Headspace

[joeynice]

If I have already racked my cider once can I add some fresh cider to top it off. It seems like there is to much headspace.

 

[SirPublius]

Good question. I hope you get a reply. I don't know the answer to that, but I am curious as well. I left some headspace on some cider I just started in some gallon jugs, and after a day, not only do I have the headspace, but I have an inordinate amount of pulp, probably a few inches worth, at the bottom (I crushed a bunch of pears from my property). So when I rack mine, I'm probably only gonna have 2/3 of a gallon when all is said and done, and I have heard you don't want much headspace while it ages....so I wonder if water, or if cider or what might work. Hope you get a reply.

 

[Yooper]

Headspace during active fermentation is good, and necessary. Once fermentation slows, and you rack off of those less, you'll need a smaller vessel.

You can top up with more cider, but then fermentation will start again, so you'll need to rack again. Which means topping up. If you add cider, fermentation will start again, etc. Many people top up with finished cider, but if this is a first batch then a smaller vessel will have to do.

 

[joeynice]

Headspace during active fermentation is good, and necessary. Once fermentation slows, and you rack off of those less, you'll need a smaller vessel.

You can top up with more cider, but then fermentation will start again, so you'll need to rack again. Which means topping up. If you add cider, fermentation will start again, etc. Many people top up with finished cider, but if this is a first batch then a smaller vessel will have to do.

Thank you for your helpfull info. I added more cider and yes it is fermenting again . The good thing is that now I know not to do that again.

 

[CA_Mouse]

Headspace during active fermentation is good, and necessary. Once fermentation slows, and you rack off of those less, you'll need a smaller vessel.

Oh powerful Yooper...

I am making my first cider since 1985 (was done in a bucket with wild yeast and poured and drank from that bucket). I am making some this week and couldn't find a good rule of thumb for how much headspace I will need to allow for in primary. I plan to cold crash after primary and back sweeten with brown sugar and cinnamon for aging. Should I not worry about primary headspace and only concentrate on minimal space in secondary?

Thank you for your thoughts!


**Yooper is still my heroine!

 

[phug]

You could always sanitize some marbles, and pop them in the carboy to reduce the volume for the liquid to take up. That way you don't water it down, and you're not kikstarting the ferment.

 

[HopSong]

Should I not worry about primary headspace and only concentrate on minimal space in secondary?

Well, I'm not the all powerful, heroine type.. but.. Here is my take on your question. The answer is YES. Headspace in the primary depends on the yeast and gravity. I happen to do ciders in the 50-60 range.. and I have only used M2 and M-02 (Mangrove Jack) cider yeast. There is almost NO krausen created in what I have done.. unlike the beer I make.

In answer to another comment.. Yes, you can add cider to top off.. but, that also depends. If the cider is back sweetened and pasteurized.. it will also start fermenting again. However, if you use a completely dry cider (hard).. it will not start re-fermenting that addition.

 

[EpicCider]

My preferred method is to not worry so much about the headspace in the primary, but to make more of an issue in the secondary.

I also rack a 6 gallon carboy into a 5 gallon carboy, leaving the extra lees behind. Any excess (minimal) is tasted and sometimes bottled still (to age).