Raw cider experiment... advice for a new guy?

[OpenSights]

This is a continuation from my intro thread, figure I might as well put this discussion in its proper place.

Early December my local brew store ha a farm deliver raw cider. Work was crazy so I left the five gallons in the sanitized sealed fermenting bucket for a week or so, it actually froze.

Once I had time to pay attention to it I brought it inside, let it thaw, treated it with campden tablets, waited past the recommended time, added some blueberry extract along with some crushed frozen (thawed) blueberries and when the temperature was right pitched one pack of cider yeast. I don’t recall which one and my hydrometer magically broke while resting in sanitizer so I have no OG. (I have a 9y/o that is going to be brewing his own batch of root beer soon, and I’m trying to learn this hobby with him. Not sure if he had anything to do with the hydrometer, but no big deal.)

It didn’t start bubbling until the next day but stopped the next day. So I added nutrients and aerated a bit. A few bubbles, and that’s it. Constant temp of ~70 degrees f.

Now I’ll admit I haven’t completely wrapped my head around how to read and understand a hydrometer, but the sample I just took reads 1.00 at 70 degrees.... waiting for it to cool to 60. From what I understand, which is very little, this makes no sense.

Taste isn’t bad, just no alcohol taste. Should I pitch again and add nutrients, or just pitch?

Appreciate any advice!

 

[OpenSights]

I just bought all the stuff for a batch of mead, which isn’t cheap. Getting nervous about trying that until I get better at beer and cider. This cider is my first non kit brew. I’ve done one beer and two ciders from kits with really good luck.

 

[bernardsmith]

Gravity is usually read to three places after the decimal point. So the gravity you provided is 1.000 which is about 50 points below where I would expect apple juice to be (1.050) and is in fact the same gravity as pure water - In other words, this has fermented quite dry - Quite dry as there are a few points more sugar that COULD be fermented (cider CAN... drop to .996)... But for all intents and purposes the active stage of fermentation has ceased.

 

[Silver79]

How long was it between pitching the yeast and the last hydrometer reading?

 

[JimRausch]

Cider without added sugar usually has a SG of around 1.045. The blueberry addition probably added a little more, so let's say you started at 1.050 or so. IF you are reading your hydrometer correctly, then a current SG of 1.000 means that indeed your fermentation happened wicked quickly. Unless of course there was some original fermentation from wild yeast during the week you let it sit. Then it's possible when you added the yeast you may have been working on a SG only around 1.020-1.030. Then it makes sense.

 

[OpenSights]

Three weeks I’m guessing?

 

[OpenSights]

So should I keg or bottle and hope for the best, or add new yeast and nutrients?

Yeah the reading of 1.000 makes no sense to me as understand it.

 

[OpenSights]

70 degrees amp meter shows ~7% abv.

Thinking I need to stick with kits until I learn and understand what I’m doing.

 

[OpenSights]

Abv meter. Stupid autocorrect.

 

[JimRausch]

So should I keg or bottle and hope for the best, or add new yeast and nutrients?

Yeah the reading of 1.000 makes no sense to me as understand it.

I'd wait a day or two and take the SG again. If you are still at 1.000, then she's done. Give her another week or so for things to settle, cold crash if you can, to speed things along, then OK to package.

 

[OpenSights]

We have a few days coming up that will be above freezing, so I might try and cold crash it then.

What’s that one guy say? Don’t worry, have a home brew.

 

[JimRausch]

Charlie Papazian- the father of Homebrewing:
RDWHAHB=
Relax Don't Worry Have A Homebrew
It looks to me like you have things under control. Good luck!

 

[OpenSights]

.998 now. Bottle time or wait? My wife doesn’t like sweet, so the dry is by design.... or at least what I was shooting for.

I don’t want to tie up one of my kegs with this batch, so I think I’ll try my hand at bottling for the first time tonight if you all say go for it.

Have my bottling bucket washed and ready to sanitize, bottles washed also ready to sanitize. The one piece of equipment that I don’t have is a bottle drying rack. So the dish strainer will have to do, should be a barrel of fun.

Glad I found hbt! Thanks to all helping a turd hearder figure this all out!

 

[JimRausch]

Yep, she's done. OK to bottle. Next Q- do you want it still or bubbly? Keep it dry as a bone, or add a touch of sweetness?

 

[OpenSights]

Carbonated for sure, medium anyway. Wife says just a touch of sweetness.

Haven’t started to bottle yet, kid wanted to put together some LEGOs instead tonight.

 

[JimRausch]

OH NO.....Not Legos. Put some Star Wars legos together with my grandson over Christmas. Have finally recovered These were BIG sets.
Anyways, you could prime with sugar, but I like using a can of frozen apple juice concentrate. 1 can per 5G is just about perfect. I always bottle one in a soda bottle and when that's turgid I know the rest are carbonated too. Then I chill and check the flavor of the soda bottle one. Sometimes I let the batch continue priming a little more, sometimes I cooler pasteurize the batch. The pasteurization stops the process, keeping the cider at the level of sweetness I want. Otherwise the yeast will eat up all the sugars and there you go, you've got dry cider again.

 

[OpenSights]

Thanks! I’m going to try the apple juice you suggested. Stopped by the store on the way home, busy day so I didn’t pull this thread up on my phone. I couldn’t remember if you said one per gallon or or per 5 gallons, so I bought 5. Hey, now I’m stocked up for the next 4, or at least some juice in the fridge.

I do have some clear bottles so I can definitely bottle one or two for testing.

I’m hoping to bottle tonight, but got bad news today, a family member out of state passed away, wife’s aunt. So she might be leaving tomorrow, or tonight.

I’m still learning terminology, but what is left of the froth on top I plan on taking some cheese cloth to skim it off. I did not rack this batch. Would that be a waste of time?

 

[OpenSights]

Yeah, going to let it rest one more night.

 

[Mackster]

OH NO.....Not Legos. Put some Star Wars legos together with my grandson over Christmas. Have finally recovered These were BIG sets.
Anyways, you could prime with sugar, but I like using a can of frozen apple juice concentrate. 1 can per 5G is just about perfect. I always bottle one in a soda bottle and when that's turgid I know the rest are carbonated too. Then I chill and check the flavor of the soda bottle one. Sometimes I let the batch continue priming a little more, sometimes I cooler pasteurize the batch. The pasteurization stops the process, keeping the cider at the level of sweetness I want. Otherwise the yeast will eat up all the sugars and there you go, you've got dry cider again.

I am wondering about you cooler pasteurization method. I have done very hot water bath pasteurizing for my sweet hard cider in the past and have had success. The last time though I had a bottle explode and shot some glass through my hand. I am just looking for a better method.

As for the main thread: I would bottle the cider soon as long as your 1.000 reading is accurate. You can use bottling sugar or more cider for carbing. This would be done at the same ratios as bottling beer. As far as your observations of the fermentation go: ciders and wine often do not have the same aggressive and exciting fermentation that beer have. Yours sound pretty normal.

 

[OpenSights]

I’ll take another reading before bottling, but without adding priming sugar or apple concentrate, but yesterday I was below 1.000. Plus family and business issues it has to sit air locked for now.

 

[JimRausch]

Mackster- there's a thread somewhere about the cooler pasteurization method, but I honestly can't remember who started it. It's simple though: you put your bottles in a cooler and fill it with warm tap water to prewarm. While doing that, heat up a batch of water (3-4 gallons) to 170*. Drain the tap water, add the 170* water and close the top. Leave for 10 minutes and drain, or just let cool off naturally. With the top closed, if you do have a bottle rupture, it's contained. In maybe 1/2 dozen times doing it, I've only had 1 bottle break, so pretty good odds.

 

[JimRausch]

I do have some clear bottles so I can definitely bottle one or two for testing.

I should have clarified- a plastic soda bottle. You fill it normally, squeeze out the excess air and cap it. When it feels hard, it's carbonated, and so are the rest.

 

[OpenSights]

Got it. I’m not big on soda myself but will pick one up today. Won’t be bottling tonight, wife is heading out of town and we have swim lessons tonight.

 

[JimRausch]

Got it. I’m not big on soda myself but will pick one up today. Won’t be bottling tonight, wife is heading out of town and we have swim lessons tonight.

Life again gets in the way of brewing..........

 

[OpenSights]

Finally bottled today! I took so many fg readings I was three bottles less than my last beer bottling on a 5 gallon batch. Hydrometer still in the.998 range.

Tasted good, we’ll see in a couple of weeks.

 

[bernardsmith]

But fruit ain't grain and cider ain't beer. If you have a good sanitization protocol then there is absolutely no problem returning the sample you removed to measure SG back into the carboy. I know brewers would have apoplexy at that thought but wine makers do this all the time without any anxiety.

 

[OpenSights]

Good to know! As far as sanitation goes, I might be overdoing it, but I’d rather be safe than sorry. I had started to bottle last weekend, got my bottles, bottles bucket and everything else sanitized then the phone rang and I had job to go do.

Can’t wait till next fall to make a bunch of cider.