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CiderBomb! How far will it go?
  • jeepinjeepinjeepinjeepin
    1090.00 KarmaPosts: 1,975
    It has begun! I'm gonna step feed this cider until it quits.

    To begin I'm starting small so it can grow as needed. It's 2.5G in a 3G better bottle now. It will probably end up in a 5 or 6 Gallon BB before its all said and done.

    2 gallons of 100% apple juice
    4 12oz cans of frozen apple juice concentrate
    3 tsp Fermax yeast nutrient
    1 sachet Nottingham yeast

    The juice was 12 brix.
    1 can would raise a 1/2 gallon of juice by 4 brix to 16 brix. So 4 half gallons and 4 cans equals a 16 brix start. That's 1.064 SG.

    I have 4 more cans in the freezer but anticipate buying more. I'll do the math as I go.
  • C_BC_B
    5018.00 KarmaPosts: 37,588
    Neat. This is interesting. It also reminds me I don't have any cider going. Fail.
    Globe says Erie PA, analytics says Honolulu, it's just CB ~Lakewood
  • LakewoodLakewood
    5552.00 KarmaPosts: 37,829
    So what's the plan, just add concentrate every couple days till it stalls?
    Baby Charlotte has arrived.
  • jeepinjeepinjeepinjeepin
    1090.00 KarmaPosts: 1,975
    Pretty much. I might even leave a hydrometer in it.
  • LakewoodLakewood
    5552.00 KarmaPosts: 37,829
    Cool. Any projection on the final abv?
    Baby Charlotte has arrived.
  • jeepinjeepinjeepinjeepin
    1090.00 KarmaPosts: 1,975
    Anything under 15% ABV will be a failure. I'd like to see close to 20%
  • LakewoodLakewood
    5552.00 KarmaPosts: 37,829
    jeepinjeepin said:

    Anything under 15% ABV will be a failure. I'd like to see close to 20%



    i've never tasted a 20% aBV cider... is it going to be drinkable?
    Baby Charlotte has arrived.
  • jeepinjeepinjeepinjeepin
    1090.00 KarmaPosts: 1,975
    I've frozen a cider up to around 20%. It was hot, but not bad. I'm hoping for something better by getting it from the ferment.
  • LakewoodLakewood
    5552.00 KarmaPosts: 37,829
    What temp are you fermenting at? Low and slow?
    Baby Charlotte has arrived.
  • C_BC_B
    5018.00 KarmaPosts: 37,588
    Dang. I thought 15% would be good... Will Notty go that high?
    Globe says Erie PA, analytics says Honolulu, it's just CB ~Lakewood
  • jeepinjeepinjeepinjeepin
    1090.00 KarmaPosts: 1,975
    Starting low. I will increase as my zen tells me to.

    Notty is said to go 11-13% under "normal" conditions but can go to 18%. I'm gonna try to push that.
  • FromZwolleFromZwolle
    6594.00 KarmaPosts: 28,559
    jeepinjeepin said:

    Starting low. I will increase as my zen tells me to.

    Notty is said to go 11-13% under "normal" conditions but can go to 18%. I'm gonna try to push that.



    adding nutrients/aerating any with the concentrate additions?
  • jeepinjeepinjeepinjeepin
    1090.00 KarmaPosts: 1,975
    I think I will add either nutrient or energizer with the first addition. Some precursory reading on mead making last night suggests only 3 steps and only adding nutrients with the first.

    I was planning on adding enough concentrate to bring it back around 1.060 each time. If I'm only adding 3 times I'm gonna have to let it fall pretty low each time. I don't want to risk it going still before getting more sugar in it. I may end up bucking the trend and add 1 can each afternoon instead of 4+ at a time, as long as the gravity is falling. That gives me some insurance against it quitting just after a huge sugar dump. I don't think I want this completely dry, but I want to be able to taste it at the end to decide how much sugar to add back in.
  • frydogbrewsfrydogbrews
    11565.00 KarmaPosts: 28,868
    keep some ec-1118 on hand in case it stalls permanently.
    i made a 20% cyser with with this method. it was 5 gallons of apple juice and 17 pounds of honey or something like that. i mixed it all up at the begninning though and then used staggered nutrient additions to keep it cranking. it's 2.5 years old now and still not drinkable, but i expected 5 years of age before it tasted good.
  • jeepinjeepinjeepinjeepin
    1090.00 KarmaPosts: 1,975
    frydogbrews said:

    keep some ec-1118 on hand in case it stalls permanently.
    i made a 20% cyser with with this method. it was 5 gallons of apple juice and 17 pounds of honey or something like that. i mixed it all up at the begninning though and then used staggered nutrient additions to keep it cranking. it's 2.5 years old now and still not drinkable, but i expected 5 years of age before it tasted good.


    Good to know. I've read good stuff about 1118, but on my rushed lunch hour purchase I didn't grab any. Will it restart a fermentation that has stopped or just keep one going that has slowed down? When we get into dissolved O2/FAN/pH/ethanol/etc making scientific decisions are out. I just go with my gut.
  • frydogbrewsfrydogbrews
    11565.00 KarmaPosts: 28,868
    jeepinjeepin said:

    frydogbrews said:

    keep some ec-1118 on hand in case it stalls permanently.
    i made a 20% cyser with with this method. it was 5 gallons of apple juice and 17 pounds of honey or something like that. i mixed it all up at the begninning though and then used staggered nutrient additions to keep it cranking. it's 2.5 years old now and still not drinkable, but i expected 5 years of age before it tasted good.


    Good to know. I've read good stuff about 1118, but on my rushed lunch hour purchase I didn't grab any. Will it restart a fermentation that has stopped or just keep one going that has slowed down? When we get into dissolved O2/FAN/pH/ethanol/etc making scientific decisions are out. I just go with my gut.


    it will restart a fermentation for sure. you don't want to start with it necessarily because of the gross flavors it will throw it, but i have used it several times to restart fermens that have been completely stopped for months. little aeration and dump it in....boom. go with two packets for this kind of thing.
  • BenvarineBenvarine
    1751.00 KarmaPosts: 1,466
    I've been following this thread. It sort of sounds like you will be stressing this thing a bit and for a while. Like torture. Are you concerned about the outcome from stressed yeast. Yeast under stress, except some Brett do not perform at their best or produce desirable results.
  • jeepinjeepinjeepinjeepin
    1090.00 KarmaPosts: 1,975
    I'm not terribly worried. Oddly the biggest concern seems to be adding too much nutrient too often and causing the yeast to overpopulate.
  • frydogbrewsfrydogbrews
    11565.00 KarmaPosts: 28,868
    jeepinjeepin said:

    I'm not terribly worried. Oddly the biggest concern seems to be adding too much nutrient too often and causing the yeast to overpopulate.


    too much nutrient will also cause a buildup of sulfur which is very bad.

    and benvarine, this method actually causes less stress than just dumping the yeast into something that is 1.14 sg because the beasties are happier in an enviroment that is less sugary than that. as they start pooping out all the alcohol, they get less happy so the nutrient perks them up and hopefully pulls them through.
  • jeepinjeepinjeepinjeepin
    1090.00 KarmaPosts: 1,975
    If my off the top of my head, notebook in the other room calculations are correct, the can I add in the morning will bring OG to 1.080 and its just now really getting fired up.
  • jeepinjeepinjeepinjeepin
    1090.00 KarmaPosts: 1,975
    Tomorrow afternoon may see transfer to a 5 gallon better bottle and thus some oxygenation.
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