I am using Nottingham ale yeast in my hard cider and was wondering if anyone could tell me how long I should allow my batch to sit in secondary for before I bottle it? I am using a 6.5 gallon ale Paul for both primary and secondary.
Question about secondary fermentation
- Thread starter Sap23808
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
Until you judge it clear enough. Most people wait until active fermentation is pretty much complete to rack off the cider into a secondary container to get it off the yeast that dropped out of the primary fermentation and allow more to drop out.
Yea that's what I've read but I'm just wondering how long I should let it sit in secondary. I've heard that if you let it sit too long it will get a yeasty flavor 😁
I usually leave my beers in secondary 10-14 days.
Remember, by moving it to secondary you've removed it from most of the yeast in primary. The idea is to first let it clear more, give you a chance to dry hop or add anything extra ( spices, citrus, herbs, etc).
If you're careful w/ your transfer ( get an auto-siphon) you should have minimal sediment.
Keep in mind that cider is very susceptible to oxygen and should have been racked to a carboy and not a bucket with wide headspace.
I usually let my ciders and wines sit a LONG time in secondary- until at least no new lees fall after at least 60 days- but never in a bucket. I'd bottle right away, rather than letting it sit in a bucket after fermentation ends.
I usually let my ciders and wines sit a LONG time in secondary- until at least no new lees fall after at least 60 days- but never in a bucket. I'd bottle right away, rather than letting it sit in a bucket after fermentation ends.
The issue I had was that my ciders tasted way too much like yeast after bottling and I used an auto siphon with bottling wand to fill them... That's why I was going to do a secondary that way I could back sweeten with stevia and add some organic apple flavoring while allowing the yeast to continue to drop out.
I'd crash cool near 32 degrees and add gelatin to clear it up more quickly. Wherever you store it, in carboy or bottles, minimize exposure to O2. No buckets. Save yourself a few months of secondary time.
If you're starting with 6 gallons then get a 5 gallon carboy (plastic or glass) and do secondary with an airlock and no headspace. Rack to secondary when primary is about 1.008, which will leave 90% of the yeast behind. Then you can wait in secondary until it clears (usually 1-2 months). There will be very little lees after that and you can bottle without worries of yeast flavors.
Use unflavored gelatin. The brand I use, which is I think is available most places in the states, is Knox.
http://www.bertusbrewery.com/2012/06/how-to-clear-your-beer-with-gelatin.html
http://brulosophy.com/2015/01/05/the-gelatin-effect-exbeeriment-results/
Many people do it with beer, but works for wine/mead/cider just the same. Some used to say it may alter taste- like take away from the hops aroma, but I don't think this is the case (not an issue with ciders). Personally, I've made the same beer recipe with and without gelatin and haven't noticed a difference, but many others have done so as well. I'm definitely doing it next time I make a cider and mead.
I've had good luck using pectic enzyme to help the cider clear. Regardless, I usually let it sit for around a month before racking the first time and another month before bottling. But this depends upon the cider and lots of other variables. As was mentioned in a previous post, when the cider is clear and nothing else is dropping it is ready to go.
Everything from temperature, barometric pressure, something in the juice, anything added, or even the yeast can effect how long it takes to clear. Lots of solutions have come about to speed things up, some change the finished product more than others and some of it is up to the individual drinking so you might need to try a few methods before you find your favorite.
