Brewing Cider

[stuknkrvl]

Hey all,

My neighbor has asked me to make a cider. This is my first try, so I have a few questions.

I'll be using store bought pasteurized cider.

I watched the How to Make Hard Cider episode of Brewing TV, and they recommend a one week primary fermentation followed by roughly two month secondary with fining additions for clarity.

Here's my questions -

In your experience, do you recommend the long secondary or can you get away with a shorter fermentation time frame?

What temp do you hold the cider during fermentation?

I have a small temp controlled chest freezer, so temp control is easy enough, but it only holds one carboy so if I can get away with letting it sit in my closet (around 72F) during the secondary, I'd rather do that so I can keep brewing and not have to wait so long for this batch to be completed.

Lastly, if I were to split the batch and add fruit, how long would you recommend leaving it on the fruit? I was thinking raspberries just for kicks.

Thanks!

 

[gunnuts]

I did mine in the primary for a month.
Then I let it clear for a month in secondary.
I used no fining agent and it is clear as anything I have ever bought.

 

[rlmiller10]

Hey all,

My neighbor has asked me to make a cider. This is my first try, so I have a few questions.

I'll be using store bought pasteurized cider.

I watched the How to Make Hard Cider episode of Brewing TV, and they recommend a one week primary fermentation followed by roughly two month secondary with fining additions for clarity.

Here's my questions -

In your experience, do you recommend the long secondary or can you get away with a shorter fermentation time frame?

What temp do you hold the cider during fermentation?

I have a small temp controlled chest freezer, so temp control is easy enough, but it only holds one carboy so if I can get away with letting it sit in my closet (around 72F) during the secondary, I'd rather do that so I can keep brewing and not have to wait so long for this batch to be completed.

Lastly, if I were to split the batch and add fruit, how long would you recommend leaving it on the fruit? I was thinking raspberries just for kicks.

Thanks!

Time depends on how clear you want it. I give mine about 3 weeks before I do the first racking. I leave it in secondary another week to let things settle down and then cold crash. I usually split the batch at the first racking and put some of it in a smaller carboy and add some pie spices or cinnamon for a couple of weeks before cold crashing it and bottling.

The temp would depend on the yeast you decide to use. But if using an ale yeast, I would recommend you keep it in the 66 to 69 degree range for initial fermentation then, after the first 10 days or so you can set it out and let rise to 72.

One thing I have noticed, and perhaps it is something I am doing incorrectly. But my ciders seem to have more variable fermentation than beer. I started two last weekend and one formed a krausen and was happily bubbling away in 18 hours, the other took 36 and is still slower bubbling. Different mix of apples so that could be driving it. With beer it seems my yeast selection and pitch rate drives the lag time where other factors which I have not pinpointed drive it with cider. So the moral is the primary time for my cider is harder to plan, I sort of play it by what is happening.

 

[dmtaylor]

You can make a good cider fermented fast in the 70s F. However, I think a far superior cider can be made low and slow. I ferment my ciders at about 55-60 F for a couple of months. I use gelatin to knock out the yeast after the first few weeks but other than that I don't add any chemicals or sugars.

For raspberries or something like that, add them right up front if you want. Then they won't take any extra time. Or just wait a week or something, then add, then wait another week. Good enough.

 

[buMbLeB]

I use gelatin to knock out the yeast after the first few weeks but other than that I don't add any chemicals or sugars.

I don't think I've heard of this before - you mean it stops the fermentation process, similar to the way people use sulfites? Please explain.

 

[stuknkrvl]

Gelatin is a clarifying agent. As I understand it, it won't necessarily stop the fermentation but it will drop the yeast out of suspension, thus slowing the process while clarifying the batch. Bottle/keg and enjoy!

Feel free to correct me on this...

 

[dmtaylor]

I don't think I've heard of this before - you mean it stops the fermentation process, similar to the way people use sulfites? Please explain.

Gelatin sticks to the yeast like glue and settles out about 95% of them. Afterwards the fermentation will continue much more slowly and if you do want to stop it altogether then the sulfite and sorbate will become more effective since there is not as much yeast left in there.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

I rack to secondary when primary is slowing down or done, whether it's 2 weeks or a month, doesn't matter, I wait till fermentation slows down considerably, or seems to have stopped; though the best way is to take a hydrometer reading.

I've never used fining agents, never had a reason to. I let time clear cider. Most yeast strains will drop out of suspension on their own when fermentation is fully complete. As for temp, I'd try to keep the temp at the lower end of the recommended temp range, some yeast strains tend to produce fusels & off flavors at higher temps. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule: Some yeast strains (Belgian, for example) are commonly used with higher temps to produce specific, desirable "off" flavors in beer & there are some who use these strains in cider.

My standard is Nottingham ale yeast with a fermentation temp of about 65*F. I primary in a bucket till fermentation slows significantly, about 2 or 3 weeks, but I've left cider in primary for over a month with good results. I secondary in a carbouy (demijohn) under airlock until it's clear enough to read a newspaper through. Then I prime & bottle. Sometimes I'll let it bulk age before bottling, aging can fix a lot of things.
Regards, GF.

 

[madscientist451]

You can make a good cider fermented fast in the 70s F. However, I think a far superior cider can be made low and slow. I ferment my ciders at about 55-60 F for a couple of months. I use gelatin to knock out the yeast after the first few weeks but other than that I don't add any chemicals or sugars.

For raspberries or something like that, add them right up front if you want. Then they won't take any extra time. Or just wait a week or something, then add, then wait another week. Good enough.

I agree with the above. Forget about any timetable for the cider being done.
Let it sit in the secondary and taste it from time to time. If the taste doesn't seem right, let it sit some more. 72F is ok for secondary.
The kind of apples used, the yeast, fermentation temperature,the use of added sugar and your taste preferences are some of the variables that will determine aging requirements.
I added raspberries I obtained early summer to a cider I made last fall.
I didn't get much raspberry flavor but instead got a big slam of tart/sour character. I had to backsweeten to make it drinkable, and sometimes blend in the glass with a mild beer.
If you are new to cider making, make the base cider first and fine tune that before adding any fruit.
If you want raspberry flavor, the best option is adding flavor concentrate at bottling.