brewedisland
Member
Three days ago, I started brewing my first cider, which is also my first ever home brew. Within the first day, a big foamy head appeared, which has since subsided. Currently, I do see some tiny bubbles streaming up the sides of the carboy, and I've seen a few of similar size in the airlock, but I've yet to see any real airlock "belching" as I expected and have seen in videos.
I'm using M02 yeast and a gallon of fresh sweet cider from a local orchard. The cider was unpasteurized, but says nothing about whether any preservatives were used. I've since learned about sorbates and benzoates from this forum, and I wonder if that might be a factor in my brew. I called the orchard and left a message asking if they use these, but haven't heard back yet.
Assuming they may never call back, I wonder if I'm wasting my time on this brew. Is the foam + bubbles a sign that I lucked out? Or is the lack of airlock belching a sign that this isn't going to work out well?
I'm using M02 yeast and a gallon of fresh sweet cider from a local orchard. The cider was unpasteurized, but says nothing about whether any preservatives were used. I've since learned about sorbates and benzoates from this forum, and I wonder if that might be a factor in my brew. I called the orchard and left a message asking if they use these, but haven't heard back yet.
Assuming they may never call back, I wonder if I'm wasting my time on this brew. Is the foam + bubbles a sign that I lucked out? Or is the lack of airlock belching a sign that this isn't going to work out well?