Need some reassurance.

[spriggan486]

Ok so I am brewing a hard apple cider. It has been going well for the last 3 days. Last night I opened it to take a gravity reading just to make sure I wasn't approaching the point where I want to stop the fermentation. On tuesday the fermentation was going very strong and this morning the plastic piece in the airlock had come to rest on the tube. This worries me because the SG is only at 1.040 and the fizzing noise has slowed a great deal, almost completely. I opened the bucket and there is still a very thick layer of foam on top.

So would you say everything is fine. I think I know the answer, but I just need to be reassured lol

I should prolly mention that I used Safale US-05 in this batch.

 

[CvilleKevin]

You're probably fine. my guess is the seal of your bucket isnt tight. using a better bottle next time for the primary will solve that problem, plus you can see what is going on. What are your temps?

 

[spriggan486]

Temps are between 69 - 71

 

[CvilleKevin]

Temps look good. It usually takes Notty about 8-10 days to ferment out at that temp. Check in another 3 days

 

[CvilleKevin]

My bad, you said you were using US05, I'm not sure why I was thinking Nottingham

Your still good - US05 usually goes just a little faster than the Notty.

 

[spriggan486]

Ok then. I suppose I will check come Monday. Thanks for the info!

 

[spriggan486]

I reseated the lid on my bucket last night, and now it is back to bubbling away. Guess it wasn't sealed correctly.

 

[TipsyDragon]

using a better bottle next time for the primary will solve that problem

personally i recommend using a glass carboy over a better bottle. glass is an oxygen barrier where plastic is not. also plastic scratches increasing the risk of infection. but glass is heavy and there is a risk of breakage and its more expensive.

 

[CvilleKevin]

I've got 8 of each, and I much prefer the better bottles, especially for primaries. They are nearly as impermeable to O2 as glass, much more so than regular PET bottles and several orders of magnitude more than using a bucket. *Much* easier to clean (dont use a brush - that will avoid the scratching). Also dont clean your BBs with water above 150F or they will warp. Much easier for transporting cider, especially carrying 6 gal at a time. Easier to handle for cold crashing. The glass carboys look a little nicer. I use them mostly as secondaries, where I dont have to handle them so much.

 

[JoeSponge]

I've got 8 of each, and I much prefer the better bottles, especially for primaries. They are nearly as impermeable to O2 as glass, much more so than regular PET bottles and several orders of magnitude more than using a bucket.

Why are they more impermeable than regular PET (or whatever)? Denser plastic? Tighter matrix? Magic pixie dust?

I have often wonder wx an external coat on the std water bottle would help block out oxygen. What would be the thinest coat of the densist flow-able material? I thought "shellac!", as it would dry very light, and several coats wouldn't be a problem, but would that suffice as a sealant? I thought "silicon!" and then thought that glass would be lighter than a jug painted in a silicon coat. Who knows... I'll keep brewing in the 62 gallon wheelie trash containers until the next trash pickup date...

;-)

 

[TipsyDragon]

I'll keep brewing in the 62 gallon wheelie trash containers until the next trash pickup date

i really hope you are kidding. those are most defannetly NOT food safe. the acidity of the beer will dissolve them little by little putting god knows what into your beer. and there is no way those are air tight and impermeable to O2.