Making Apple Cider Vinegar

[gvhorwitz]

Two years ago I made a batch of apple cider. In my opinion, it's pretty blah. I used cider that was pressed here in Connecticut.

I saw in Drew Beecham's book, a recipe for making cider vinegar using: Bragg's ACV as a starter.

After three days, I have seen no change, (no mother forming). The recipe calls for me to cover it with a cloth. Instead, I put it in a container with an airlock.
Was is this a mistake? Does the cider need air, instead of an anaerobic environment?

Your help would be appreciated

Greg

 

[Yooper]

Yes, take off the airlock and cover it with a coffee filter or double layer of cheesecloth or something.

What was the ABV of your cider? Ideally, it should be around 5% or so, so that it isn't tough to get started.

Did you use the mother from the Bragg's? What's the volume you're trying to make into vinegar? The mother in the Bragg's is pretty small so it might take a while.

 

[gvhorwitz]

Hi Yooper, (cool name).

Thank you for your quick reply. I do believe I kept records, I was pretty new at this. I had some home brews under my belt before this cider, but still, I was pretty clueless.

I'm at work so I'll have to look to see where the log is when I get home. I filled a 1 1/2 liter Fido jar and introduced 2 Tablespoons of Bragg's unfiltered apple cider vinegar.

I'm expecting it to be a slow process, I just don't want to start off wrong, and clearly anaerobic is the wrong move.

I will get back to you soon

Greg

 

[Yooper]

Hi Yooper, (cool name).

Thank you for your quick reply. I do believe I kept records, I was pretty new at this. I had some home brews under my belt before this cider, but still, I was pretty clueless.

I'm at work so I'll have to look to see where the log is when I get home. I filled a 1 1/2 liter Fido jar and introduced 2 Tablespoons of Bragg's unfiltered apple cider vinegar.

I'm expecting it to be a slow process, I just don't want to start off wrong, and clearly anaerobic is the wrong move.

I will get back to you soon

Greg

Did you add the vinegar? Or the mother at the bottom of the vinegar? You need the mother, otherwise, I don't know if you'd have anything to start the vinegar process.

 

[gvhorwitz]

Did you add the vinegar? Or the mother at the bottom of the vinegar? You need the mother, otherwise, I don't know if you'd have anything to start the vinegar process.

Hi again.

The vinegar was evenly mixed up. I assumed that there would be enough of the bacteria in there. I didn't think of taking any from the bottom.

 

[gvhorwitz]

What was the ABV of your cider? Ideally, it should be around 5% or so, so that it isn't tough to get started.

By the way, my ABV is 6.2

 

[burninator]

Hi again.

The vinegar was evenly mixed up. I assumed that there would be enough of the bacteria in there. I didn't think of taking any from the bottom.

What kind of vessel are you using? Ideally you want something with a wide mouth, or if using a jug, you want to fill to just below the shoulder, to maximize surface area and, thereby, maximize oxygen exposure.

 

[gvhorwitz]

I am using a Fido jar. It has a pretty wide-opening

I'm sure covering it with a coffee filter will help quite a bit.

Thank you for responding

Greg

 

[gvhorwitz]

Apple cider vinegar update! Its coming along quite well now. A while but finally kicked in. Thanks for your input.

 

[madscientist451]

I have many gallons of cider left over from various yeast experiments that I don't really like, I was going to dump it, but now saving it to make vinegar. The cider is stored in glass jugs, was going to just dump in a plastic bucket and forget about it for a while. I've read that acetobacter is pretty much everywhere, and you don't have to really do anything except expose the cider to the air? Anyway, I'll post the results, whatever they may be.

 

[Maylar]

If you have any cider vinegar in the kitchen pour a bit into each fermentor to give them a head start.

 

[gvhorwitz]

I started mine using the mother from Bragg apple cider vinegar. I bought it at GNC.

 

[MarkKF]

If you have any cider vinegar in the kitchen pour a bit into each fermentor to give them a head start.

The commercial vinegar may be pasteurized

 

[MindenMan]

I saw a new Bragg's ACV tonight; the unpasteurized vinegar "Contains live mother" something like that, it didn't really look much different than their raw ACV.

 

[burninator]

I saw a new Bragg's ACV tonight; the unpasteurized vinegar "Contains live mother" something like that, it didn't really look much different than their raw ACV.

Could be new labeling. The raw acv has always contained live mother.

 

[bernardsmith]

Not even certain that you need the mother. Wine (with no residual fermentable sugar) when exposed to oxygen (air), if infected with acetobacter will become vinegar and acetobacter are all around. Adding the mother will certainly inoculate the wine but simply storing the wine in an open but dirt free container (hence covering it with a coffee filter) and exposing it to the air (to invite the acetobacter) is enough to produce vinegar (although I am not sure whether a wine can be too acidic to prevent it turning to vinegar, or too alcohol rich)...

 

[Yooper]

Not even certain that you need the mother. Wine (with no residual fermentable sugar) when exposed to oxygen (air), if infected with acetobacter will become vinegar and acetobacter are all around. Adding the mother will certainly inoculate the wine but simply storing the wine in an open but dirt free container (hence covering it with a coffee filter) and exposing it to the air (to invite the acetobacter) is enough to produce vinegar (although I am not sure whether a wine can be too acidic to prevent it turning to vinegar, or too alcohol rich)...

Yes, most wine is too high ABV to turn to vinegar. Generally, it has to be diluted down to a lower ABV for it to happen. Also, without the mother the wine/cider is just as likely to become infected with other bacteria (such as lactobacillus) or mold as it is to get acetobacter. Or all of the above, I suppose.