First cider brew a non-starter...

[OlliesDad]

Having a bunch of apple trees in the garden of my new house I thought I'd get an apple press and then decided to give this cider making lark a go.

I freely admit this was a bit of an experiment and also a little gung-ho in that my plan, if it can be called that, was to juice the apples. Put said juice in suitable FV and let it go!

However, having take some advice from members here I decided it would be prudent to add some Campden tablets followed by suitable brewing yeast.

So the other day Oliver (aged 6) and I extracted a gallon of apple juice, transferred to the FV, added three Campden tablets (based on the directions on the tablet pack), waited 24 hours then added yeast.

The FV was left covered but not airlocked as I had been given to understand that initial fermentation could be "vigorous".

Well, nothing. No sign of any reaction at all.

Still, in spirit of optimism we sealed teh FV and put the airlock on anyway and so far nothing, nada, nowt, zip, zero. Just a gallon of turgid looking liquid sitting on the table.

So, my questions are, where did I go wrong and is this salvageable?

Too many Campden tablets?
Should have waited longer before adding yeast?
Can this be rejuvenated with additional yeast? Add some nutrient?

Advice welcome!

 

[pvt_ak]

There are many more qualified on here to comment - but three questions:

What yeast did you use ?
What was the temp of your brew when you added the yeast ?
Where are you storing (what's the temp?)


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[Razor]

I would only have put 1 campden per gallon. So it may not have all worked it's way out of the juice yet. The yeasties may surprise you and just take off at some point or you may need to add some more after another day I'm not too sure on that. I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will be by to advise you shortly. :lol:


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[OlliesDad]

There are many more qualified on here to comment - but three questions:

What yeast did you use ?
What was the temp of your brew when you added the yeast ?
Where are you storing (what's the temp?)


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The yeast was a "wine" yeast supplied as part of a "starter pack".

The temperatures? Er? "Room"...

I did say it was a little "gung-ho"!


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[pvt_ak]

The yeast was a "wine" yeast supplied as part of a "starter pack".

The temperatures? Er? "Room"...

I did say it was a little "gung-ho"!


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Lol [emoji23] stick in a nice warm place, get your airlock on and see what happens in a few days.


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[MattH1973]

I did very similar about a month ago - just did the whole thing on a whim. I found the "love brewing" website really helpful as it contains a guide and lots of useful equipment / ingredients. They are also very knowledgeable when you call them. From memory I'd offer the following thoughts:

- Short term; go ahead and seal the vessel with an airlock. That way any CO2 produced will preserve the juice while you work out what to do. if it oxidises, then your juicing effort will have been wasted, and that would be sad.
- Yeast; most seem to recommend specific champagne or cider yeast. Search around on here for a variety you are comfortable with and pick some up in case more needs adding later. Within reason, I think the risks of under yeasting are greater than risks of adding an extra teaspoon when you don't really need it.
- yeast nutrient; most people recommend this to help the yeast start. the absence of this and the relatively high Campden dose may be the reason things are going slowly.
- Hyrometer readings; only if you take these do you know if fermentation has happened. My fermentation was not at all vigorous but the readings still indicated that it had taken place. There was no bubbling in my airlock (just a slight pressure change indicated by the levels) so this was essential. IIRC the pure juice had a reading of something like 1.07 and the end result had a reading of around 1.01. There's no going back if you didn't take a reading at the start but take a reading now - it gives you a baseline to measure changes, and I'd bet if the reading is close to 1.01 then some fermentation has indeed occurred.
- Next step; think about secondary fermentation and bottling and get the required kit. For a small amount racking it off the yeast into a clean vessel, and then bottling is probably the easiest way. Mine cleared in the bottles after about 3 weeks.
- Patience; this forum has told me that this is the key in brewing !

Good luck, keep us informed.

 

[freester]

Again no expert - first timer this Autumn also. I split my apple juice 50/50 with my neighbour. There's showed very little sign of fermenting then they made a hydrometer test and it was down to 1.000...

So really to echo the above advice. Get a hydrometer (only a few quid online or at Wilko). Take a reading. If it's around 1.000 or just above it's probably had a 'phantom' fermentation. If it's still higher then throw some nutrient and more yeast in!

 

[Tau]

added three Campden tablets (based on the directions on the tablet pack), waited 24 hours then added yeast.

Camdens haven't dissipated, one only required for a gallon, the yeast will gradually start as so3 drop, but if the container is air tight might be a while. Have a smell if you can smell sulphur dioxide and a lot of it then has a little while before it will start.

 

[OlliesDad]

By way of an update I stuck the FV in the airing cupboard for a few days with no visible effect, though levels in the airlock did change there didn't seem to be any actual bubble.

So today I took a trip to Wilkos today for some yeast, nutrient etc.

Took a hydrometer reading and there was no difference to the original reading (though the temperature was almost certainly a bit higher than the the original reading).

So, we've chucked in some nutrient and yeast and almost immediately there appears to be something happening, though it is not very "vigorous". We also tried a bit of the juice which seemed fine, still just "juice" but the merest hint of an alcoholic note?

Anyway, stuck it back in the airing cupboard for a bit and will wait and see what happens....

 

[pvt_ak]

If you've chucked in yeast and more nutrient you'll see a little movement but it won't really kick in for a day or so. The warmth will help ! Hope this works out for you [emoji106]


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[OlliesDad]

If you've chucked in yeast and more nutrient you'll see a little movement but it won't really kick in for a day or so. The warmth will help ! Hope this works out for you [emoji106]


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Got a slight foam on Sunday but no bubbles through the airlock.
Then quite suddenly yesterday it almost literally burst in to life and has been bubbling away merrily since then.

Will check where it is at at the weekend but quietly optimistic now!


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[pvt_ak]

Got a slight foam on Sunday but no bubbles through the airlock.
Then quite suddenly yesterday it almost literally burst in to life and has been bubbling away merrily since then.

Will check where it is at at the weekend but quietly optimistic now!


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Good work mate - you're on the road [emoji106]


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