Sos! Newbie has bum luck :(

[Lozronz]

Hi
Any help gratefully received! This year, I decided that I was middle age... I can't afford a sports car, already got an allotment, so my next logical step was home brew (not to cast aspersions, I know that all ages take part, that's just how I got to it.)

I'm not a total stranger to home brewing, that is, I have dabbled with the table still and the odd turbo cider, especially since those Mack's caps came out and made it seem easy, but I thought it time to try to take the next step-

I bought a Wilco's spiced cider kit, followed through the instructions (with my 5 year old, who now believes that yeast eats sugar and poops out alcohol, so all beer is yeast poop, which he thinks is gross and never wants to try it, so I win, parenting is easy!)

3 days in, the my combi boiler exploded, the temperature plummeted and the fermentation got 'stuck.' Three days later, I got it sorted, I restarted the fermentation with a little champagne yeast and a little more sugar and yeast nutrients (no idea if that was the best way?)

It bubbled for 6 days then stopped... I now have a very dry, at a taste test weak %, slightly tasteless 23 litres that is still quite cloudy.

I have a pressure barrel but no bottles, I since read that Wilco's cider is not their best product in the range and a pressure barrel isn't the best option but... You live and learn.

I was considering trying a save on this, using finings and 12 campden tablets in the brew barrel, syponing into the pressure barrel, adding half a kilo of sugar and a tiny bit of champagne yeast in case the finings and Campden tablets had killed the yeast for a second fermentation but I am really spitballing here, if anyone wants to tell me that ass from elbow, I don't know, I would welcome it, I'm just struggling with it all at the moment

If you got this far, thanks for listening to my life story, really any help would be great :)

Cheers
Laurence

 

[user 4004]

Dropping campden in at this stage, in my opinion is a wast of time, it is normally used to stun wild yeast to allow a known culture to take hold.
As I understand it once you have added finings to a brew it will kill the yeast and all subsequent yeast you add, so if you want to add more sugar to either increase % or for fizz I would say don't go near it with finings (like I say not 100% on this, so some one may correct me later)
As for the cloudiness and talking about "real" cider not kit kit cider, some will clear and some will remain cloudy, it seems to be down to the apples used, but most wines will clear on there own with time.
if you do want to increase % you will not need to add more yeast, once you have a culture in a brew that has been working there are only two ways it can be killed 1) with potassium sorbet (finings I think) and 2) making the environment toxic / to alcoholic for it to tolerate. as you say you added a champagne yeast it should tolerate about 16% and I doubt you are at that yet.

Where you mention a stuck ferment I imagine the temp just dropped below the working temp of the yeast, and it probably would have started again on its own when you brought the temp back up.
With my cider brewing it is all done outside in a shed and at this time of year it will come to a near stop, and then start back up on a warm day as the shed warms up.

As for a lack of flavor I cant be much help.

 

[Lozronz]

Thanks Snake,
So your advise is, add some sugar, stop faffing with it like I keep reading that everyone new to the hobby does... put it in the pressure barrel and... What will be, will be? Thanks for the advice, I know how frustrating it is constantly reading new faux pas on forums, cheers for taking the time.

Laurence

 

[Lozronz]

...I have a couple more very newb questions... Is half a kg ok to add to the pressure barrel? When they say lube the release valve of the barrel, what is best stuff to do that with, and is it because it seals it and keeps it airtight or because it makes the valve work? Can a pressure barrel explode? (I keep it next to the loo and if it kills either my partner or my child, the survivor will never let me forget it... I know, I know... Whipped!)

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I would add check the instructions on your Campdens I use 5 per 23 litres 12 seems a lot.

 

[goodolpete]

As I understand it once you have added finings to a brew it will kill the yeast and all subsequent yeast you add,

I'm not saying you're wrong, but
why bother with stopper if finings does this.
dont you use finings in beer and then prime it?

 

[jakejake]

500g of sugar is too much for the pressure barrel. The sugar you add to the pressure barrel is really just there for carbonation. (You want to hit your desired alcohol level before barreling using sugar added to your fermenting vessel.) For a 23 litre batch you want between 70 to 100g in the pressure barrel to provide carbonation.

If your cider's still in the fermenting vessel, then feel free to add 500g or even a kilo of sugar and let it ferment for a few days. That will boost your alcohol content.

Usually you don't need to add yeast at different stages of the brew. Once the yeast has got going there'll be plenty left in suspension for weeks and weeks to come.

Be aware that your cider will take a long time to clear in a barrel. This is because any particles have a long way to drop (compared to a bottle). You might be looking at 6 weeks before the barrel clears.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

As I understand it once you have added finings to a brew it will kill the yeast and all subsequent yeast you add,

I'm not saying you're wrong, but
why bother with stopper if finings does this.
dont you use finings in beer and then prime it?

Fermentation stabiliser/stopper is used to kill the yeast, finings clear your wine/cider.

 

[Cwrw666]

If you were to make cider using apples and a cider press, the result will be cloudy. So I wouldn't worry about cloudiness. Be wary about tasting your cider and judging the strength. I just made some real cider and it's not only cloudy but tastes pretty weak as well, but based on the original and final gravity it's at least 6% alcohol. real cider takes a long time to mature as well - it's traditional to be drinking the cider you made last autumn in the summer.

 

[Lozronz]

Thanks for everyone's advice, I added a kilo of sugar, left it and tried a little today, it tastes a lot better, I'll barrel it up tomorrow and then leave it for a bit. You have all been very helpful :)

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Keep us posted.