help! My cider keeps getting infected.

[Yooper]

Degassing is done after all fermentation is finished, prior to bottling, to help in clearing, and to lessen the likelihood of pushing a cork out with temp changes. Red wine with a C02 bite isn't pleasant.

Sometimes- but degassing is fairly common in primary for mead making as well, and sometimes in cider if there is a stinky sulfur-y yeast smell. C02 is poisonous to yeast, and getting some of the c02 out of the cider/wine/mead can help yeast health in the very early stages of fermentation.

It's not common with cider, though, as that is generally a nutrient-rich and lower OG fermentation so it doesn't normally require degassing. It wouldn't be unheard of to stir in primary, though.

 

[RPCidery]

Interesting. Learn something new every day.
They typical cure for sticky fermentation with wine (that I know about) is to stir it with a copper pipe or splash-rack it.

 

[lolznrofls]

Thats why I love one gallon brews..there is sooo much information to process sometimes trial and error is the best filter for bad advice...and I do enjoy a lot of trial and error. cheers!

 

[podz]

I've made several batches of cider and each comes out the same: smelling and tasting like vinegar. Is this a sign of a bacterial infection? I always sanitize everything, but this still happens. What am I doing wrong?

I have made many dozens of batches of cider and never had any sort of infection. And my hygiene is not exactly what you would call thorough.

Perhaps your nose just doesn't like the smell produced by the yeast you are using. Try a different yeast. I recommend champagne yeast. And use nutrient if you want your cider to finish fast and not smell like farts.

 

[lolznrofls]

Perhaps you are just fermenting dry your brew..

 

[lolznrofls]

I have made many dozens of batches of cider and never had any sort of infection. And my hygiene is not exactly what you would call thorough.

Perhaps your nose just doesn't like the smell produced by the yeast you are using. Try a different yeast. I recommend champagne yeast. And use nutrient if you want your cider to finish fast and not smell like farts.

Yes champaign yeast is what I prefer..but I have only experimented with notty ale and red star champaign. .

 

[pumpkinman2012]

hey typical cure for sticky fermentation with wine (that I know about) is to stir it with a copper pipe or splash-rack it.

You shouldn't splash rack after fermentation is finished, it will introduce a lot of oxygen that can cause it to oxidize, during fermentation, there is plenty of co2 to protect it.
A copper pipe should be used as a last resort.

You need to be proactive with wine, cider and even mead, you need to add yeast nutrients such as Fermaid K, Fermaid K is a blended complex yeast nutrient, it should be added over several applications to ensure that the yeast has the proper nutrients to continue fermenting.

Cider can give off strong rotten egg smells, even after following the proper yeast hydration and appropriate yeast rehydration nutrient, this last batch really smelled bad, but it tasted fine, and after I racked it after it fermented dry, it was fine.

If your cider, or wine develops a strong sulfur smell, there is a product that can correct it if you don't wait too long, called Redulees, click here, it's easy to use, dissolve in water, add to the wine and stir, rack off of it after 72 hrs.
It saved more than one batch of wine over the years.

I highly recommend contacting Scott Labs and ordering the Cider Handbook, it has more info on everything you'll ever need to know about making cider, the 60 page Handbook contains products, articles, and protocols specific to cider, from the basics, yeast hydration, selecting the right yeast, there are charts comparing dozens of yeast, to yeast nutrients, tannins and Malolactic bacteria.
It's free, you have nothing to lose! While you're at it request the Fermentation Handbook as well.

Contact:
Monica Royer
Marketing & Communications Specialist
Scott Laboratories, Inc.
[email protected]

 

[podz]

Cider can give off strong rotten egg smells, even after following the proper yeast hydration and appropriate yeast rehydration nutrient, this last batch really smelled bad, but it tasted fine, and after I racked it after it fermented dry, it was fine.

I always pitch my yeast dry and toss in about 50g of DAP/nutrient mix. I've never had any sort of rotten egg smell except with the batches I fermented without tossing in the DAP/nutrient mix.

Without the mix, it takes about 6 weeks to go from 1.070 down to 0.998. SIX WEEKS! With the mix, it takes 7-8 days to hit final gravity and another 7 days to drop crystal clear.

 

[pumpkinman2012]

I've only had the rotten egg smell once, but it was nasty...lol!