first cider problem!

[zmxncbv]

I decided to make my first cider a days ago. I only used store brought apple juice(100%) no preservatives, sugar, vinters harvest sn9 yeast and water.

I had 6 litres apple juice, added 2 litres of water and 1.5kg of sugar. The total sugar inclusive of what was in the juice is 2.1kg and the total volume about 9.5 litres. I calculated with use of an online calc that this would give around 13% alchohol.

I mixed it altogether in a big pot to make sure it was all mixed well thern added the yeast lastly. And then put it into 4 bottles 2x 3 litre and 2x 2 litre and then shook the crap out of them as i didnt have any brewing buckets or anything like that yet.

They were all bubbling similarly for about the first two days but now the small bottles have started bubbling more and the larger bottles are bubbling only very slowly. I just thought this was odd as they are all the same mix.

I dont have a hydrometer or anything like that but is anyone able to help me by either telling me why this is happening or if there is anything weird about it(I think it is weird as they are all the same mix)

They are all in the same cupboard (same temp) and all have a lid on with a pin hole. The bottles that have slowed are filled to a couple inches from the top, the fast bubbling bottles about 3 inches from the top.

Thanks alot.

 

[HopZombie99]

Yeast need oxygen, so maybe that is the issue here. Take the cap off and cover with tin foil instead? I dont think I would cap fermenting bottles of cider. Even if its plastic, I wouldn't want that plastic having to expand to accommodate the pressure caused by fermentation. It could cause some weird flavors.

My advise would be to uncap them all and cover with some other method that keeps things out, but allows air to get in/out if necessary.

 

[zmxncbv]

Ok sounds good, should i shake some oxygen into them? I thought it was bad to let air at them because it could turn it to vinegar?

 

[mysteryshrimp]

After a couple of days there's no telling what that yeast has done. It may be that the bigger bottles are slowing down because they're closer to finishing.

Don't ever worry unless there's no sign of fermentation after 48 hours or there forms a skin on the surface. It's harder to screw up than you'd think. Even if you do screw something up, there's nothing to do about it but wait and see. I've had an infected beer get better as a sour than it was as a saison.

The bucket/carboy helps. There's less chance of something going wrong the less times you move and/or touch it.

 

[mysteryshrimp]

Ok sounds good, should i shake some oxygen into them?

NO! Back away from the cider.

Don't add oxygen after fermentation kicks off. Just wait. It will finish fermenting. If you don't have airlocks or a hydrometer, I'd wait at least 3 weeks to bottle. It should be fine. If it isn't, it should have been.

 

[zmxncbv]

so should i leave the lids with pin holes on them on? or take them off as the other guy said?

 

[zmxncbv]

And do yeast need oxygen? or just to start out the fermentation

 

[mysteryshrimp]

I would loosen the caps to make them not air-tight should the pinholes get clogged.

Yeast do two things. They multiply (by budding) and eat. Fermentation is an anaerobic activity but reproduction is helped by oxygen. Oxygen helps by making their exterior cell wall more flexible. That allows them to multiply more quickly and more often. During the first few days of fermentation, all of the O2 is absorbed by the yeast or forced out of the liquid by the CO2 that the yeast is making. Adding O2 to the mix at the beginning is a good idea. Adding O2 near the end may create cardboard or sherry flavors in your finished product.