kdok105
Member
Hi,
So I had some experimental cider (only a gallon) that I fermented for 2 weeks with s04 yeast and some added sugars, racked to secondary, and then added 2 cinnamon sticks and a handful of whole allspice and cloves. Then I left it in my closet for awhile, sort of forgot that I had it for like 4 weeks, checked it and saw that there was still significant bubbling, left it for 2 more weeks, saw that the bubbling had decreased to very minimal, waited a few days until it virtually stopped, and now it's been sitting in my fridge for a few days cold crashing before I plan to bottle it.
Basically it's about as stiff as it's gonna get, and extremely spiced, but I'm wondering why the fermentation took so long after the racking and adding of the spices.
I have heard that certain spices have antibiotic properties that slow the growth of yeast, which could be why, and I've also read some stuff on wine production, and how fermenting on skins (cellulose) can produce methanol. I know that methanol is naturally present in most non-distilled alcoholic beverages and is perfectly safe at such levels, but I'm wondering if the 6 weeks of fermenting with the spices, which are essentially wood bark and fibrous seeds, could have caused an unsafe increase in methanol in the cider. I don't really want to experiment on myself and go blind, and even though my intuition tells me that I shouldn't be too worried, I figured I'd check with the experts first. Thanks.
So I had some experimental cider (only a gallon) that I fermented for 2 weeks with s04 yeast and some added sugars, racked to secondary, and then added 2 cinnamon sticks and a handful of whole allspice and cloves. Then I left it in my closet for awhile, sort of forgot that I had it for like 4 weeks, checked it and saw that there was still significant bubbling, left it for 2 more weeks, saw that the bubbling had decreased to very minimal, waited a few days until it virtually stopped, and now it's been sitting in my fridge for a few days cold crashing before I plan to bottle it.
Basically it's about as stiff as it's gonna get, and extremely spiced, but I'm wondering why the fermentation took so long after the racking and adding of the spices.
I have heard that certain spices have antibiotic properties that slow the growth of yeast, which could be why, and I've also read some stuff on wine production, and how fermenting on skins (cellulose) can produce methanol. I know that methanol is naturally present in most non-distilled alcoholic beverages and is perfectly safe at such levels, but I'm wondering if the 6 weeks of fermenting with the spices, which are essentially wood bark and fibrous seeds, could have caused an unsafe increase in methanol in the cider. I don't really want to experiment on myself and go blind, and even though my intuition tells me that I shouldn't be too worried, I figured I'd check with the experts first. Thanks.