First Timer

[Eslais]

Hey, first of all thanks for entering my thread and reading

Today I made a batch of a little bit more than a half gal (1.5 liters) of EdWort's Apfelwein. I scaled down the ingredients.

This is the recipe, scaled down

1.4 Lt of fresh pasteurized apple juice
80 gr of sugar
Pitched 5g of Lalvin EC-1118 yeast, rehydrating it first (it's the only yeast that I have)

Shaked the mix for like 3 mins
Took a hydrometer reading and got a SG of 1.080.
Didn't have airlocks left, so I improvised one with a balloon
Set aside in a room with a fluctuating temp of 16-19ºC(60 to 66ºF)


The next questions are from a first timer:

When do I take the next Hydrometer reading?
When should I rack? 2nd week? at a specific gravity?
When do I stop the fermentation, when I get the desired SG reading?
Is better to fine the Apfelwein?
Are Champagne bottles and Zork corks good for carbonated cider?
When to bottle?
In a book I was reading, for meads it said that 3/4 cup of corn sugar and 16 oz of water in a 5g carboy makes 2 atm of pressure: is it the same for cider?

Thanks for everything

 

[Eslais]

Up

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

Hi Eslais,

I have not made EdWort's Apfelwein, but I make a lot of 9% apple cider, so its probably close to the same. Anyway, to try to answer a couple of your questions:

The next questions are from a first timer:

When do I take the next Hydrometer reading?
Take it at day two three, no hurry. I used to check mine daily when I started cider/wine making. Now I realize its not a big deal.

When should I rack? 2nd week? at a specific gravity?
Most say to rack a wine at 1.030. Aim for that or close and you will be good.
When do I stop the fermentation, when I get the desired SG reading?
You cannot stop fermentation. It stops when it is done. Either the yeast will eat all the sugar present and the wine will be dry (0.995 or so), or they will quit because they have reached their alcohol tolerance level. With your recipe I guess it will be the first one.

Are Champagne bottles and Zork corks good for carbonated cider?
I doubt Zork corks would hold carbonation. But I have never tried them, so??
When to bottle?
Once it is in the secondary keep checking the SG every several days. Once you go a couple weeks with no change. It is ready to stabalize and bottle.

Someone else will have to jump in on your other questions

 

[Eslais]

Thank you a lot!