Cider not clearing in secondary

[Dhelderman]

Hi all. Please take a look at the picture below. I started with 5 gallons of Louisburg Cider (pasteurized, no preservatives) and some Cider House Select yeast. Started at 1.050 and after two weeks was at 0.096 so I racked to secondary. It's been in secondary as seen below but does not to appear to have cleared much, if at all.

I personally do not care about the clarity, but this is my first batch and that may change over time. Is there any issue with the cider not clearing? Everything has gone fine thus far--SG readings have been fine, the fermenting smelled fantastic and tasted find during my small samples.

I am planning to bottle and bottle carbonate this Saturday but want to make sure this is ok. Does my cider need to be clearer?

Also an aside--can I bottle without a bottling bucket and just auto-siphon into each bottle? Seems like it should work but just clarifying.

You guys are awesome--thanks in advance for your help.

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1426726753.751471.jpg

 

[bernardsmith]

Two quick thoughts - OK three
1. How long has the cider been fermenting? It can take several months for any fruit wine (including cider) to clear.
2. Adding pectic enzymes a few hours before you pitch the yeast helps break down the fruit pectins and of course adding heat to the apple juice can help set pectins which result in even more haze and cloudiness.
3. A wine (or cider) that has CO2 absorbed in the liquid will keep fruit and yeast particulates suspended and those create haze.

You could add Bentonite and that would help clarify the cider and you might use a drill to gently whip the cider to help remove the CO2 or transfer the cider into another sanitized carboy using a vacuum (about 20 inches) - the vacuum will help remove the CO2 (using a carboy as a primary and adding a bung and airlock helps trap much of the CO2 - half the weight of the fermented sugar is converted into alcohol but half is converted into CO2...

 

[Dhelderman]

It spent two weeks in primary and has been in secondary almost two weeks. I guess I'm just making sure there's nothing wrong with bottling this stuff if it's still cloudy. I haven't added anything except the cider, yeast and some honey to bump up the SG a tiny bit.

 

[Yooper]

It spent two weeks in primary and has been in secondary almost two weeks. I guess I'm just making sure there's nothing wrong with bottling this stuff if it's still cloudy. I haven't added anything except the cider, yeast and some honey to bump up the SG a tiny bit.

It's ok to bottle if it's cloudy, but when it does clear it means that the sediment (crud) will be in your bottles.

The carboy shows way too much headspace for a secondary, so I'd bottle ASAP or rack (siphon) to an appropriately sized carboy immediately. You want headspace like this (sort of hard to see, but there are lots of carboys with the proper amount of headspace, except for one where samples were taken):

 

[Dhelderman]

It's ok to bottle if it's cloudy, but when it does clear it means that the sediment (crud) will be in your bottles.



The carboy shows way too much headspace for a secondary, so I'd bottle ASAP or rack (siphon) to an appropriately sized carboy immediately. You want headspace like this (sort of hard to see, but there are lots of carboys with the proper amount of headspace, except for one where samples were taken):

View attachment 264786

Thanks for your help. I am planning to bottle it Saturday, which will make two weeks in secondary. I'll get it bottled this weekend. I am taking a wild guess and assuming too much headspace leads to oxidation?

 

[Dhelderman]

It's ok to bottle if it's cloudy, but when it does clear it means that the sediment (crud) will be in your bottles.



The carboy shows way too much headspace for a secondary, so I'd bottle ASAP or rack (siphon) to an appropriately sized carboy immediately. You want headspace like this (sort of hard to see, but there are lots of carboys with the proper amount of headspace, except for one where samples were taken):

View attachment 264786

Thanks for your help. I am planning to bottle it Saturday, which will make two weeks in secondary. I'll get it bottled this weekend. Or would it be ok to top with more fresh cider to the appropriate level and let it keep clearing? Is this ok even if it's already been in secondary for a couple weeks?

I am taking a wild guess and assuming too much headspace leads to oxidation?

 

[Yooper]

Thanks for your help. I am planning to bottle it Saturday, which will make two weeks in secondary. I'll get it bottled this weekend. I am taking a wild guess and assuming too much headspace leads to oxidation?

Oxidation, yes, and infection due to the headspace as well.

you will rarely see an infection in an appropriately topped up carboy, but they are very common in carboys with lots of headspace.

 

[Dhelderman]

Oxidation, yes, and infection due to the headspace as well.



you will rarely see an infection in an appropriately topped up carboy, but they are very common in carboys with lots of headspace.

Would it be ok to top it off and let it keep clearing? Even though it's been in secondary for a couple weeks already? I know I'll probably kick off some more fermentation--anything wrong with doing this?

 

[Yooper]

Would it be ok to top it off and let it keep clearing? Even though it's been in secondary for a couple weeks already? I know I'll probably kick off some more fermentation--anything wrong with doing this?

No, but once fermentation ends, you'd have to rack to an appropriately sized carboy still. And be where you are right now. More fermentation will delay the finishing, clearing, and bottling.

 

[Dhelderman]

No, but once fermentation ends, you'd have to rack to an appropriately sized carboy still. And be where you are right now. More fermentation will delay the finishing, clearing, and bottling.

Bottling Saturday it is!

 

[WVMJ]

I like Yoopers house, just carboys of cider and no food to clutter things up! WVMJ

It's ok to bottle if it's cloudy, but when it does clear it means that the sediment (crud) will be in your bottles.

The carboy shows way too much headspace for a secondary, so I'd bottle ASAP or rack (siphon) to an appropriately sized carboy immediately. You want headspace like this (sort of hard to see, but there are lots of carboys with the proper amount of headspace, except for one where samples were taken):
View attachment 264786

 

[bernardsmith]

The addition of honey might add to the haze. I know that if you use honey to back sweeten a wine or mead or cider it can become cloudy again from the traces of proteins and pollen and the like in the honey. This is only a month since you pitched the yeast... I agree with Yooper: you do really want the cider to be into the neck of the carboy so there may be about 1 cubic inch of air (maximum) in the carboy with with cider. You should be rather disinterested in making certain you fill the carboy to some imaginary or real line at the 5 gallon mark and only interested in having the smallest of spaces between the bottom of the bung and the top of the cider. Even if you cannot add extra cider to the carboy to keep it absolutely filled you can use inert (and sanitized) glass marbles. The "trick" though is always to make more of the wine (or cider) than you intend to bottle and keep that extra in mason jars or wine bottles and the like either in your fridge (mason jars) or beside your carboys. You can buy drilled bungs designed for wine bottles and the so-called universal bung (it's white plastic or silicone - designed to fit 3, 5 or 6 gallon carboys because of its shape) will fit the mouth of a wine bottle if you invert the bung (can still hold an airlock securely upside down.

 

[Dhelderman]

I'm going to just make sure I get it bottled Saturday.