Hey folks, it's my first time brewing hard cider, and after reading EdWort's Apfelwein recipe, and perusing other recipes, I made the following two batches, both in 6 gal carboys.
Batch 1: Apple Juice
1.) 5 gallons Mott's apple juice (100% juice from concentrate, with ascorbic acid, pasteurized, but no preservatives)
2.) 2 lbs. dextrose
3.) Nottingham dry ale yeast
Batch 2: Apple Cider
1.) 5 gallons Martinelli's apple cider (100% juice, no additives/preservatives/anything. pasteurized.)
2.) 1.5 lbs light brown sugar
3.) White Labs Hefeweizen liquid yeast (WLP-300)
After 2 days (made batches on Sunday 10/28), the apple juice + dextrose batch is fermenting away. But thus far, there has been zero activity with the cider + brown sugar batch. I purchased the WLP-300 yeast fresh from the local homebrew store, so I assume the yeast should have been fairly healthy (unlike shipped WLP liquids I've ordered from AHS).
Any ideas? They're both in my basement at 66-68F, so I assume the issue must be either bad yeast or difficulty in fermenting brown sugar vs. dextrose. I made absolutely sure to dissolve the sugars in their respective batches, following EdWort's method of dissolving a little sugar in each juice/cider container before adding to the carboy. I know some of you have done brown sugar before, so I assumed that wouldn't be a problem.
I'm really at a loss Any advice would be appreciated!
Batch 1: Apple Juice
1.) 5 gallons Mott's apple juice (100% juice from concentrate, with ascorbic acid, pasteurized, but no preservatives)
2.) 2 lbs. dextrose
3.) Nottingham dry ale yeast
Batch 2: Apple Cider
1.) 5 gallons Martinelli's apple cider (100% juice, no additives/preservatives/anything. pasteurized.)
2.) 1.5 lbs light brown sugar
3.) White Labs Hefeweizen liquid yeast (WLP-300)
After 2 days (made batches on Sunday 10/28), the apple juice + dextrose batch is fermenting away. But thus far, there has been zero activity with the cider + brown sugar batch. I purchased the WLP-300 yeast fresh from the local homebrew store, so I assume the yeast should have been fairly healthy (unlike shipped WLP liquids I've ordered from AHS).
Any ideas? They're both in my basement at 66-68F, so I assume the issue must be either bad yeast or difficulty in fermenting brown sugar vs. dextrose. I made absolutely sure to dissolve the sugars in their respective batches, following EdWort's method of dissolving a little sugar in each juice/cider container before adding to the carboy. I know some of you have done brown sugar before, so I assumed that wouldn't be a problem.
I'm really at a loss Any advice would be appreciated!