When to bottle turbo cider?

[rpc1]

Hello all :-)
Complete newbie at home brew, just been to wilkinsons and bought everything I think I need after looking at recipes on here.
About to start my turbo cider off and I'd like to start drinking it around Christmas so I'm just wondering after its finished fermenting and iv transfered it to a new Demi John when do I need to start bottling it?

Also after priming and bottling what do I do, iv read stuff about keeping the bottles warm and then chilling but I'm not sure!!

Cheers

 

[BigDDunc]

Hi rpc1,

Like you I'm a newbie, but here are my thoughts...

You can bottle whenever you like. Assuming you've added Malic acid (for MLF) then the general consensus is that bulk ageing is best.

Regards to priming/bottling that can be done at any point. To carbonate properly, you'd need at least a week in a bottle at room temperature for the yeasties to use up the sugar to produce a fizz, possibly longer if it's aged for a long time. After that, any time in the cool is just helping it mature. I'd work backwards if I were you.

Date you want to start drinking (e.g. 15th December)
Date to chill for drinking (-1 day) of the above. 14th December
Date to finish maturing (as long as possible) - ??
Date to generate carbonation/bottle (2 weeks - to be safe) so minimum 31st November
Date to age/mature - ??


Therefor you have approx 1 and 1/2 months to play with between bulk ageing and bottle ageing. Either way I believe (and not necessarily correct) is that it's generally done at cooler (shed) temperatures. So possibly this:

Date you want to start drinking (e.g. 15th December)
Date to chill for drinking (-1 day) of the above. 14th December
2 weeks in bottle to mature - 31st November (in the cold/unheated)
Date to keep warm to generate carbonation/bottle (2 weeks - to be safe) 17th November

and keep cold up till November.

Like I said, just my thoughts.

 

[rpc1]

@BIgDDunc Thanks for taking the time to reply much appreciated :thumb:

While batch maturing do I keep it outside in the cool or at room temp inside?

cheers

 

[BigDDunc]

Cool I would say, but I'm no expert!

 

[ScottM]

I wouldn't bother with Malic acid as you don't have enough time if you are looking to drink by Christmas. If you don't get the malic fermentation then you are left with additional acids that won't help the profile of the cider.

If you are adamant about the Chrimbo deadline then simply work back from the date you want it to be ready. For this little example let's call it the 25th of December

Drinking = 25th Dec
Subtract 2 weeks for cold conditioning - 11th Dec
Subtract 2 weeks for warm conditioning - 27th Nov
Bottling date - 26th Nov

So with that in mind and based on the bottling date I would go with the following....

Start primary this week 20th October and keep at 20-22 degrees
Transfer into secondary on 3rd Nov and keep at 20-22 degrees
Move the secondary to a cooler area on the 10th Nov, have it elevated if you can (so that you can rack without disturbing it).
Rack into clean FV for bottling. If you want it sparkling go with 150-200g of sugar depending on what you like. I would recommend bulk priming with 500ml of boiling water.
Make sure everything is well stirred (without splashing) and then bottle, as planned, on the 26th of Nov.
Warm for 2 weeks, cold for 2 weeks... time for a drink

 

[Gayle]

What batch size are you doing, 1 gallon? If so, get another batch on in a weeks or two's time, remember, it's New Year's the week after Christmas

 

[oldbloke]

Agree you don't have time for malic.
The older it is the better it'll be, so get it on ASAP. Not much more to say, really.
Given it'll be young, add some non-apple to round out the flavour. I like cranberry or pomegranate.

 

[rpc1]

Thanks to everyone who has commented/helped on this post it really is appreciated especially as I'm new here :thumb:

Iv got 4 demijohns on the go all with malic acid in, understanding now I'm not going to have time for malic fermentation to take place how much worse will the flavour be with the malic acid than if I hadn't bothered with it?

Considering buying another 2 demijohns to fill without malic just for Xmas and leave the ones I have got going for malic fermentation to take place.Do you think it would be worth the extra outlay?

Also 1 out of the the 4 brews has got a really thick half inch scum on top,the others have none,the only difference is I forgot to add the tannin (strong cup of tea) would this be the reason for the scum on top or has something gone wrong?!

Sorry for all the questions

Cheers

 

[rich27500]

Dont buy demijohns get these http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/#/te...o_ashbeck_mountain_spring_still_water_5l.html

 

[stevie1556]

I use those water bottles for when I first put a wine on. Mainly because I maybe being over cautious and not trusting a glass DJ with an airlock not to crack. Also, I prefer using the water from them rather then the tap water!

 

[ScottM]

I use those water bottles for when I first put a wine on. Mainly because I maybe being over cautious and not trusting a glass DJ with an airlock not to crack. Also, I prefer using the water from them rather then the tap water!

I like using them too, my main reason is that they hold 5L... so when racking into a glass DJ as a secondary no topping up is required :)

 

[rpc1]

I wouldn't bother with Malic acid as you don't have enough time if you are looking to drink by Christmas. If you don't get the malic fermentation then you are left with additional acids that won't help the profile of the cider.

If you are adamant about the Chrimbo deadline then simply work back from the date you want it to be ready. For this little example let's call it the 25th of December

Drinking = 25th Dec
Subtract 2 weeks for cold conditioning - 11th Dec
Subtract 2 weeks for warm conditioning - 27th Nov
Bottling date - 26th Nov

So with that in mind and based on the bottling date I would go with the following....

Start primary this week 20th October and keep at 20-22 degrees
Transfer into secondary on 3rd Nov and keep at 20-22 degrees
Move the secondary to a cooler area on the 10th Nov, have it elevated if you can (so that you can rack without disturbing it).
Rack into clean FV for bottling. If you want it sparkling go with 150-200g of sugar depending on what you like. I would recommend bulk priming with 500ml of boiling water.
Make sure everything is well stirred (without splashing) and then bottle, as planned, on the 26th of Nov.
Warm for 2 weeks, cold for 2 weeks... time for a drink

Ok I have decided to keep the stuff iv started for a longer time seeing as iv added malic acid and I'm going to put another 2 demijohns on this week for xmas without malic acid.

So when I go to batch conditioning for the ones with malic acid do I keep it inside or outside in my shed?

I know you said 2 weeks warm 2 weeks cold,but iv changed my time scale now so just wondering if I still split it 50/50 or does it need longer in the cold/warm.

Sorry to be a pain!

Cheers

 

[ScottM]

I wouldn't bother with Malic acid as you don't have enough time if you are looking to drink by Christmas. If you don't get the malic fermentation then you are left with additional acids that won't help the profile of the cider.

If you are adamant about the Chrimbo deadline then simply work back from the date you want it to be ready. For this little example let's call it the 25th of December

Drinking = 25th Dec
Subtract 2 weeks for cold conditioning - 11th Dec
Subtract 2 weeks for warm conditioning - 27th Nov
Bottling date - 26th Nov

So with that in mind and based on the bottling date I would go with the following....

Start primary this week 20th October and keep at 20-22 degrees
Transfer into secondary on 3rd Nov and keep at 20-22 degrees
Move the secondary to a cooler area on the 10th Nov, have it elevated if you can (so that you can rack without disturbing it).
Rack into clean FV for bottling. If you want it sparkling go with 150-200g of sugar depending on what you like. I would recommend bulk priming with 500ml of boiling water.
Make sure everything is well stirred (without splashing) and then bottle, as planned, on the 26th of Nov.
Warm for 2 weeks, cold for 2 weeks... time for a drink

Ok I have decided to keep the stuff iv started for a longer time seeing as iv added malic acid and I'm going to put another 2 demijohns on this week for xmas without malic acid.

So when I go to batch conditioning for the ones with malic acid do I keep it inside or outside in my shed?

I know you said 2 weeks warm 2 weeks cold,but iv changed my time scale now so just wondering if I still split it 50/50 or does it need longer in the cold/warm.

Sorry to be a pain!

Cheers

If you want malolactic fermentation your best bet is 2 months at 15 degrees. The 2 weeks warm, 2 weeks cold is only for carbonation.... ie after the bottling is done. For malolactic fermentation you really need to leave the cider in the secondary, stored out of the way. Once the malolactic fermentation has taken place you then leave for another couple of months to mature. This brings out the very best homebrew cider has to offer.

 

[graysalchemy]

If you want MLF to really complete then you need to leave as long as possible, my last one was left for about 9-10 months. It does make a difference and will continue to mature in the bottle as well. :thumb:

 

[Loetz]

add some non-apple to round out the flavour. I like cranberry or pomegranate.

Have you tried cranberry? That sounds good! I'm drinking my 7 month old turbo cider right now and I'm not really happy with it. It's got a lot of kick, and SWMBO likes it but I just don't like the flavor. What percentage of cranberry should I use for my next batch if I want to round it out?

 

[oldbloke]

add some non-apple to round out the flavour. I like cranberry or pomegranate.

Have you tried cranberry? That sounds good! I'm drinking my 7 month old turbo cider right now and I'm not really happy with it. It's got a lot of kick, and SWMBO likes it but I just don't like the flavor. What percentage of cranberry should I use for my next batch if I want to round it out?

Yes, cranberry was my default extra until I tried pomegranate, which then became my default extra.
But through 2013 I intend to do some proper testing of variations (yeh, right)

I use half a litre of whatever extra juice and half a litre of tea in each gallon

What's up with the flavour of your TC? What was the recipe? I'm with the crowd who say too high an ABV spoils it.
I'm also coming to the conclusion that the extra cost of Suma apple concentrate is well worth it for the extra apple you can get into the brew.

 

[rpc1]

Thanks for the replies :
Not sure where to put my tc for batch conditioning I guess outside will be to cold this time of year!

 

[oldbloke]

I know you said 2 weeks warm 2 weeks cold,but iv changed my time scale now so just wondering if I still split it 50/50 or does it need longer in the cold/warm.

2weeks if you can spare it at (at least 1 whatever) around 20C (longer if cooler) then as long as possible in the cool.

 

[Loetz]

What's up with the flavour of your TC?

I'm realizing now that the twist off caps that I used just didn't seal very well. I tried some of the cider in my regular pop off capped bottles and it's delicious! I'll still probably try using the concentrate and cranberry next time. Thanks for the tip!