First time Cider - No starter?

[kawasakiguy37]

I recently put together my first batch of cider (6.5 gallon glass carboy, normal kinda plastic one way valve with a bit of rum in it, sanitized everything with bleach). I used White Labs english cider yeast (liquid), but did not make a starter. I also threw in a packet of yeast nutrients (vitamin B and thiamin I think). Used 6 gallons of treetop 100% apple with 2 lbs of organic cane sugar.

Did I make a mistake in not making a starter? Anything else Im missing? Im hoping for my first batch to medium-dry, not too strong and not to weak, and have some decent flavor. Id also like to do this as simply as possible...do I really need to rack the cider in a separate container at all? How long will this whole process take? Thanks

 

[gregbathurst]

In my opinion you don't need to rack, it is ok to bottle direct from primary but there are lots of different opinions. I would say your biggest mistake is using cane sugar instead of dextrose which has a smaller impact on flavour. It should be fermenting within 1-2 days, when did you pitch the yeast?
As someone who brews with juice only I would question the need for added sugar, but thats another topic.

 

[SeamusMac]

I pitched a packet of Wyeast liquid yeast into 19L of apple juice without any starter and it took off just fine. I think starters are useful when you can assure yourself that they'll be entirely sanitary. Although for my cider I wanted fermentation to take place as slowly as possible and so sanitation was even more important because slow fermentation would give other organisms in the carboy more time to establish themselves. Slow fermentation will help me to achieve the highest concentration of clove phenolics from my yeast possible, at least I think that's how she goes I'm still learning myself.

 

[kawasakiguy37]

How much will cane sugar affect the flavor? I dont know what "pitching" means, but I took the yeast out of the fridge around 4 hours before throwing it into the carboy, and shook it up quite a bit around the 2 hour mark. I checked this morning, it already smells like yeast in the under the stairs closet Im storing it in, and seems to be bubbling on quite nicely! Theres also a layer of brown bubbles at the top, and I can consistently see the valve on the top of the carboy releasing a bubble every 2 seconds or so.

How long should I let it sit, until the bubbling slows? Or should I wait till it clears? When is it "safe" to drink?