New to cider making - have I done it wrong?

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
A

adburns

New Member
Joined
Nov 2, 2016
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Hi,

As the title suggest, I'm new to home brew cider making and I'm wondering if I have done it wrong!

After pressing the apples I added some campden powder to kill any bad yeast I then added some cider yeast about 36 hours later.

I then sealed the fermentation tub and the cider has been fermenting (I hope) for around 10 days. It has quite a strong egg smell coming from it, although I read this can be normal?

My main concerns are that there doesn't seem to be any bubbles coming from the airlock. I didn't add any sugar at the start and i'm wondering if this is the problem. Should I have done this?

Hopefully I haven't completely ruined it :(

Any help would be gratefully received.

Thanks
 
adburns said:
Hi,

It has quite a strong egg smell coming from it and I didn't add any sugar at the start

Thanks
Click to expand...

These two statements worry me I have expereince in wine making although not much lol but a fowl smell like that could spell contamination and no sugar will result in low alchol, what yeast did you use
 
I'm afraid I didn't keep the packet. It was from a local home brew shop. I could probably find out.

Would it be too late to add the sugar now?
 
what was your starting gravity? I just started a cider that was at 1.052 so I did not add any sugar because I didn't want it any stronger. yeast type would help, many types of yeast produce a sulfur smell that will dissipate as the fermentation process completes.
 
Search for "rhino farts" on this site. That is what you are experiencing. It is normal for the yeast to give off sulfur if it is stressed.

Some people will say that you should add yeast nutrient to prevent the rhino farts.

Some people routinely make excellent cider without added nutrients. It all depends on your preference.

Cider requires a lot more patience than does beer making. If you give it plenty of time in primary fermentation (one or two months), then rack it off the lees and transfer to an aging vessel (preferably glass) with little to no headspace for oxygen, then the sulfur smell will go away.

I would not add sugar. Typically apple must is around 1.045 - 1.05 gravity. This will yield 6% to 7% ABV, which in my opinion is not low for cider.

Patience. Apple must and yeast.... it's a recipe that has worked for centuries.
 
Not seeing action from the airlock does not mean the juice isn't fermenting. You could have a leak. The sulfur smell is likely an indication that it is. You can make cider without adding sugar, it will just be lower in alcohol, but it will still be cider. Actually our moderator Yooper, reccomends doing that for your first batch. It can take a long time to finish, clear, and be good to drink. Have patience and give it time. You got your yeast from a LHBS I'm supposing it is a proper yeast for your cider not bread yeast as one person has suggested.
 
bucketnative said:
Search for "rhino farts" on this site. That is what you are experiencing. It is normal for the yeast to give off sulfur if it is stressed.

Some people will say that you should add yeast nutrient to prevent the rhino farts.

Some people routinely make excellent cider without added nutrients. It all depends on your preference.

Cider requires a lot more patience than does beer making. If you give it plenty of time in primary fermentation (one or two months), then rack it off the lees and transfer to an aging vessel (preferably glass) with little to no headspace for oxygen, then the sulfur smell will go away.

I would not add sugar. Typically apple must is around 1.045 - 1.05 gravity. This will yield 6% to 7% ABV, which in my opinion is not low for cider.

Patience. Apple must and yeast.... it's a recipe that has worked for centuries.
Click to expand...

+1 million. I couldn't have said this better myself.
 
Thanks for the replies. I guess i will give it more time.

One thing I was wondering about - i noticed that there is a 1 1/2 - 2 inch layer of sediment at the bottom of the fermentation tub, is that anything to worry about?

Thanks
 
adburns said:
Thanks for the replies. I guess i will give it more time.

One thing I was wondering about - i noticed that there is a 1 1/2 - 2 inch layer of sediment at the bottom of the fermentation tub, is that anything to worry about?

Thanks
Click to expand...
That would be the lees and any pulp that has settled out during the fermentation. Perfectly normal.
 

Similar threads

S
Questions on Acidity in Cider
Replies
2
Views
243
Raptor99
Raptor99
A
What to do when no wine/cider yeast available and must won't take
Replies
5
Views
299
JAReeves
JAReeves
C
First hard cider questions and concerns
Replies
4
Views
712
Graham H
G
E
Very stuck brew
Replies
2
Views
345
elkdictation
E
C
What is this on my cider? Pellicle?
Replies
6
Views
400
Johnny2
J
BrewSwag 300

Latest posts

Back
Top