Novice Cider Maker...PLEASE HELP

[hubs731]

I guess I'll have to start a new batch. I was thinking of getting the Musselman's Cider at Walmart and letting it ferment naturally. Any thoughts?

 

[Yooper]

It won't ferment "naturally" due to being pasteurized. But if there are no preservatives in the juice. Yeast can be added and it would ferment.

 

[GrogNerd]

no problem whatsoever using Walmart juice; it will make a "good" hard cider

but remember, as in any creation, better ingredients make a better product.

I would recommend the Walmart juice to start off with, while you're learning, so you don't spend a fortune on a something that is merely "good"

but still splurge on something better than bakers/bread yeast from the start

 

[hubs731]

So trying to save my first batch...very little bubbles in the airlock and ready to rack. Besides adding a Campden tablet, should I try adding something for flavor?

 

[cujocon]

My opinion is that the best flavor for cider is time.
Every cider I've ever made has tasted better the longer I waited.
My normal process is to wait at least 8 months before drinking.
But that's just me...

 

[hubs731]

I racked tonight and took a taste from the primary...tastes like apple wine.

 

[ericbw]

I racked tonight and took a taste from the primary...tastes like apple wine.

You racked to a secondary? Let it sit and take a reading next week.

 

[hubs731]

Yes, I racked to a secondary.

 

[ericbw]

How much sugar did you add? This seems really unlikely, but fresh pressed juice is full of wild yeast, so maybe it fermented a lot in the first couple of days.

Most cider seems to be around 1.040 or a little above, in my experience. So if you had 1.040, fermented to 0 ("no reading"), that's 5.25% alcohol. Then you added sugar and got a reading of 1.030, which fermented to 1.020, adding 1.3%. That's 6.5% and sweet, which might taste boozy and kill your bread yeast.

And your original gravity (OG) could have been higher than that.

Wild yeast can keep going probably but maybe not?

 

[hubs731]

I added about 3 cups of sugar.

 

[GrogNerd]

You racked to a secondary? Let it sit and take a reading next week.

Just let it sit. At least a week. In that time, don't even look at it

Over time, its character will change. Good or bad, who knows?

Your first batch, every day trying to make it perfect for that day is just inviting disappointment

 

[rocketsan]

You need to spend some time reading this forum - it's packed with tons of accurate process. You also need to be patient and stop messing with your cider or you're surely gonna muff it up. I let mine go a MINIMUM of three months before I even consider doing anything with it...

 

[ericbw]

You need to spend some time reading this forum - it's packed with tons of accurate process. You also need to be patient and stop messing with your cider or you're surely gonna muff it up. I let mine go a MINIMUM of three months before I even consider doing anything with it...

We've had success in less than 3 months, but time is important. Prob 2 -3 minimum.

 

[GrogNerd]

And as ABV goes up, so does the amount of time it will take