My first attempt on a "mini scale"

[CherryLeo]

Very excited today. In my first attempt I ve decided to go "mini", then depending upon results I will go wild on scale up production. I need tips, those is the material I ve adapted to easily find the material in my country.

an only 600ml capacity carboy (Guarana PET bottle)
2 (200ml each) of Yakult apple juice (high quality, nothing added)
15 g of Fleischmann yeast
1/4 cup of sugar
a silicone sealed air locker with a solution of sodium hypochlorite

I would love to add cinnamon sticks, cloves, honey and other stuff but first I will start plain n simple.

Need tips and a welcome cheers

 

[Fizzycist]

I'll tell you right now the cheapest way to vastly improve your brew is to scrap the bread yeast and buy a simple brewing yeast. Nottingham is a popular, well rounded choice; you can usually buy a packet big enough for 5 gallons for just a few bucks.

Edit: and now that I reread your post, what is the "silicone sealed air locker with a solution of sodium hypochlorite" for?

 

[GinKings]

Take the bleach out of your air lock. It will ruin your cider if any gets in it. Fill it with water or a little cheap vodka.

 

[CherryLeo]

First of all, thanks to FIzzycist and GinKings for the kind reply.
Fizzicist, I was aware of Notthingham performance, just ordered a pack for the next "super batch", I was excited to begin fermenting for motivational reasons, once it starts I might get the heat. I dont want to buy cheap vodka to calm down contamination matters, I dont want cheap vodka entering my home.
GinKings, the bleach is diluted. Might it works?
Regards

 

[Fizzycist]

Ah, ok, well good luck, let us know how it turns out. I agree with Ginkings, going with plain water would be preferable to the dilute bleach. Even small amounts of bleach can be tasted, and nothing should grow in plain water in your airlock, especially if you boil it first.

 

[CherryLeo]

hi gentleman, I will change the airlock solution for an etanol 70% perhaps? Great avaliability down here in South America, or I might go for the boiled tap water as well.
I ve found a site that imports other types of yeast, what do you sirs think about the US 05 yeast? Should I give a try?
For now I must at least be responsible for the trashy-cider-to-come and be brave to taste the stuff.
Kind regards

 

[CherryLeo]

guys, its just stopped bubbling, what I do next? Do I really need to wait more time to taste it?
on call...

 

[Fizzycist]

The ethanol should work, basically you want something that won't grow mold, fuzz, algae, etc. that won't alter taste if it accidentally gets in your brew.

I haven't used US-05, but I know plenty of people do for an all-purpose yeast.

 

[Fizzycist]

Ah, I needed to refresh before posting. The bubbling can be nice to hear and see, but you can't really rely on it to know when your brew is done. How long since you added your yeast? Most of the time leaving it in your primary fermentor for 3-4 weeks will ensure you are done, give the yeast time to clean up unwanted flavors and byproducts, and let particles settle out to get a nice clear beverage. But for an unmistakable sign that fermentation is done (as well as a tool to estimate your alcohol content) your next equipment expansion should include a hydrometer (6-8 dollars US online).

Of course, feel free to taste it any time you want, just be aware it's not gonna taste finished.

 

[CherryLeo]

Dear Fizzicist,
I really need a hydrometer. They cost 75 Reais here in Brazil which is about 30 dollars, I cant buy online right now as I dont have a international credit card at this moment
Those unwanted byproducts are my worry before taste it. My friend and job collegue is about to start his first attempt to obtain cider and we are going to share some production costs and experiences during our journey through an ultimate ice cold cider.
By the way, Fizzicist, are you a physicist?
nice to hear from you

 

[Daze]

what is ethanol 70% used for?? if it is not for human consumption it has probably had something added to it to make it not for consumption which means it will be a contaminant should liquid from the airlock get in to the carboy.

 

[Fizzycist]

I had the same thought as Daze. If it were some sort of fuel ethanol I wouldn't use it.

Wow 30 dollars for a hydrometer! I understand why you don't have one. Are there any homebrew shops in Brazil where you could find it cheaper than the internet?

I am a physicist, and we can try to use this to our advantage. A hydrometer is nothing more than a floating tube of air with lines on it. I have no idea if this would work it just occurred to me, maybe I can try tonight. Take a plastic soda straw and seal up both ends (maybe by melting them?) Then put some weights on one end, like paperclips. Put it in some distilled water if that's available, or regular water if it's not, and try to add weight to make it almost fully submerged, but not quite.. Make a mark at the water line and label it 1.000. Then add some measured amount of sugar. According to http://www.tastybrew.com/calculators/gravity.html adding 2 pound of cane sugar to one gallon of water will give you a solution of 1.092 gravity. You probably don't need two gallons for your test though. So make sure your sugar is fully dissolved and put a line at the new floating level. Mark that with whatever your calculated gravity is, divide the distance and mark it regularly. I have no idea if this will work, but I'd love to try it.

 

[cgenebrewer]

i would not use denatured ethanol. That would be 70%-90% rubbing alcohol sold in stores. If you are not using vodka or a no rinse sanitizer, i would stick with water.

 

[Fizzycist]

Hmm well I tried the soda straw thing; didn't work. Needs a bigger bulb of air at the bottom. I might try again with a plastic Easter egg at the bottom of a straw, but I need a wider tube.