carbonate or not?
- Thread starter bdupree
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Having done 50-50 carbed and uncarbed, I have found that most of friends and myself prefer it carbed. It is like "apple champagne." This years batch I carbed the entire 5 gallons. I give a bunch as gifts for x-mas. If this is your first batch, I suggest you reserve at least 1 gallon to bottle as still and see what you and your friends prefer after about 6 months when it is all mellowed. Most folks wouldn't touch either the still or carbed til it was between 6 months and a year old.
Edcculus
Well-Known Member
I prefer it carbonated, but not extremely high. I aim for ~1.5-2 volumes.
I carb it high, and go for the 5 ounces of priming surgar.
BlackAle1
Member
6 months in bottles or 6 months in primary? This is a question that has come up a lot for me personally as I read your comments here and on the beginner's forum... I know that we are supposed to wait for flavors to mellow an clean, but the timeline at each stage escapes me.
If it is 6 months in bottles is it 6 months in bottles cold in a fridge or 6 months in bottles room temp? If it is cold when do you move from room temp to cold?
If it is primary, really?? 6 months on primary seems scary to me.
If it is 6 months in bottles is it 6 months in bottles cold in a fridge or 6 months in bottles room temp? If it is cold when do you move from room temp to cold?
If it is primary, really?? 6 months on primary seems scary to me.
Well cider is more like a wine that a beer, and ciders, meads, and thinks like that take time. Most folks hated it young. It wasn't pleasant at all and hotly alcoholic. But after 6 months in primary it was much smoother.
It may be scary to you, but that's just the facts, things need time to mellow. Heck it may take a month or two to even reach terminal gravity. We're not making koolaid here, we're dealing with living micro organisms, we're not in charge, they are. And if you want to make something great, you let them do the job. And if they need 6 months to make things nice and tasty, then you should put your fear and more likely your impatience aside.
You won't be dissapointed. The difference between hooch, and something really delicious, is simply time.
To carb and condition you need the yeast in the bottles to be working, and in order to do so they need to be at room temp, in order to work. So you stick them in a closet until they are ready.
It may be scary to you, but that's just the facts, things need time to mellow. Heck it may take a month or two to even reach terminal gravity. We're not making koolaid here, we're dealing with living micro organisms, we're not in charge, they are. And if you want to make something great, you let them do the job. And if they need 6 months to make things nice and tasty, then you should put your fear and more likely your impatience aside.
You won't be dissapointed. The difference between hooch, and something really delicious, is simply time.
To carb and condition you need the yeast in the bottles to be working, and in order to do so they need to be at room temp, in order to work. So you stick them in a closet until they are ready.
BlackAle1
Member
Ok, well that creates a new problem 
I have my main primary fermenter going with a cider.
The cider I made was fairly simple. I bought 5 gallons of pasturized 100% apple juice no perservatives and added 2lbs of corn sugar then pitched Lalvin champagne yeast.
I started it about 4 weeks ago and was planning on letting it go about 2 months. It has dropped from a starting gravity 1.061 to a current gravity of .998 indicating around 8.2% alcohol.
I did taste the sample and it tastes like pure yeast. I do get the alcohol burn that you are talking about, but the overwhelmingly bad taste was almost like I was drinking a watered down yeast sample.
Will the 6 months in primary reduce the yeasty taste or simply calm the burn?
I would like to bottle, but I figure that 6 months at that high alcohol % will kill the yeast, no? In addition the sample I tasted was quite carbonated for a sample straight out of the fermenter. I am concerned about getting bottle bombs by adding more sugar at bottling time or repitching new yeast. The entire fermentation has been at about 75 degrees F due to the heat. (I have a tub/evaporative cooling set-up, but plan on getting a fridge soon)
I know I'm rambling, but any advice you have about any of this would be much appreciated.
I have my main primary fermenter going with a cider. The cider I made was fairly simple. I bought 5 gallons of pasturized 100% apple juice no perservatives and added 2lbs of corn sugar then pitched Lalvin champagne yeast.
I started it about 4 weeks ago and was planning on letting it go about 2 months. It has dropped from a starting gravity 1.061 to a current gravity of .998 indicating around 8.2% alcohol.
I did taste the sample and it tastes like pure yeast. I do get the alcohol burn that you are talking about, but the overwhelmingly bad taste was almost like I was drinking a watered down yeast sample.
Will the 6 months in primary reduce the yeasty taste or simply calm the burn?
I would like to bottle, but I figure that 6 months at that high alcohol % will kill the yeast, no? In addition the sample I tasted was quite carbonated for a sample straight out of the fermenter. I am concerned about getting bottle bombs by adding more sugar at bottling time or repitching new yeast. The entire fermentation has been at about 75 degrees F due to the heat. (I have a tub/evaporative cooling set-up, but plan on getting a fridge soon)
I know I'm rambling, but any advice you have about any of this would be much appreciated.
