cider question

micmacmoc · Post by **micmacmoc** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 2:38 pm

Hello brew monsters!

I have made up my first batch of cider
6lt apple juice
3kg sugar
1tsp yeast
water to 40 pints.

it was OG 1064.....
it fizzed for a day and now still reads 1060
I want to try barrelling it in a king keg.
Will the OG drop further?
When should I keg it?
How much sugar should I add for secondary fermentation?

Many Thanks in advance!

steve_flack · Post by **steve_flack** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 2:42 pm

It's nowhere near fermented out and has practically no alcohol in it. Either it's still going or your yeast has curled up it's toes.

micmacmoc · Post by **micmacmoc** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 2:49 pm

ah....well i'll give it a week and if no change then should i add more yeast?

where you live....wherry country! lucky man!

steve_flack · Post by **steve_flack** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 3:46 pm

Sadly a certain Suffolk brewer's wares are found more often than Wherry.

maxashton · Post by **maxashton** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 4:19 pm

I would add more yeast

Duffbeer · Post by **Duffbeer** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 1:40 pm

maxashton wrote:I would add more yeast

Why ? 1 tsp of yeast is sufficiant for 5 gal, it has only been fermenting 1 day, at least give the yeasts a chance to multiply.
As far as I can see there's nothing to worry about, it will take anything up to a week or more to ferment out.

maxashton · Post by **maxashton** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 4:34 pm

That's fine but ths is a high gravity product, and in my experience it's better to overpitch than underpitch.

Duffbeer · Post by **Duffbeer** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 4:44 pm

Even with High gravity ferments additional yeast will not realistically make much difference, 6 tsps of yeast will still take the same time to become properly active and multiply. It is the strain of yeast not the amount of it that decides how high an alcohol tolerance it is capable of fermenting to.

oxford brewer · Post by **oxford brewer** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 6:05 pm

Whack some more yeast in!!I use a 11g sachet wether doing 1 gallon of TC or 5 gallons of the stuff!

micmacmoc · Post by **micmacmoc** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 11:44 am

i bought some 'cider yeast' pitched it 3 days ago, gravity dropping steadily, now 1053, thanks folks!

micmacmoc · Post by **micmacmoc** » Mon Aug 25, 2008 1:54 pm

have transferred to a pressure barrel, it seems VERY sweet....would pitching more yeast help?

Curious Brew · Post by **Curious Brew** » Mon Aug 25, 2008 3:35 pm

micmacmoc wrote:have transferred to a pressure barrel, it seems VERY sweet....would pitching more yeast help?

Homebrew cider tends to be very dry rather than very sweet.

Sounds like it's not fermented out very much at all.

Frisp · Post by **Frisp** » Mon Aug 25, 2008 4:16 pm

Im a regular cooker of TC and I have found that cider yeast does not like to be much below 20C and in fact prefers the hot cupboard which is curently 22C.
My ale on the other hand ferments happily at 18. but TC stalls at that temp.
It may simply be a tad on the cool side for Cider.
Move it to a slightly warmer place. TC nearly always will ferment down to 1002 so 1064 OG will be quite alcoholoic.
I have never watered my TC down just used tesco apple juice which starts at around 1046 and I end up with 5.5% cider which blows the commercial fizzy stuff into a cocked hat

Post by **Jim** » Mon Aug 25, 2008 5:31 pm

Yeast struggles to keep going in a high gravity environment, so pitching more does help.

Also, if this brew's been stuck for that length of time, adding fresh yeast may get it going again, since the original yeast may have died - as Steve Flack said right at the start.

Post by **Jim** » Mon Aug 25, 2008 5:32 pm

micmacmoc wrote:have transferred to a pressure barrel, it seems VERY sweet....would pitching more yeast help?

What gravity was it at when you kegged it?

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