Hello
I am making a batch of sour cherry cider. First time I have done this particular recipe. Basically like this:
5 Gallons cider fermented with Mangrove Jack's cider yeast M02, starting ABV 1.05, fermented low 60s for 20 days. Added 3.5 pints of homemade sour cherry "juice" (quotes because it was very thick) made from steaming and mashing the fruits. I stupidly neglected to take ABV pre and post juice addition. Tasted six weeks later and still had a pretty raw bitter taste. I don't know for sure with fruit, but I am a cheesemaker by trade and I know that many bitter tasting flavonoids are molecularly complex and take a long time to be broken down in fermentation so I let it sit for four more months. I want it bubbly so my intention was to bottle condition with honey because the honey, cherries and apples are all from my very small town. It tastes really nice now but retains a surprising amount of carbonation which I did not expect. It is very cloudy so I would like to clarify with bentonite before bottling. If I clarify and bottle, I assume I will loose a good amount of that existing carbonation, but I am getting no activity on the airlock so I wonder just how much more will happen in the bottle. I can't know if the sugar is all gone because I forgot to take the ABV before and after the juice addition. So I am a little afraid of getting bottle bombs if I in-bottle condition. I am leaning towards doing it but if someone has a keen insight I would appreciate it.
Thank you.
I am making a batch of sour cherry cider. First time I have done this particular recipe. Basically like this:
5 Gallons cider fermented with Mangrove Jack's cider yeast M02, starting ABV 1.05, fermented low 60s for 20 days. Added 3.5 pints of homemade sour cherry "juice" (quotes because it was very thick) made from steaming and mashing the fruits. I stupidly neglected to take ABV pre and post juice addition. Tasted six weeks later and still had a pretty raw bitter taste. I don't know for sure with fruit, but I am a cheesemaker by trade and I know that many bitter tasting flavonoids are molecularly complex and take a long time to be broken down in fermentation so I let it sit for four more months. I want it bubbly so my intention was to bottle condition with honey because the honey, cherries and apples are all from my very small town. It tastes really nice now but retains a surprising amount of carbonation which I did not expect. It is very cloudy so I would like to clarify with bentonite before bottling. If I clarify and bottle, I assume I will loose a good amount of that existing carbonation, but I am getting no activity on the airlock so I wonder just how much more will happen in the bottle. I can't know if the sugar is all gone because I forgot to take the ABV before and after the juice addition. So I am a little afraid of getting bottle bombs if I in-bottle condition. I am leaning towards doing it but if someone has a keen insight I would appreciate it.
Thank you.