When to bottle cider

[indigo]

Is aging cider in the fermenter better than aging it in the bottle? Or is there a significant difference?

I've been looking around a bit, and the consensus seems to be that cider needs to age for a long time (months, in some cases) before drinking. But how long should I keep it in the fermenter before bottling it? The SG is now at 0.996, and has been for at least a few days now.

thanks!

 

[KBentley57]

I would think that the only real difference is that in the carboy, it all ages the same, consistantly. In the bottle, there is a higher probability of variation. So long as it has had time to clear, clear, and then really turn clear, there is no harm in bottling it.

BTW, clear in the carboy != sediment free bottle, or so it seems.

 

[indigo]

Is there a general timeframe for how long it should take to clear? I boiled my raw cider before I added the yeast, and I'm told that will cause the cider to remain cloudy no matter what due to the pectin setting.

 

[KBentley57]

It should be pretty clear after about two months. Did you add any pectic enzyme? If not, add about 5 grams when you get the chance, the sooner the better.

 

[FlyinDan1017]

I prefer the long game when it comes to cider. That being the case, as an alternative to adding pectic after fermentation try giving it a couple months in the secondary. Most likely it won't clear much and might start taking a slightly brownish hue, but don't worry!! Add some gelatin finings and let set for another 3 weeks, rack, and you should be crystal clear.

Good luck

 

[smegger]

As kbentley said, try adding pectic enzyme. If you boiled the cider the pectins will have been set and they probably will never clear. Your best bet for that is to try pectic enzyme.
Main problem with that is that many people say that the presence of alcohol will lessen the effectiveness of the enzyme. But what have you got to lose? At worst you have left the cider to age some more, or you may get lucky and it will help it clear.

You can also try other fining agents like gelatin or bentonite or one of the other many options to help clear other the types of haze, like sediment/yeast, still suspended in the cider.