Slow Fermentation

[MarkA]

Hi all,

First attempt at Turbo Cider;

I made 23 litres of TC on 20th December and it's still fermenting. I used Tesco apple juice (from concentrate), a cup of strong tea and Safale SO4 yeast. The OG was 1.046 and it's currently at 1.022 (3.1%) The temperature was at 18 degrees originally, and got turned up to 20 at the weekend. There is still krausen/bubbling activity so I know it's not stuck. I would expect this to get to around 5.5% and I am quite surprised that the SO4 hasn't chewed through the sugar in a few days as it does when brewing ale. I assume that there is not much nutrient for the yeast to feed on?

Has anyone else had a problem with this, and is there anything I can add to speed it up (or should I just wait)?

Thanks

[sonicated]

If it's still going stick with it, mine took a while too but it's tasting lovely now viewtopic.php?f=48&t=73373

[MarkA]

Thanks Sonicated, I think I'll just have to be patient with it. Judging by the sneaky taste I had when checking the gravity, it'll be worth it

[asd]

Hi all,

First attempt at Turbo Cider;

I assume that there is not much nutrient for the yeast to feed on?

Has anyone else had a problem with this, and is there anything I can add to speed it up (or should I just wait)?

Thanks

That hits the nail on the head! I think you could still add a bit of nutrient in boiled water if you want to cut short your ordeal. Claude Jolicoeur suggests titrating nutrient against speed of fermentation in his excellent book on craft cider making.

You'll probably find that it might take a while to mellow out, though!

[sonicated]

You'll probably find that it might take a while to mellow out, though!

I'm no cider connoisseur but it tasted just as good out of the FV as it does out of the keg now

[MarkA]

I have refrained from adding anything and now, after nearly a month, I think it's finally finished! The bubbles seem to have stopped and the gravity is 1.002 (5.8%). I'll leave it a few more days and check again just to make sure. It tastes pretty good, too. I'm looking forward to getting it bottled (though not looking forward to waiting for them to prime )

That hits the nail on the head! I think you could still add a bit of nutrient in boiled water if you want to cut short your ordeal. Claude Jolicoeur suggests titrating nutrient against speed of fermentation in his excellent book on craft cider making.

You'll probably find that it might take a while to mellow out, though!

I like the look of the Craft Cider book, ASD, I think I'll have to buy a copy. I have got some Young's wine yeast nutrient somewhere, I wonder if that would do the job for future batches? Failing that, I think I'll have to invest in a second fermentation fridge as all beer making is currently on hold until the cider is done

[WalesAles]

MarkA,
Glad to see your TC is done.
When bottling, use 6 - 8 330ml bottles for `Tasting`. After a week, `Taste Test` one. You will be pleasantly surprised!
When I make 20Lts TC, I always put in 3tsp Youngs Yeast and 3tsp Nutrient. Never fails to hit FG1000 after 2 weeks.
Read the Posts in `Other Brews` Thread. Loads of good TC stuff in there!
I batch prime 20Lts TC with 120 - 140gr Sugar.

WA

[MarkA]

Thanks WA. My problem is that it will end up like beer ie 40 x 500ml bottles lost early due to 'taste testing'

[WalesAles]

Thanks WA. My problem is that it will end up like beer ie 40 x 500ml bottles lost early due to 'taste testing'

MarkA,
Funny you should say that!
My `Raspberry Christmas Cracker` didn`t last two weeks and there is another one brewing now!

WA

[oldbloke]

I always add a tsp of nutrient per gallon - apple juice doesn't have all the goodies that malted barley does.

Andrew Lea's book Craft Cider Making is very good, but aimed at people using real apples really. And pretty much all of it is on his website. But I bought it anyway, I like books.

[MarkA]

I always add a tsp of nutrient per gallon - apple juice doesn't have all the goodies that malted barley does.

Andrew Lea's book Craft Cider Making is very good, but aimed at people using real apples really. And pretty much all of it is on his website. But I bought it anyway, I like books.

I might look at that book too, you can never have enough books. Even though I'll probably never get round to making cider from apples, it's definitely something I'd be interested to learn a bit more about.

Funny you should say that!
My `Raspberry Christmas Cracker` didn`t last two weeks and there is another one brewing now!

WA

I find it hard to keep up with 'demand' at times (and it's only me in the house that drinks! )