bucket trouble...beginners mistake?

[zcaad9]

hey all, ive been lurking the forums for a while now, but now i actually have a question.

me and my friend have a ten gallon batch of beer in fermenters now.

I decided to make some hard cider. I only wanted to make a few gallons so I got a smaller (5 gallon) bucket from tracker supply. Its food grade quality so i thought it would work. Drilled a hole in the top for an airlock, cleaned and sanitized it. But it has been about 6 hours since i put in the yeast and the airlock hasnt bubbled at all. And actually there is some cider drips on the side of the bucket. The lid doesnt seem to fit air tight, all the gas is just seeping out the lid.


Is my cider ruined for good, is there anything i can do to save it?

or is the leak not terribly bad?

thanks

 

[malkore]

the leak doesn't matter. people fermented in open clay pots for hundreds of years.

many homebrew bucket lids don't seal well enough either.
its fine.

 

[Legin]

Yup. The lid works well enough by keeping stuff from falling in.
Also, it could take much longer than 6 hours before you even begin to see activity. Let it do its thing.

 

[MRT888]

If there is CO2 being produced, youre fermenting and you should have a decent cushion to prevent oxidation, although that isnt even as important with cider. As long as its not wide open to contamintes you'll be fine. Just makes it harder to gauge when fermentation is done and less fun to watch

 

[zcaad9]

ok good, thanks for the quick reply. That beer we did a couple days only took like 4 hours to start. I just thought all that extra sugar in the cider would make it even faster...either way, hopefully its all good when it comes time to drink

 

[BrewMoreBeers]

It may be counterintuitive, but big drinks can take longer to start fermenting. I have an ale with a 1.07 og that took two days to make the first bubble (with a two litter stater). Left it in primary for three weeks and just kegged it tonight.

 

[akthor]

My apfelwein usually take 12 or more hours to get bubbling. Make sure the end of you airlock is not sitting in the cider if it is that close to the top. You might need to make a blowoff valve.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/didnt-leave-enough-headspace-what-do-195379/

 

[pwndabear]

LURK MOAR

you'll be fine. if that bucket lid does not work, you can always buy a new one. keep an eye on it and go check out the cider forum here on HBT to get a better understanding of the cider making process. Enjoy your cider!