Looks like I have to pour this away? :(

[Patrick_Newing]

What do you think?!
It’s from mixed apples, some pears, bottled in October, kept in cool dark place since then and was ok a month ago - clear, tasted ok, but with a slightly off smell to it perhaps sulphury.
This is heartbreaking !

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Did you use a crushed campden tablet when racking? i only make juice wines but always use a campden tablet to stop thigs going wrong in the bottles.

 

[Patrick_Newing]

I used campden tablets at the start, when crushing and pressing the fruit, left the juice for a day before adding yeast.

Then let it ferment out and racked and bottled with priming sugar, so no campden tablet here.

Has anyone had this happen to them?
It’s not looking good but after all the effort to make it if there’s a way to salvage it I’ll give it a go!

 

[DavieC]

Hi Patrick, it's hard to tell from the photo but is the mass at the bottom loose?, It's not just sediment stirred up from handling the bottles?

 

[Patrick_Newing]

Hiya, no, not just sediment, it’s quite lumpy when poured out
Think I have to face up to it and pour the lot away. Was just clinging on that there might be a tiny thread of hope to save it
So much work making it, last years batch was excellent too!

 

[DavieC]

That's a shame, but definitely shouldn't be like that.. I've no idea what it is,or why it's occured though.

 

[Mikes1992]

Could it potentially be pectin jellifying in the bottom? I find nests like this in fruit must before adding pectolase... It could also be some kind of bacteria or mold growth... What does the actual cider taste like?

We once made lemoncello using fresh lemons and it was fine when we made it, we came back a few weeks later to use it and the bottle looked a bit like your cider... The entire bottle had turned into runny jelly! Almost the same texture as frog spawn. Thankfully it made quite a nice lemon sorbet in the ice cream maker for Christmas day.

 

[Patrick_Newing]

It didn’t taste too bad!
But it poured thick and took some sediment with it into the glass.

interesting point about pectin.

Next year I’m going to be extra careful with sanitising everything, use correct amount of campden tablets, pectin and yeast nutrient

 

[steve123]

Did you pour it all away? You say it didn’t taste too bad. Could you leave it in the fridge to drop everything to the bottom and be careful when pouring to leave the crap in the bottom

 

[Patrick_Newing]

Yeah it’s gone now
I was a bit wary of it just in case!