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Post by Peter on Jul 14, 2018 19:23:24 GMT 10
Yesterday (13/7/18, mid-afternoon) I started a batch of simple cider:
4L pure cloudy apple juice (Nudie brand, "Nothing but *30 Apples")
3/4 sachet mead yeast (activated in a little warm water).
Cider funnelled into 5L carboy, yeast added, bottle gently swirled for agitation, bung & airlock added.
Starting specific gravity 1060.
14/7/18 7am: some froth on surface, airlock bubbling at rate of one bubble per 3 seconds.
14/7/18 5pm: moderate amount of froth on surface, airlock bubbling at rate of one bubble per 1 second.
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Jul 14, 2018 21:02:42 GMT 10
Just a simple, practical question -
Do you measure the specific gravity directly in the brewing bottle with a sterilised hydrometer, or do you take a small amount out which is then discarded?
I have a 5 lt demijohn for small batch brewing.
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Post by Peter on Jul 14, 2018 21:07:33 GMT 10
I used a tube for testing SG (the hydrometer is too long to use in the carboy when at this level). It's also a pain to remove the hydrometer due to the very narrow neck. I do, however, use the hydrometer in the fermentation vessel when brewing in a large container (eg a 25L beer barrel).
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feralemma
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Post by feralemma on Jul 16, 2018 11:20:44 GMT 10
This might be a stupid question, but how was cider made before all the fancy equipment was used? Were the ingredients literally just chucked into a barrel and left to ferment? I've been googling it but can't find much on it.
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Jul 16, 2018 11:41:23 GMT 10
There isn’t a lot of equipment needed. I just did some ginger beer and really the only things I needed to get were a big 5 lt bottle and an airlock. That will be all I need for the cider too and I’ve been watching videos of fruit wines that just use the same. The airlock is very simple.
The hydrometer is useful if you want to know the alcohol content and if it’s all done, but I didn’t actually use it for my ginger beer.
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Post by Peter on Jul 16, 2018 19:42:40 GMT 10
You can even get a bottle of apple juice (make sure there are no preservatives, etc) and stick an airlock in the top. Adding yeast is optional, although if you don't add it you'll want it somewhat exposed to the air a few times at the start to let yeasts in.
Anyway, the cider has slowed down; it's now bubbling at about one bubbble every 14 seconds. In the future I'll try to monitor temperature as well (not as it's essential, but I'm really keen on maximizing knowledge & experience).
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feralemma
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Post by feralemma on Jul 19, 2018 16:09:28 GMT 10
I found a method for making mead using just a big bottle and a ballon with a couple of holes pricked in it. This would work as the air lock wouldn't it?
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Post by Peter on Jul 19, 2018 18:48:02 GMT 10
I've heard of that many times, but never tried it. My concern is that if the pressure from the brew drops out (ie, the yeast ferments all available sugars) there's nothing to stop outside air from getting in. Just remember that you can buy a proper air lock for as little as $4 - I've even seen them cheaper in the past. www.bigw.com.au/product/brigalow-home-brew-fermentation-lock/p/202353/ |
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Post by spinifex on Jul 19, 2018 20:37:13 GMT 10
I've heard of that many times, but never tried it. My concern is that if the pressure from the brew drops out (ie, the yeast ferments all available sugars) there's nothing to stop outside air from getting in. Just remember that you can buy a proper air lock for as little as $4 - I've even seen them cheaper in the past. www.bigw.com.au/product/brigalow-home-brew-fermentation-lock/p/202353/Those cheap airlocks work a treat and well worth investing in lots of them. I make cheats cider using 2.4l preservative free long life apple juice. Pour out a cup of juice, then add in half a cup of sugar into the bottle and a half teaspoon of champagne yeast. cap, shake until dissolved. drill a hole in the bottle lid (take off the bottle first) jam the airlock in the hole, blu-tack around the airlock to seal it ... let it brew up until the bubbling stops and the yeast settles as sediment. Decant into plastic 1.25 lemonade bottles, add an extra two teaspoons of sugar. cap. marvel at how hard the bottles get as the pressure builds from second fermentation. Bleed some pressure out carefully if needed. wait until sediment drops out ... and consume with gusto. Entire process about 4 months. They actually age quite well too ... if left in the pressurized bottles for 8 months they taste even better. Cost works out very cheap on a 'per litre' basis. Apart from the added sugar and yeast I don't measure anything ... ever. |
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feralemma
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Post by feralemma on Jul 20, 2018 10:39:46 GMT 10
If I was to use glass 2L bottles to decant into and allow to sit what signs would the brew give that the pressure was getting toouch for the bottle? Apart from the obvious exploding bit of course 😂
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Post by spinifex on Jul 20, 2018 19:39:23 GMT 10
Good question Feralemma. Good thing with PET bottles is you know they need pressure release when the plastic is hard as glass.
I have hilarious memories of a homebrew batch concealed in the ceiling of a college dorm block cooking off on an unseasonal warm day in October. There was beer trickling out of the light sockets ... seeping out through the ceiling ... running down the walls from the cornicing. Dangerous job removing all the broken glass and saturated insulation. Campus manager not amused. Damages bill significant. Lessons learnt. Not my batch so I found it side-splitting funny. The owners of the failed activity ... not so much!
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Post by Peter on Jul 20, 2018 20:13:20 GMT 10
I use 500mL German beer bottles for everything - beer, cider, mead, and I likely will when I make wine. These (with a crown cap) can take a good bit of pressure.
That said, once beverages are bottled into these I either put the in the fridge immediately, or I age the bottles in plastic tubs with hinged lids that provide a reasonable seal. This means that any potential breakage/explosions should be at least somewhat contained. Although I've never exploded a bottle, I'd truly prefer not to have to clean the whole room if it was to happen...
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Post by Peter on Jul 21, 2018 18:58:10 GMT 10
Fermentation on this cider appears to have completely stopped yesterday; I'll see about racking it into a clean carboy tomorrow.
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Post by spinifex on Jul 21, 2018 19:55:21 GMT 10
Cider looking fairly clear already?
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Post by Peter on Jul 21, 2018 21:36:50 GMT 10
Not even close - it's made with very cloudy apple juice. I'd like to rack it into a clean carboy leaving the yeast lees behind, then leaving it in that new carboy to see how much it settles. I can then rack it as often/seldom as I like.
I find that the lees contaminate the flavour, so I'd rather rack it even several times than have it taste of old yeast.
That's my understanding anyway; I'm more than happy to receive advice.
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Post by Peter on Aug 3, 2018 20:53:04 GMT 10
I finally got around to racking this this morning, and of course I had a taste.
It's bloody terrible.
Definitely fermented into alcohol, but really sour (more so than the worst scrumpy I've ever tasted - and I love scrumpy). So like any self-respecting experimenter I added an unmeasured heap of sugar, gave the carboy a good swirl and let it be. As I see it, any remaining yeast will start attacking the sugar thus increasing the alcohol content. Once all sugar is fermented it should leave added sweetness.
Time will tell.
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Post by Peter on Aug 3, 2018 22:39:59 GMT 10
Let me correct myself: once sugar is fermented to the point where there's sufficient alcohol to kill the yeast, any remaining sugar will add sweetness.
Maybe I've had too many store-bought scrumpy ciders tonight...
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Post by spinifex on Aug 4, 2018 18:51:34 GMT 10
Hmmmm ... extreme sourness? Is it possible the alcohol has started to oxidise to vinegar due to an air leak somehow? Or ... more likely ... there was too much acid in the applejuice to begin with (they were picked less than fully ripe before the acid level dropped.) When you fermented away the sugar it reared its head.
Be interesting to hear what the extra sugar does. Should make it palatable but the acid will still be hiding in there and may upset your insides when consumed in quantity.
On a different note: What variety of yeast did you use for this?
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Post by Peter on Aug 4, 2018 18:56:38 GMT 10
I used MO5 Mead Yeast, as it's what I had open at the time (I was already making some mead). I agree that the apples were probably under ripe because that's how things are normally done these days it seems.
Maybe someone will buy me the winning $80m Lotto ticket for next week and I'll set up a rural property, complete with an orchard of cider apple trees...
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Post by WolfDen on Aug 4, 2018 20:43:16 GMT 10
Sorry Pete. That tickets got my name written all over it. But don’t worry, I’ll invite you over.  Where do you get your yeast from? Especially for Mead. |
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