Some newbie cider questions.

[jrtomsic]

I am getting interested in brewing my own beverages. I'm not a huge fan of beer or wine, but I love cider. This being my first venture into cider brewing, I naturally have a few quesitons.

Some people tell me cider has a very short shelf life. Anybody care to comment how long it lasts before it spoils? Would spending a bit more on the oxygen-absorbing bottle caps be a good idea if the cider is going to sit for upwards of 6-12 months?

All the recipes I find online tell me to use 5 gallons of juice with the standard packet of yeast. If the cider goes bad quickly, I'd like to keep my batches down to 2-3 gallons at a time (especially with the first few batches that I'm probably going to screw up). Should I adjust how much yeast to put in or does it not make too much of a difference?

Is the secondary fermentation period for maturation? Could this be done just as easily/safely in the bottles, or does that generally lead to cider grenades?

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[OdinOneEye]

I don't believe cider's got that short of a shelf life- I've got stuff sitting around from back in '05 that is still fine and dandy. If the alcohol content is fairly low, then you might have an issue, but if it's in the neighborhood of 5% or higher, you shouldn't have a problem letting it sit around for more than a year.

The fact is, I've got a five gallon batch with two pounds of sugar and two pounds of honey that is still fermenting. I started that baby back in June, and right now it's still burping up a bubble a minute through the airlock.

The oxygen caps are a bit of an expense, though, if you're planning on drinking your stuff really fast. I just use the cheapie, normal caps and I have never had a spoiling problem.

Just use the full pack. Often times, when I'm doing five gallons, I have to throw in two or three packs of yeast to get things going. But that's just me.

The secondary fermentation is when that vigerous, violent fermentation at the beginning ends and the actual yeast reproduction goes on in earnest- that's when all the oxygen in the juice has been used up and the most alcohol is being produced. Do not bottle until the bubbles stop leaving the airlock! Bottle grenades are not fun. I should know.

 

[jrtomsic]

Thanks a lot Odin. Can't wait to get started this weekend!

 

[Chillibeerman]

I am with Odin. I have spent a considerable amount of time researching cider. I have made a few batches that I drank quickly. It wasn't until I had a few bottles sit for 12 months or more, that I realized that it takes a considerable amount of aging for the flavors to smooth out. On the other boards, it seems to be the consensus that cider needs extensive aging to realize the flavor one is seeking. I have a few that are aging now. I used a sweet mead yeast for the last two batches .

It also seems like that if you add sugars or honey into cider or juice, the yeast often ferments it completely into a very dry product. My best batch was nothing more than cider and yeast. It just wasn't the "rocket fuel" that some of the others were. I didn't really mind. The "rocket fuel" novelty/necessity wore off for me several years back.

I make a starter if the gravity is suspected to be 1.070 or higher (That's what the vial says). I have made good cider with Windsor Dry Ale yeast as well. Good Luck!