The apples made me do it

Bzee · Oct 24, 2022

I made cider for the first time this year and I need advice. Ive been makeing my own beer a while now thanks to advice from forums past.

Chippy_Tea · Oct 24, 2022

Welcome to the forum.

What advice do you need?

The Baron · Oct 24, 2022

Welcome to the forum

Bzee · Oct 25, 2022

I made cider from crushed and pressed fresh apples. I was planning on letting natural yeasts do Thier work but after a couple of days of no activity I added some dried kviek yeast I had. Now it seems to have finished working but the cider tastes a bit sweet, like a commercial cider. Kviek is normally a beast in ale wort but I'm worried it's stopped early. No I don't have enough a working hydrometer.

raymondo · Oct 25, 2022

Bzee said:
I made cider from crushed and pressed fresh apples. I was planning on letting natural yeasts do Thier work but after a couple of days of no activity I added some dried kviek yeast I had. Now it seems to have finished working but the cider tastes a bit sweet, like a commercial cider. Kviek is normally a beast in ale wort but I'm worried it's stopped early. No I don't have enough a working hydrometer.

A wild cider fermentation takes a while to get underway - mine often sit for 7 to 10 days before showing activity. Can't help regarding Kviek yeast - never used it, supposed to ferment at high temperatures I believe.

You need to use a hydrometer to assess how fermentation is going.

An Ankoù · Oct 25, 2022

Bzee said:
I made cider from crushed and pressed fresh apples. I was planning on letting natural yeasts do Thier work but after a couple of days of no activity I added some dried kviek yeast I had. Now it seems to have finished working but the cider tastes a bit sweet, like a commercial cider. Kviek is normally a beast in ale wort but I'm worried it's stopped early. No I don't have enough a working hydrometer.

Hi @Bzee if your cider tastes a bit sweet then it's not finished fermenting. It should be bone dry and perhaps a little sour at this stage. I've never used kviek in cider and wouldn't know what to expect of it, but I wouldn't risk bottling it up. Get a sachet of mangrove Jack's cider yeast, M-02, I think, from memory, or a sachet of champagne yeast and pour it in and leave it. It'll could well chuck away for weeks or months. You certainly need a hydrometer.