Is this cyser finished?

[byronyasgur]

I have a cyser fermenting for a few weeks and it doesn't seem to want to go any lower than 1.002 no matter what. It's mainly apples not a huge amount of honey but its 1118 yeast and with the honey in there I thought it would go lower than that. I even pitched more yeast and some energiser a couple o days ago but really not much activity. I've also agitated to suspend the yeast a few times. It's plenty dry enough at this point, maybe too dry even, and it should be around 5.6% abv so that's fine - maybe I should just bottle it - what think ye?

 

[Lefou]

Should be about 5.6% ?

Thou shalt make haste, use thy hydrometer. Shouldst thy drink not change in gravity over multiple days, most assuredly thy drink may be ready for the bottle.

 

[byronyasgur]

Should be about 5.6% ?

Thou shalt make haste, use thy hydrometer. Shouldst thy drink not change in gravity over multiple days, most assuredly thy drink may be ready for the bottle.

LOL ... it was OG 1045 FG 1002 - so that's 5.6 roughly - sorry I should have put those in ..... ( but i just meant unless it goes lower ) - FG hasn't changed over a few days but shouldn't it still be going lower? or am I mistaken - I suppose I'm only really concerned about bottle bombs if the fermentation was stuck somehow and woke up when it was in the bottle

 

[Lefou]

At that level of gravity and attenuation you have nothing to worry about if you decide to bottle. I've bottled slightly petillant ciders at 1.010 in PET containers using less vigorous yeast. If your calculated ABV is higher than your original starting gravity and you checked multiple times with results showing no real changes, you're fairly safe.
I still have a couple PET bottle experiments of that cider left after more than a year. It's not worth drinking in my opinion, but still has a nice carbonation bite.

 

[bernardsmith]

If the cider is rock solid stable then rack and add K-meta and K-sorbate. That will inhibit or prevent any further fermentation. Then you can bottle without any real concern with exploding bottles. Indeed, if you are still anxious you could bottle and cork the cider. Any significant pressure that the cider will exert will pop corks long before the glass will shatter.

 

[byronyasgur]

If the cider is rock solid stable then rack and add K-meta and K-sorbate. That will inhibit or prevent any further fermentation. Then you can bottle without any real concern with exploding bottles. Indeed, if you are still anxious you could bottle and cork the cider. Any significant pressure that the cider will exert will pop corks long before the glass will shatter.

I presume I cant do that and bottle prime though?

 

[byronyasgur]

At that level of gravity and attenuation you have nothing to worry about if you decide to bottle. I've bottled slightly petillant ciders at 1.010 in PET containers using less vigorous yeast. If your calculated ABV is higher than your original starting gravity and you checked multiple times with results showing no real changes, you're fairly safe.
I still have a couple PET bottle experiments of that cider left after more than a year. It's not worth drinking in my opinion, but still has a nice carbonation bite.

thanks

 

[bernardsmith]

I presume I cant do that and bottle prime though?

Sadly, you are correct.

 

[JimRausch]

You can always bottle prime, then pasteurize when it's at your preferred bubbliness.
But in that case DO NOT add the metabisulphite and sorbate.

 

[DaleP]

What was your recipe? 1045 is at the low end for apple juice, any honey added would raise the the gravity. A cyser should get at least close to 1/2 its fermentables from honey, you should be looking at at least 1080 or better for an og on cyser.

 

[byronyasgur]

What was your recipe? 1045 is at the low end for apple juice, any honey added would raise the the gravity. A cyser should get at least close to 1/2 its fermentables from honey, you should be looking at at least 1080 or better for an og on cyser.

It's really just a cider with some honey added. I only called it a cyser because when I made it I was wondering whether it would be properly called a cider or a cyser. From what I can remember there was some debate about how much honey changes it from a cider to a cyser but I ended up concluding that the general consensus was that that if it had any honey at all in it then it should be called a cyser - myself I found it a bit odd but I just went with it - that's the only reason I called it that - academic I suppose really - I only put some in because I had it to hand.
I cant remember what the ingredients were exactly but not 1/2 honey anyway - it might have been 16kg apples and 1.5kg honey but that's a guess - it wasn't my best brew day if the truth be known - but it does taste pretty good - if a bit dry/tart

 

[Maylar]

A cyser is technically a mead, and the "rules" are that at least half of the fermentable sugar be from honey. Personally, I like them 50/50 which usually means 1.100 OG.

But FWIW, a local winery/cidery does a single variety Golden Delicious cider sweetened with honey and they took a gold medal at the 2014 GLINTCAP cider competition. Apples and honey play very well together.

 

[MarkKF]

A cyser is technically a mead, and the "rules" are that at least half of the fermentable sugar be from honey. Personally, I like them 50/50 which usually means 1.100 OG.

So if apple juice is typically 1.050-1.055 how much honey do you add per gal. to get 1.100?

 

[Maylar]

Just shy of 1.5 lb per gallon will add about 50 points.

 

[byronyasgur]

You can always bottle prime, then pasteurize when it's at your preferred bubbliness.
But in that case DO NOT add the metabisulphite and sorbate.

didn't know that - does that involve killing the yeast by heating the bottles past some temperature - any idea what the temp would be for 1118 if that's the case

 

[byronyasgur]

A cyser is technically a mead, and the "rules" are that at least half of the fermentable sugar be from honey.

funny I assumed something like that and searched for it and didn't find anything conclusive - only a few people saying that if there was any honey in it at all it was a mead/cyser ... which didn't make sense to me at the time ... and it mustn't have been my strongest google session because a small search now reveals more or less what you say ... strange

 

[MarkKF]

didn't know that - does that involve killing the yeast by heating the bottles past some temperature - any idea what the temp would be for 1118 if that's the case

Read the stickie stove top pasteurize.
It explains it all. But you gotta do it when it’s ready!

 

[byronyasgur]

Read the stickie stove top pasteurize.
It explains it all. But you gotta do it when it’s ready!

This I presume - https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=193295 - brilliant idea - yes one would need to exercise plenty of caution though

 

[Drewed]

This I presume - https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=193295 - brilliant idea - yes one would need to exercise plenty of caution though

Not hard at all. I do it for all my ciders. I only go to 140, then kill the heat and let the pot sit with the lid on for 10 min. The only time I blew a bottle was when I screwed up the temp alarm and set it for 240!

 

[MarkKF]

I go to 190 deg. F. Kill the heat. Add the bottles with a cover. After ten min. if the temp. is above 165. Deg. F. I remove the bottles & repeat for another batch.

 

[johnnyseko]

I'm finding the hardest part is determining the carb level with the 'test' plastic bottle. I'm surprised there's no pressure gauge being sold at brew shops for this purpose. I may build one.

Oh, and I heated the bottles in the pot up to 155F then heat off, rest for 10min and then removed to room temp bath to cool off. So far, so good.

 

[Maylar]

I'm finding the hardest part is determining the carb level with the 'test' plastic bottle. I'm surprised there's no pressure gauge being sold at brew shops for this purpose. I may build one.

Oh, and I heated the bottles in the pot up to 155F then heat off, rest for 10min and then removed to room temp bath to cool off. So far, so good.

Make your own monitor...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=591360

 

[johnnyseko]

Make your own monitor...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=591360

Wow, I don't know how I missed that thread! Fantastic. Wait til my GF sees me making this. Homemade stir plate, growing yeast, and now.... a pressure monitor. This will put her over the edge thinking I've lost it!

Thanks Maylar and Scrumpy!!

 

[bmd2k1]

Just shy of 1.5 lb per gallon will add about 50 points.

Gotta killer cyser recipe? (On my newbie list of things to crank out...)[emoji111]

Cheers!

 

[JimRausch]

didn't know that - does that involve killing the yeast by heating the bottles past some temperature - any idea what the temp would be for 1118 if that's the case

The yeast strain doesn't matter- they are all killed at 170ish. There's a detailed post somewhere on this cider forum from a couple years ago. The basics on how I do it: Put all the bottles in a cooler and add warm tap water to prewarm. Heat 3-4 G water to 170*. Drain the tap water and add the 170*. Let sit for 10 minutes, or let cool naturally. You might occasionally get 1 broken bottle, but it will be contained in the cooler, which is why I prefer this over the stove-top method.
How do you know when it's time to pasteurize? Bottle one in a plastic soda bottle. Squeeze the excess air out and cap. When that bottle is turgid, the rest will be carbonated as well.

 

[Maylar]

Gotta killer cyser recipe? (On my newbie list of things to crank out...)[emoji111]

Cheers!

Wish I could say that I do, but I'm starting a couple gallons this weekend so ask me again in March

 

[MarkKF]

My cyzer recipe is easy. You need three cans of FAJC, 2-3 pounds honey and a gal. of spring water.

Heat 108 oz. of water. Add 2-3 pounds honey. Then add the FAJC. It should be cool enough to put in bucket. Add yeast nutrients and Camden. Let sit 24 hrs. and then add rehydrated yeast.

 

[JimRausch]

Question Mark- why are you adding the Camden? For the fajc or for the honey?

 

[MarkKF]

Just in case anything sneaks in, keep it from reproducing until I give the yeast a head start. Probably not really needed but cheap insurance.

 

[bmd2k1]

My cyzer recipe is easy. You need three cans of FAJC, 2-3 pounds honey and a gal. of spring water.

Heat 108 oz. of water. Add 2-3 pounds honey. Then add the FAJC. It should be cool enough to put in bucket. Add yeast nutrients and Camden. Let sit 24 hrs. and then add rehydrated yeast.

- why water rather than AJ? Keep SG down? What SG do you typically start at?

- got a preferred cyser yeast?

 

[MarkKF]

Water + FAJC (frozen apple juice concentrate) = AJ

1.110

I like 71b-1122

 

[bmd2k1]

Water + FAJC (frozen apple juice concentrate) = AJ

1.110

I like 71b-1122

Have ya ever jacked up the OG using AJ?

 

[MarkKF]

Nope. I’ve made apple wine with more FAJC and less water.