Trouble Shooting

[William Kuipers]

So I just did my first batch of hard cider. And I just got done with secondary fermentation and something went wrong. The only thing I used was yeast nutrient and the cider. So after the first two weeks of fermentation I tasted it and it was decent. It was definitely fermented and it tasted decent. So I bottled it and hoped the flavor would get better. And after I bottled it I kept it in a dark cool cellar we have. So now after those two weeks in the cellar it taste flat with some flavor. So I have a couple questions. First is what did I do wrong? Is it the fact that I put it in a dark place and all the yeast was inactive or did I use up all the sugar and the yeast die? And I also started another batch using the same process and it’s been fermenting for 2 weeks now and I assume it’s gonna have the same problem. So my other question is if I add some yeast to this new batch will it mess it up or will it ferment properly?

 

[bmd2k1]

What was your ending SG? Did you add anything to bottle carb (sugar, fajc, etc)

 

[William Kuipers]

What was your ending SG? Did you add anything to bottle carb (sugar, fajc, etc)

I believe it was like 980 or something around there. And yes I did some bottles with sugar, done with brown sugar and some with honey. All of them are flat.

 

[CKuhns]

"First is what did I do wrong? Is it the fact that I put it in a dark place and all the yeast was inactive or did I use up all the sugar and the yeast die?"

Yeast don't care if its dark.
They need:
- To be active - Any chance you hit them with any chemical stuff to make them unable to reproduce?
- To be present - Did you clarify and be very careful while racking causing little to no yeast to be present?
- Enough Food - Sugar = Brown Sugar and or Honey works as long as there was enough for the yeast to eat. How much did you add and did it get mixed in well?
- To be Warm. (50+ Deg F)

If no chemicals added and even if very careful when clarifying and racking with enough sugar / food there should be enough yeast left to do the job.

With all that said now that your cider is in the bottle not much you can do about any of that other than the temperature. I would suggest you bring the bottles to a room that is 65 - 68 Deg F and check one after a few weeks.