I found a really simple recipe for cider online so I decided to try it out. For the airlock he said you could use a balloon with a small hole in it, which fell off on the first or second day. Now it is working fine and I can see a bunch of small bubbles being produced from the yeast. Do I need to aerate cider, because I haven't. I've been reading that oxidation is bad, so when it comes to racking it how am I supposed to do it without it being exposed to air... since I followed his balloon instructions? What are the problems with it being exposed to air? Is there a way to make sure I keep the lees out when I rack? What else should I be aware of/look out for when I continue the brewing process? Thanks in advance for any and all help.
cider questions
- Thread starter sleepygo
- Start date
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zoebisch01
Well-Known Member
You should have an airlock on that fermentor if you don't currently. There is no need to oxygenate/aerate the liquid as there is no boiling...pasteurization temps are below boiling I believe and flash pasteurized products are held fairly high for only a short while...so the moral of the story is there is sufficient Oxygen in the liquid to support healthy yeast growth. I am guessing you are using some form of a canned or bottled juice at this time of year so just make sure you keep the airlock on that thing to avoid contamination which can turn your cider into cider vinegar.
As for Oxygen getting into the Cider the airlock will keep both contaminants out and allow the Carbon Dioxide produced to maintain a positive pressure in the fermentation vessel, meaning that O2 has no way of getting into your product. Another way O2 gets in is by penetrating the wall of the vessel, which is why glass carboys or 'approved' vessels like "Better Bottles" are the right choices. That all being said, out of ignorance I fermented my first Cider in one of those water cooler bottles and it is absolutely fine. Would I do it ever again? No. Could I possibly experience long term problems associated with O2 penetration? Maybe. The presence of O2 in your finished product allows for Oxidation to happen. This is the classic staling flavor you get in foods/beverages. O2 is needed by the yeast to establish themselves, but they use it up..after that point you do not want O2 in the beverage.
As far as racking off the lees it is no big deal. Just rack (I am assuming into a secondary?) normally and if some gets in there don't worry. Just try not to get too much it'll settle out, and again settle out when you bottle. You can't always prevent exposure to O2, and what you are really trying to avoid is a slow permeation of O2 into your product, and certainly avoid swishing, splashing, etc...which is probably by far the quickest way to introduce O2.
I would rig something for an airlock ASAP if you don't have one. If you have a supply store you should swing by and get one. You can use the balloon, but fixing an airlock will only cost you a few dollars at the most and is money well spent.
Cheers!
As for Oxygen getting into the Cider the airlock will keep both contaminants out and allow the Carbon Dioxide produced to maintain a positive pressure in the fermentation vessel, meaning that O2 has no way of getting into your product. Another way O2 gets in is by penetrating the wall of the vessel, which is why glass carboys or 'approved' vessels like "Better Bottles" are the right choices. That all being said, out of ignorance I fermented my first Cider in one of those water cooler bottles and it is absolutely fine. Would I do it ever again? No. Could I possibly experience long term problems associated with O2 penetration? Maybe. The presence of O2 in your finished product allows for Oxidation to happen. This is the classic staling flavor you get in foods/beverages. O2 is needed by the yeast to establish themselves, but they use it up..after that point you do not want O2 in the beverage.
As far as racking off the lees it is no big deal. Just rack (I am assuming into a secondary?) normally and if some gets in there don't worry. Just try not to get too much it'll settle out, and again settle out when you bottle. You can't always prevent exposure to O2, and what you are really trying to avoid is a slow permeation of O2 into your product, and certainly avoid swishing, splashing, etc...which is probably by far the quickest way to introduce O2.
I would rig something for an airlock ASAP if you don't have one. If you have a supply store you should swing by and get one. You can use the balloon, but fixing an airlock will only cost you a few dollars at the most and is money well spent.
Cheers!
Alright lets see. I have a glass jug and I am using bottled juice. ^_^ So basically its ok to switch from the balloon to a decent airlock in the middle of fermentation. It's just bad for it to be exposed to O2 for a long/constant period of time. The racking will be to a secondary and I assume the best way is to siphon it into the secondary? Also my cider has started to froth/foam, do I need to do something about this? Is there a way for me to tell if the brew is spoiled or anything that would hint that it is going down a bad path?
zoebisch01
Well-Known Member
sleepygo said:
Yeah the switch will only take a few seconds, and I would recommend sanitizing the airlock before you throw it on and use distilled water, vodka, boiled/cooled water (ie. something sanitary) as your liquid. A siphon is the easiest way to go, use a racking cane with a sludge tip is what you need. If you don't have one (they are inexpensive though) you'll need to keep the siphon off the sediment if possible....it is probably just easiest getting a cane. Don't worry about the froth/foam, this is normal. At this point unless you see funky molds growing in there....don't worry about it at all. You stand to lose nothing by just waiting and seeing how it goes. In the worst case scenario you most likely would end up with Cider Vinegar, which is useful anyhow. But I am guessing you are probably fine as long as you sanitized your fermentor, etc. Only time will tell, so don't worry about it and leave it be once you get that airlock affixed.
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