Could someone point me in the right direction?

[JTMc]

I've watched a few youtube videos on hard ciders and the quick and dirty versions (100% Apple Juice, Sugar, Yeast). I'm just wondering where I might ask questions on this subject to those who have came before me without posting in the wrong forum? Thanks.

JT

 

[bmd2k1]

Right here [emoji106]

Fire away.....

 

[JTMc]

I plan to eventually get into all-grain beer brewing; that being said it's a long ways and a lot of learning away. In the mean time I wanted to try to do 'something'. While watching some of the YouTube videos I stumbled across a few hard cider videos where the 'host' purchased 100% non pasturized apple juice, combined it with sugar and yeast and started fermenting. I have gone that far and as it bubbles away in my closet, I am a little confused as to how long I wait while its in the carboy before bottling. Initially I had read approximately 2 weeks in the carboy and 2 weeks in the bottles (half a tsp sugar added for carbination). Any help and insight on how long I should wait? In the terms of it being good, I would say the ingredients were pretty cheap and I more or less wanted to see how it turned out.

 

[tellyho]

I'd give it 3 weeks in the carboy just to be sure, then 2 weeks in bottles

 

[madscientist451]

How long to wait before drinking cider depends on many factors, including what kind of apples you started with, how much sugar was added, what yeast was used and what the fermentation temperature was. Add to that the fact that everyone has different taste preferences and so what I might like may not be suitable at all to you. When the cider stops fermenting, leave is alone for a week or two and then taste it. If it tastes good to you, go ahead and drink it.
If it has a "hot"or strong alcoholic note, you may want to let it age a while.
Cider doesn't need to be carbonated, you can drink it as it is.
Beer can be ready to drink in 10 days, but cider generally takes longer.

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

just like cooking, it does not hurt to taste test as you go. Once fermentation is finished 10-14 days, you can taste it. If it is harsh, let it age. If it is OK, drink it as is.

I think I drank my first few batches of cider straight out of the fermenting jug. Cider is very forgiving, unlike beer. You almost have to try to completely screw it up and make something undrinkable.

Several of my ciders were not great, but they tasted pretty good after the first glass

 

[bernardsmith]

Hiya JTMc - and welcome. I guess I dismiss 95% of all self published vidoes on the internet as garbage. How long should you wait when you make a cider? How long does it take a child to become an adult? The aswer is , it depends. And with cider making (a living process) you need to use an hydrometer to determine when the yeast have finished working. Temperature, the amount of sugar, the size of the viable yeast colony, the volume of the liquid, the pH all impact the time it takes. An hydrometer is what you use to monitor the action of the yeast. It can take 1 week, or a month, or longer: and the lower the temperature the longer it takes but the better the finished cider...