cider not clearing

[Ben1988]

iv transfered my cider in to a second dj waited a week for it to clear and it hasnt cleared so i went and bought some finnings and added that and iv left it nearly a week and it still hasnt cleared

 

[Grumpy Jack]

OK, start from the beginning.. what you brewing from? Juice? Apples? Kit? Temperature? FV? Process? etc, let's eliminate everything that is the possible cause of your porblem and whatever you're left with, however improbable, must be the cause... :)

 

[Ben1988]

right here is what i did

4.5 liters of pure apple juice not from concentrate
2 tea bags mashed in hot water then left to cool

then i checked my sg it was 1050.left it 2 weeks to ferment then checked the gravity again and it read 1000 so i then transfered in to my second dj.so i added some splenda to sweeten it and then left it for another week and it didnt clear so i went to my local home brew shop to get some finnings i added one level tea spoon to a quater of a cup of warm water then i left it too cool then i added it and now i have left it for a further week and it still hasnt cleared and thats all i have done

 

[Cider Minx]

will a camden tablet not clear it?

I'm new so I am not sure :)

 

[Ben1988]

iv added finnings to it and it hasnt cleared with that so a camden tablet wont help i wouldnt think

 

[ciderman]

Hi there,

Out of curiousity, what does the Cider smell like? :thumb:

 

[prolix]

get a pewter tankard. :thumb:

could be pectin haze as it is pure juice, I get that when I use bramleys in my cider.

 

[Cider Minx]

just looked at my 2 ciders and 1 is clearing and 1 is cloudy

I think its the way I pressed my apples

the clear 1 is from me squishing them (bramley apples)
the cloudy 1 is from a juicer lol (unknown apples and bramley)

I tested them both with hydrometer both read 1000 I tasted them and they are both yummy

so I was thinking................does it really matter if its cloudy if its done the fermenting and tastes good :)

so try it and see lol I did :)

 

[Cider Minx]

My dad just told me what finings do hehe sorry (told you I was new)

 

[Ben1988]

what is pewter tankard.ok cider minx dont no what to do eather bottle it or pore it down the sink but then its a waste if i get rid of it or i might bottle it and give it to my friend

 

[Cider Minx]

have u smelt it or tasted it?

 

[graysalchemy]

Did you add pectolase enzyme as that would have removed any pectin which is the cause of hazes in fruit brews.

I don't know if you can add it now or not but that may be your problem. And I think if that is the problem it may be difficult to shift with finnings.

I may be wrong but that seems to be the glaring omission from your recipe.

Good luck

AG

 

[Ben1988]

the only time iv tried it was when i transfered it from the first djj to the second one and it smelt and tasted good

 

[Cider Minx]

well does it matter if its cloudy or not? (I'm asking as mine is cloudy also but I think its from the way I did apples, but I was thinking of leaving it cloudy) unless theres a reason on way it can't be cloudy lol

 

[Ben1988]

im not sure why yours is like that but mine should have cleared so thats why im dont no weather to drink it or not

 

[Cider Minx]

oh right ........... what would happen if u added more filings? or if you put it through another cloth into clean dj?

 

[Ben1988]

dont no but i didnt put it through a cloth i just put a sterilived tube in the first dj and sucked on it to get it to go in the second dj

 

[jebrug]

In my humble opinion, the only thing missing from your recipe is "Time". It may be unreasonable to expect cider to ferment out and clear down over a 3 to 4 week period. I believe the finings were unnecessary at such an early stage.
It is usual for cider to start a secondary fermentation after the first racking, I normally leave mine for at least a month no matter what the SG, especially as it appears your brew is drinkable at this early stage, which indicates to me, that there is still some action in the system. This may explain the reluctance to clear. My advice is PATIENCE.

 

[Grumpy Jack]

Patience works best in the long term and colder weather helps in my experience...

You should never throw anything away unless you've drunk it and it tastes like vingar, in which case make it into vinegar, or it puts you in a coma. :lol:

 

[Cider Minx]

is it ok to drink cloudy though? mines cloudy and been in dj since end of nov

I think mine is cloudy through juicing apples in a juicer lol so it was a thicker pulp