[First timer] URGENT! Possible to resuscitate first (and failed) cider?

[Pappa_Bjorn]

On the 25th of september I pitched a split apple cider batch. Neither carboy started. Tragedy struck when I had to abandon my cider-babies due to work.

Yesterday, oct 11th, 16 days later, I open one carboy that's been sitting under airlock at 20C/68F - no CO2 having replaced the air mind you - to dump. ...But it smells nice. I taste it. Tastes nice. A bit cardboard-y? And the sulphur isn't a bonus but still, no infection related off taste that I could detect in this almost drinkable apple juice. It just has way too much malic acid and tannin.

So I'm thinking, could this cider rise from the dead? In order to make the must habitable (even EC-1118 died!) and to mute the acidity/tannins, I'd add dextrose+H2O simple syrup, bump the ABV up a bit to ~11%, and throw in some store bought apple juice. I already have a mighty name; The 'Lazaros' Apfelwein.

Can it be done?

 

[Pappa_Bjorn]

Additional TL;DR info:

Got gifted loads of fruit from neighbours orchard in return for some finished product later so pressure to deliver is high.

Made one tiny batch pear (5L) and a split 2x15L apple at the same time, same methods; 1,5 campden/gal sprinkled into- and pectic enzyme poured into both musts sat 22/9. Rested at 19C/66F until tue 25/9. Rehydrated QA23 for pear, D-47 for apple #1, and EC-1118 for apple #2 in ~25C boiled H2O. No starter. Waited ~2h. Added fermaid+goferm to must (yes i messed up and added goferm to must instead of rehydrated yeast). Then poured in yeasts. QA23 pear started to bubble after ~4h. Neither apple moved. Apple never even flinched. Air lock water levels marked, only moved BACK a bit at first, as expected due to colder storage than pitch. Ergo 0 CO2 expansion. Two different tried and true water lock styles so I'm 100% the yeast be ded.

Theories:
1. The apples were juiced in a low cap kitchen juicer and must thus had loads of 'foam' (cellulose+air bubbles+??) even after pectic enzyme. I measured campden including said foam so there's probs a bit more than 1,5/gal of foam free must in there. Pear probs a liiittle bit less, thus surviving?

2. Many of the apples were unripe and too sour and containing too much tannin. The must/juice was very sour. Death from pH?

3. The yeasts were rehydrated at 25C instead of 40C with no starter and no goferm before pitching.

4. Maybe too much fermaid?

I dunno. Can I just dilute with water and dextrose and hope for the best? Or would that taste like sh** even if it worked?

 

[gratus fermentatio]

1st thing to do is check the SG. That will tell you for certain where the fermentation stands (Not started, ongoing, finished). There may be a PH issue, there might also be a temp issue. If you rehydrated the yeast at too low of a temp, they likely stayed dormant, might be all it needs is to be warmed up for a few hours, give it a good stir to introduce some O2, yeast need it at this stage. Try warming it to about 70*F. for 12 hrs or so & see if that does the trick, but be sure to take a SG reading 1st.
Regards, GF.

 

[TechFanMD]

In this short time I would expect it to taste about how you describe. This has been a very short amount of time to go from whole crushed fruit to something that is drinkable (it seems like it will be).

 

[Pappa_Bjorn]

1st thing to do is check the SG.

This has been a very short amount of time to go from whole crushed fruit to something that is drinkable (it seems like it will be).

Follow-up:
Re-pitched a double dose EC-1118 with strict temp, correct nutrients, etc. Nothing. After a week I tasted. Tasted like freshly squeezed apple juice, no SG change. Gave up, let it sit weeks lid off. Still tasted like fresh apple juice on cleaning. Conclusion: Store packed campdens were potent, >1.5/gal was way too much, counting the apple foam as liquid was a mistake. Nothing managed to live in the must. Not even an infection would accept the free real estate after weeks with the lid off. Weird thing the pear must lived.. Oh well.

 

[MarkKF]

Sounds like something is killing the yeast or the yeast is already dead.

 

[Geremy]

May be having the same issue right now, 48 hours in. Too little headspace at first, pitched 6 gallons with ec1118 (making brandy from this batch). I definitely overdid the sulfite addition... I have a gallon of pear in the same boat as well. Just added fermax and hopefully there will be some activity in the morning.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Follow-up:
Re-pitched a double dose EC-1118 with strict temp, correct nutrients, etc. Nothing. After a week I tasted. Tasted like freshly squeezed apple juice, no SG change. Gave up, let it sit weeks lid off. Still tasted like fresh apple juice on cleaning. Conclusion: Store packed campdens were potent, >1.5/gal was way too much, counting the apple foam as liquid was a mistake. Nothing managed to live in the must. Not even an infection would accept the free real estate after weeks with the lid off. Weird thing the pear must lived.. Oh well.

This sort of problem sounds a lot like preservatives in the juice to me; but if there are no preservatives in the juice, the temp, nutrients & yeast rehydration are all good, then I'd have to guess either excess sulfite and/or excess acidity. Sulfite will dissipate with time & you can accelerate it by stirring. Just be careful not to oxidize the must. Excess acidity on the other hand, may or may not dissipate without treatment; it depends on the type of acid. The only way to know for certain if it's excess acidity is to test it. Commercial yeasts are bred to survive the additional sulfites that kill off the wild yeast. I'm guessing you're using standard dose Campden tablets for your sulfites? Did you crush the tablets & dissolve them in water before adding to the must? Did you gently stir the solution into the must? Did you aerate the must prior to yeast pitch? Was the yeast past its' expiration date?

I've never had such a problem & I've fermented some pretty acidic stuff, like a crabapple cider that was so acidic, it felt like it was stripping the enamel off your teeth when you tasted it. If you have a TA (titratable acidity) test kit, or even a wine PH test kit, testing would be my 1st course of action. A PH reading of about 3.3 or a TA reading of about 0.6 would be ideal. As I mentioned before, a good stirring will help to dissipate excess sulfites & will aerate the must; yeast need oxygen at the start of fermentation. I suppose it's possible you got a bad batch of yeast from the manufacturer, but while possible, I think that is unlikely.

I think testing is the best thing you can do right now, that will give you the information you need to proceed. If it's excess acid, then either reduce with precipitated chalk, start a malolactic fermentation (MLF), or try fermenting with Lalvin 71-B yeast. The 71-B will metabolize about 20% of the malic acid in the must, but if it's too acidic to allow a fermentation to begin with, you may need to make a yeast starter using a dilute portion of the must & gradually add more until there's a good, healthy fermentation going. You might also be able to simply dilute the must to start fermentation & add some frozen apple juice concentrate (FAJC) back to the must to compensate for the dilution after fermentation starts. But it all starts with testing.
Regards, GF.