Fusel alcohol problem?

[ChIck3n]

Ok, so I tried EdWort's apfelwein recipe (2 batches- one using montrachet yeast another using lalvin 1118), and after a few months gave it a taste. It was OK at first, but I didn't really taste much apple. Though about 30 minutes after my first glass I started to get a weird headache. I started to feel a bit nauseous after the second glass. I started looking around online and came across fusel alcohols as a potential problem, especially if brewed too warm. Then it kind of clicked, having grown up in Texas with limited AC my idea of cool is a bit skewed. So when I started the batch in a "cool" dark place, I wasn't thinking 77-79F would be too high. So, did I cook my yeast in to producing a bunch of toxins? If so, is there anything I can do to fix it?

Now the further complication, I am moving in 2 weeks and have almost 12 gallons of the stuff. I was planning on having a bunch of people over for a graduation celebration to help me reduce the quantity, then bottle the rest. Now this isn't really an option. So either I bottle what I can and hope it ages out eventually, or just dump the batch and try again now that it's winter and will have a cooler place.

Any ideas/advice would be appreciated!

 

[AidanSavage]

Yea, you roasted your cider. I think nearly all yeasts used, whether beer, cider, or wine, can only tolerate temps up to around 70*, with a preference of 62-65*. Only a few can really go higher, and I dont think they can tolerate anything that high. Dont forget, even if that's what the ambient temp is wherever it's stored, the actual liquid temp will be higher because of the fermentation, so the yeast might have been dealing with temps in the mid-80s.

As far as fixing it? I dont know.


edit: the headache might be contributed to the high ABV of the cider, though fusel alcohols dont seem to be a cause for too much concern regarding being a "poison" as they're usually aromatic alcohols being produced.

 

[ChIck3n]

Thanks for the reply! Might just have to try another batch in the barn after I move, that's the only place I can think of that stays that cold. Doubt it's the ABV as I never had this problem with other alcohol (even 151 proof rum), and I was barely feeling a buzz when the headache hit. Come to think of it I did have a similar (but milder) reaction to a bottle of super cheap white zinfandel.

How do y'all usually keep the temperature that low?

 

[AidanSavage]

How do y'all usually keep the temperature that low?

Well, since my batches have been done tail-end of the year when it's far cooler, leaving it out and about is good enough as long as you dont leave it in a room that gets a lot of sunlight. Basements can be a great spot as well since they can sit in the mid-60s. For summer temps, if you've a second fridge, or a standing freezer, and a way to wire either of them to a temp controller, you can use that as well since it'll keep the temp constant.

 

[Randzor]

I live in mn sooo right now I have a crawl.space at 50 that their brewing at

 

[MindenMan]

Your cider may be salvageable. actually. Break it into as many containers as you can with vodka airlocks. Fill very close to the top and put in an area where the temperature swings from day to night, or night to day. The fusel alcohols will evaporate with a small amount of warmth, and then when the containers cool, they will suck in a little fresh air, and the cycle will repeat day after day, until fusels are all gone. I used this method with a gallon of "nail polish remover" cider which was nasty and after a couple of weeks the acetone flavor/smell was gone, and I bottled it. I have 3 bottles left of this May 2013 cider, and it is very drinkable.

I use Pasteur Red for all my ciders now. It is temperature forgiving (65-80*F) and the fruit flavor is very strong at the end of fermentation. No need to wait a year to know it was made from apples like so many other yeasts I have tried. I freeze concentrate all my hard ciders, but if it were bottled and aged for a few months like a bottle of apple wine would be, I bet the outcome would be great, and after a year or so it would be nothing short of amazing.