clearing cider

[Dysonno1]

hi all

Im on my very first cider brew (wilkos forest fruit) and last night racked from primary to secondary last night after 10 days of fermentation at around 22*C..

My question is around colour and clearness.. When first put into primary the colour was a red/ pinky but when I racked it over it is a very cloudy orange colour..

Im planning on leaving in the secondary at same temp as it has been at for fermentation for another week or two before bottling. Is this the way to go or would it be beneficial to move to a colder place

Also will I need to add anything to aid clearing as Id prefer a clear pint rather than cloudy

Taste wise it was OK and left an vague alcohol after taste.. Hopefully itll improve with time

 

[ThreeSheets]

Welcome,

When you racked the brew did you let the vessel sit in the same place for a day beforehand? If you let it shake around before siphoning you may have unsettled the yeast at the bottom of the vessel and let a fair proportion siphon through (that normally makes it cloudy, it's no problem). If you want to make it less cloudy some people use tertiary fermentation, it filters out extra yeast. Not sure about clearing aids other then filtering out the yeast altogether.

As for taste, ageing is really the best method to improve it (6 months does nicely).

 

[Dysonno1]

Thanks for the reply.

I didnt move the FV at all.. I syphoned it off from where it had sat for 10 days.... I guess patience is the key... Hopefully itll settle in secondary before bottling or if not whilst in the bottle.. I guess only time will tell... What about moving the secondary to a cooler place before bottling would this help?

 

[Gayle]

If you want a clear cider you'll just need to leave it alone for a while, if sediment starts building up on the bottom again you can rack over again, but if fermentation was over and you siphoned cleanly there shouldn't be any need. The colours can change quite a bit from what it looked like at the start, it should end up a nice clear cidery colour. You could use finings if you really want a clear cider quickly, but leaving it sitting for ages will improve the flavours as well as the clarity, so it's better to not use them. I've had cider sitting for nearly a month now after being racked and still not clear, so it does take time!

 

[Dysonno1]

Thanks for reply... I guess ill just leave it for a while see how it goes... Would it clear better at lower temps?? Ie around 16*C rather than at 22*C or doesnt temp matter that much?? Also how long would u leave it in secondary vessel if you wanted to bottle condition to a good fizz

 

[alanywiseman.]

If fermentation is complete store the secondary in the cool. This helps the crash the yeast out and produce a clear cider. Has for how long it is up to you. You could wait till it is crystal clear then rack to a bottling bucket but stir up a bt of the yeast in the transfer so that it can carbonate your bottle but it will take maybe 3-4months to get that clear