real newbie - turbo cider smell

[Geordie]

Hi
real newbies to home brewing (though got alot on the go from kits!) so apologies for daft questions.

made our first batch of turbo cider from apple juice, sugar and bread yeast... it smells very vinegary, but tastes ok.
I guess it needs to stand abit longer, as there seems to be undissolved sugar in it, I just wondered if the smell means it isn't good??
It smells off, but tastes abit like White Lightening!

I don't want to poison anyone ... and more importantly, want to get it right next time

thanks for any advice

 

[Baz Chaz]

I've not broken into the TC brewing ... yet might just give it a go, but the bread yeast is not a good idea, better off with cider yeast or champagne yeast.

Some of the TC lads will be here sometime with better ideas for you, but I'd certainly change the yeast for your next brew :thumb:

 

[Geordie]

thanks for that ... it was just that we've only used kits so far and it was all we had in!
and the chaps had been looking on youtube....

 

[GeorgeSalt]

If there's undissolved sugar.. how much did you add and to how much apple juice? How long ago did you start?

Answering your questions with more questions, but it's difficult to know what's going on without deteils.

 

[ScottM]

When you say undissolved sugar... are you perhaps mistaking that for the dead yeast at the bottom of the bucket? The sugar should dissolve as soon as it's added to the water. As long as you gave it a mix in when adding it you shouldn't have any left over.

 

[oldbloke]

Quite a few recipes (ale and cider) can give what is sometimes described as a vinegary smell (though I can't say I've ever noticed it myself).
As I understand it, it's mainly a side effect of CO2 up yer schnozz, and not actually vinegar, so if it tastes OK, it's OK

If there is undissolved sugar, the yeast will find it eventually.
TurboCider really doesn't need any extra though - it comes out over 5% with just AJ.

 

[graysalchemy]

Yeast often produces a whole host of smells.

I would be careful adding sugar to TC a common mistake. Unfortunately cider usually has a very delicate flavour verging on insipidity if brewed with carton apple juice. This is basically that the apples used are not cider apples but desert apples. Sugar acts as a flavour dilutent so adding it in quantity will lead to a 'white lightning style cider' little taste but strong in alcohol.

There are a few things that carton apple juice lacks which needs to be added to make the cider better and more flavoursome. firstly tannin, this adds bite or astringency, this can be added either as 1 tsp per gallon, of tannin powder from a homebrew shop or a small cup of very very strong black tea so strong that you can't drink it. The second thing you can add to make your apple juice more like cider apple juice is malic acid, this adds sharpness and is also vital for malolactic fermentation the thing that gives a mature cider its 'farmyard twang'. Again add at the rate of 1tsp per gallon. You can find this online and in some LHBS. There has been a lot written about Malolactic fermentation or MLF on here so a quick search will give you an insight if you are interested.

Cider also needs a lot of time to mature both in bulk and in the bottle, all of my TC gets matured for 6-8 months before bottling (this is extreme I know 2-3 months will improvement it a lot)

And finally ditch the bread yeast for either champagne yeast or some yeast cultured from a bottle of Westons Old rosie cider, an excellent strain of yeast which is easily cultured and also has the benifit of being good for getting MLF going.

Having said all that if you are happy with White Lightening then go for it :thumb: :thumb: