few readings -- and found the airlock ticking along. Pulled the T-shirt I had on it off, and lo and behold the "infection" had turned into something much like the krausen/yeast rafts I've seen on cider so far, although there's...

If there's that much crud and gunk in there, I've got to wonder if yeast is going to be able to out-compete it. Plus there's the issue of the Turkey Day Weekend here in the states -- I'm not even sure I can get more yeast until Monday, as I don't really have much on hand aside from a few...

It's not so much that that's actually black, it's just backlit in that photo and it gives you an idea of its thickness. If it weren't for the strange dangling masses and specks of white/off color, complete lack of any airlock movement, and the lack of SG movement, I might be able to convince...

I guess the real question here is will sulphite actually do the job. It stuns (but doesn't actually kill) yeast, right? So what about whatever bacteria/mold this might be? That's why I'm considering pastuerizing/boiling the lot, to make good and sure it's free of whatever already has a hold in...

My other thread isn't getting a whole lot of traffic, probably because the latest issue is buried under my initial fears, and I suspect this is a time-sensitive matter that I've let go about as long as I can afford, so hopefully this one will do better. If it's bad form to split a thread like...

Well, if I were you I'd switch from water to vodka in the airlock -- I'm wishing I'd done it sooner, as I suspect that if this is an infection, that may've been the source of it (or something in the honey itself, which from what people have said seems like it'd be an unlucky break). I think...

Yep -- pretty sure it's an infection now. The floating stuff has developed tendril-like masses that hang beneath the pellicle. So the real question here is how to salvage it, if it doesn't taste horrible. Siphon out most of what I can, try to heat the entire batch to the lowest temp I can...

My first mead. A slow fermentation (not enough to push a single bubble through the airlock that I've seen, and it's even sucked the water back in during weather shifts). I thought maybe it was just a slow and steady fermentation, but it's only dropped 1-2 points of SG in the last 4-5 days. Took...

Well, 6 days later, and the SG is 1.086/87 with no action taken since the last post, save for covering the carboy with a couple old black T-shirts to keep light out. Since I was checking my cider, I figured I'd go ahead and take another reading on the mead. Took the T-shirts off, and found this...

So, day 5 rolled around, with a whole lot of nothing. Went to the local brew store, picked up some nutrients and assorted odds and ends I needed. Came back, sanitized everything, popped the top... ...and the SG was 1.088, pH 3.6-ish. A whole .012 in 5 days. I'm thinking that might be a bit...

I'd completely forgotten about that possibility for a pressure differential. Sure enough, the clouds are breaking up and the sky is becoming visible after a few days of rain, so I'm betting that a high front probably is rolling through. So I guess the question I'm left with is should I really...

My big concern is that it's sucking air -- that leads me to think that something is a bit off in there. If it simply weren't bubbling, I wouldn't be too worried, but with the temp being stable for 2 days, the sudden partial vacuum has me wondering what the heck would cause it, and I can't think...