Beginner hoping for a painless first try.

[frascati]

For this batch I'm going really old school (who am i kidding? really 'ultra cheap' is more honest) and using Ball Mason Jars already at hand. Got a dozen quart sized mason jars in the cedar chests downstairs. These can only enhance the appearance of having gone "basement alcoholic" to my friends. Just have to go get some new rubber sealing rings for them. Sterilize everything rack/siphon into them, and add a dollop of apple juice concentrate before sealing to get a little fizz going.

Of all the instructions I've come across for bottle carbonation none have been specific on where to actually DO this phase.... same place that fermentation took place or in the refridgerator?

 

[Hell_Fish]

Wouldn't reusing plastic soda bottles work better that screw top glass or mason jars?

 

[dinnerstick]

not the fridge, yeast need room temp

 

[jcobbs]

There was a recent discussion on another thread about using mason jars. Basically they are designed to hold against vacuum, not pressure. So they should work well for still cider, but you might want to reconsider adding any carbonation. Plus unless they are the really antique jars, like the blue glass type, they are very thin for the amount of surface area. So you could end up with either (a) flat cider because the seals wouldn't hold the pressure; or (b) cider bombs.

But for still cider I like the jar idea. I've thought about getting some of the pint sized ones that come with mug handles already on them

 

[frascati]

Hmm, good thoughts. I do want to try for a bit of carbonation so maybe the resealable plastic liters, like the faygo sparkling water bottles, would be a good idea. I like the Faygo sparkling waters, so I must be immune to any plastic taste that might result (smile).

I'm already cheating and siphoning off a couple of cups at a time and backsweetening with apple concentrate. Yummy actually. I got a 10 dollar 750ml bottle of the 'good stuff' brewed at a local cider mill. I like mine just as much to be honest. Mine might be just a tiny bit more 'sour' but that's it. This is encouraging. With the next batch, later this fall, I'm sure to go with high(er) quality genuine cider and a little more knowhow.

Thanks for all the help and comments. I'll weigh back in here when I pop open the lightly carbonated experiment in a month or so.

Does a good "dollop" like a heaping tablespoon of frozen apple concentrate sound like a reasonable amount for each liter of cider before resealing? I prefer 'seat of the pants' recipe amounts in most home cooking since there are always so many variables involved.

 

[frascati]

Well, It stopped fermenting completely, I let it set and clear for a week, then racked it into 10 sterilized I liter Faygo plastic sparkling water bottles. In July it's very easy to empty those in a hurry.

I put approx 2 fluid oz of pure apple concentrate in each bottle, tightly capped and placed in the corner of the basement near a drain in case of catastrophe. It's about 70 degrees. Next day there are no bubbles forming whatsoever and no stiffness in the plastic bottles indicating pressure. Did I use too little apple concentrate (it's almost pure sugar)? Or was apple concentrate a bad idea?

I left the tenth bottle without any added sugar/concentrate as a 'control' and placed it alongside the others. I'll wait a week or two and open one, and then the control, to see if anything at all took place in the way of carbonation. But it's not looking fruitfull so far.

There were a few liters left in the carboy above the sediment so I siphoned off two of them, used them to reconstitute frozen orange juice swapping the cider for three cups of water per each orange juice and had friends over for a b'b'q. DIY "Summer Shandy" for all. Really, and truly, amazing results for such a seat of the pants first effort.

Just hope my 10 liters in the basement don't end up vinegar.

 

[RobWalker]

Apple concentrate isn't a bad idea for priming, just make sure you catch them once they're successfully carbed because it's quite a lot - any longer, and they'll start exploding!

As for no carbonation yet - it takes about a week, so chill! When they're stiff, put them in the fridge and they're ready to drink. Your cider will only turn into vinegar if exposed to air and bacteria, so if they're airtight, you'll probably be okay. If you havn't added any preservative, try to drink them once they're open. I didn't add any preservative to my first batch of wine, and it only tasted vinegary once I'd drunk half a bottle and left it in the fridge for a few days.

Did you sanitize the bottles before you racked the cider into them?

 

[frascati]

Couple of days and the bottles are pretty stiff. No bubbling at all visible unless I shake them. Would have expected to see a little activity on the surface like when they were in primary fermentation.

I sanitized the plastic bottles the same as the carboy at the beginning. Used household hydrogen peroxide well swished with the caps closed and then 99.99 percent of it shaken out.

Next time I"m in Holland, MI, I'll stop by the brew supply and get some star-san.

Any other tips on judging completion? Started Friday. Open one this coming Friday and see what I see?