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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.Sign here______________________________ -
Neat. This is interesting. It also reminds me I don't have any cider going. Fail."On it. I hate software." ~Cpt Snarklepants
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So what's the plan, just add concentrate every couple days till it stalls?The only thing between me and a train wreck is blind luck..... - Kenny
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Pretty much. I might even leave a hydrometer in it.Sign here______________________________
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Cool. Any projection on the final abv?The only thing between me and a train wreck is blind luck..... - Kenny
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Anything under 15% ABV will be a failure. I'd like to see close to 20%Sign here______________________________
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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?The only thing between me and a train wreck is blind luck..... - Kenny -
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.Sign here______________________________
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What temp are you fermenting at? Low and slow?The only thing between me and a train wreck is blind luck..... - Kenny
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Dang. I thought 15% would be good... Will Notty go that high?"On it. I hate software." ~Cpt Snarklepants
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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.Sign here______________________________ -
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?The pinnacle of lame and awesome in one singular moment. -Lake -
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.Sign here______________________________ -
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. -
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.
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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. -
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.
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I'm not terribly worried. Oddly the biggest concern seems to be adding too much nutrient too often and causing the yeast to overpopulate.Sign here______________________________
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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.
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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.Sign here______________________________
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Tomorrow afternoon may see transfer to a 5 gallon better bottle and thus some oxygenation.Sign here______________________________
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I've reached the limit of my 3 gallon BB. It currently is holding 2 gallons of juice and 120 oz of juice concentrate for a calculated OG of 1.089SG. It is down to 1.032SG for a very sweet near 8% ABV. To go to a 5 gallon BB I'll have to liberate my other larger minifridge. I didn't time these 2 projects well.Sign here______________________________
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why are you putting it in a fridge?
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Minifridge fermentation chamber. Started bringing the temp up yesterday.Sign here______________________________
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do you need a chamber this time of year?
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I have one, so why not? It would probably be fine in the front bedroom, but I like the control of starting it out lower and being able to bring it up.
FYI: Corrected OG should be 1.115 or similar now. I keep adding concentrate when it gets between 1.030-1.040SG. After the next 2 cans (1.134?) I'll start letting the gravity fall into the 20s or teens.Sign here______________________________ -
i get it. this time of year my biggest concern is that its warm enough in the first place. not much of an issue with wine yeast though, it likes it cold.
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Gotcha. It's a minifridge with a STC-1000 and a small space heater. It goes both ways.Sign here______________________________
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giggity
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"On it. I hate software." ~Cpt Snarklepants
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The pinnacle of lame and awesome in one singular moment. -Lake
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If anybody is bored and wants to work some math for me...
208g of sugar per 1/2 gallon of juice X 4
168g of sugar per 12oz can concentrate X 22
That's 4528g of sugar in 4gal(15L)
Current gravity is 1.018 and falling slowly
ABV???Sign here______________________________ -
You you advanced users out there, there is an additional 128g of carbs not listed as "sugar". Sacch won't touch that I do not believe. If, and that is a big if, this thing doesn't reach a reasonable dryness, which Brett strain would you pitch?Sign here______________________________
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Will those 128g of carbs affect gravity the same as sugar? If so, that accounts for 7 or 8 points of gravity.Sign here______________________________
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jeepinjeepin said:
Will those 128g of carbs affect gravity the same as sugar? If so, that accounts for 7 or 8 points of gravity.
affect the gravity, yes. but without knowing what it is, i couldn't say if it were the same as sugar.The pinnacle of lame and awesome in one singular moment. -Lake -
jeepinjeepin said:
You you advanced users out there, there is an additional 128g of carbs not listed as "sugar". Sacch won't touch that I do not believe. If, and that is a big if, this thing doesn't reach a reasonable dryness, which Brett strain would you pitch?
if sacc won't eat it, brett probably won't either.The pinnacle of lame and awesome in one singular moment. -Lake -
I am now up to 24 twelve once cans of apple juice concentrate added to the 2 gallons of juice. This puts calculated OG just shy of 1.125, which will net a 15% ABV as long as it finishes at 1.015 or below. If my zen recognizes a healthy ferment I'll get another 4 cans and keep going.Sign here______________________________
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FromZwolle said:jeepinjeepin said:
Will those 128g of carbs affect gravity the same as sugar? If so, that accounts for 7 or 8 points of gravity.
affect the gravity, yes. but without knowing what it is, i couldn't say if it were the same as sugar.
The juice is apple juice and apple juice concentrate. I can only assume those complex carbs are from the pulp powder in the bottom of the jug.Sign here______________________________ -
Well, the fermentation was a bit sluggish this morning after a heaping helping of fermentables being added last night. I'm not gonna add any more nutrients this late in the game and I'm not gonna go the wine yeast route unless it stays above 1.020SG. I will be looking into a brett secondary if it is not pleasing in terms of sweetness.Sign here______________________________
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where do you estimate you are at with ABV?
oh, and a tiny bit of aeration may wake up the sacc and allow it to power through to the finish.
i'm not a fan of brett, so every time you mention it for this cider it makes my stomach turn a bit.The only thing between me and a train wreck is blind luck..... - Kenny -
Lakewood said:
where do you estimate you are at with ABV?
oh, and a tiny bit of aeration may wake up the sacc and allow it to power through to the finish.
i'm not a fan of brett, so every time you mention it for this cider it makes my stomach turn a bit.
i like brett beers. but for a cider, i probably wouldn't. that's just my personal taste, though.The pinnacle of lame and awesome in one singular moment. -Lake -
I'm thinking I'm just past 15% with enough sugar left to get near 17%.
I like Brett beers and have read a little about some farmhouse ciders. I'd like to read some more and try one before I commit.Sign here______________________________ -
jeepinjeepin said:
I'm thinking I'm just past 15% with enough sugar left to get near 17%.
I like Brett beers and have read a little about some farmhouse ciders. I'd like to read some more and try one before I commit.
Don't do it!"On it. I hate software." ~Cpt Snarklepants -
C_dubbs said:jeepinjeepin said:
I'm thinking I'm just past 15% with enough sugar left to get near 17%.
I like Brett beers and have read a little about some farmhouse ciders. I'd like to read some more and try one before I commit.
Don't do it!
Pffftt.
Split it and give it a try.The only thing between me and a train wreck is blind luck..... - Kenny -
Lakewood said:C_dubbs said:jeepinjeepin said:
I'm thinking I'm just past 15% with enough sugar left to get near 17%.
I like Brett beers and have read a little about some farmhouse ciders. I'd like to read some more and try one before I commit.
Don't do it!
Pffftt.
Split it and give it a try.
Splitting is a great idea. Yay experimentation!
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That's what I did with my apple beer on another thread. Dosed one with wyeast 5526 Brettanomyces lambicus™
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Benvarine said:
That's what I did with my apple beer on another thread. Dosed one with wyeast 5526 Brettanomyces lambicus™
thanks for squeezing in the trademark symbol. that is just plain awesome right there.The only thing between me and a train wreck is blind luck..... - Kenny -
I bet that was a copy/paste...Sign here______________________________
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jeepinjeepin said:
I bet that was a copy/paste...
less impressive that way.
so you gonna split your batch?
The only thing between me and a train wreck is blind luck..... - Kenny -
Doubtful. I don't really want to. I want it to come down on the Notty. If it doesn't the whole batch will get Brett, probably Brux.Sign here______________________________
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jeepinjeepin said:
Doubtful. I don't really want to. I want it to come down on the Notty. If it doesn't the whole batch will get Brett, probably Brux.
give it a little aeration. the notty will get naughty with those sugars.The only thing between me and a train wreck is blind luck..... - Kenny -
How many gravity points does it need to drop after aeration for the soluble O2 to be used up?Sign here______________________________
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jeepinjeepin said:
I bet that was a copy/paste...
Yes, copy and paste. Spoiled my secret. I'm totally less impressive now, but that should come to no surprise. -
jeepinjeepin said:
How many gravity points does it need to drop after aeration for the soluble O2 to be used up?
that's a great question, one for which i don't have an analytical answer. but i had a beer that had stalled about 7 points high, i gave it a bit of aeration by giving it a sloppy transfer between carboys, the result was a spike in fermentation activity. the FG dropped to where i wanted it and i never detected any oxidation flavors.
i would just give it a little bit of a splashy swirl, with air in the headspace to get some o2 into solution. dont go to crazy.
of course, as with everything there is no guarantee. but it's worked for me a couple times.The only thing between me and a train wreck is blind luck..... - Kenny -
splash racking has saved many ciders. helps drive off sulfur too!
with a wine like this, you can always just splash the hell out of it and then hit it with campden if you're worried. -
I might splash transfer it back to the 3 gallon better bottle and Brett the extra 1+ gallon.Sign here______________________________
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jeepinjeepin said:
I might splash transfer it back to the 3 gallon better bottle and Brett the extra 1+ gallon.
that's a great idea.The only thing between me and a train wreck is blind luck..... - Kenny -
It's been stuck at 1.020 this whole time. I made a rough transfer to another better bottle tonight. Lets hope for renewed vigor tomorrow.Sign here______________________________
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aerate and hit with ec-1118
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I will if it doesn't pick up on it's own. I'll have time tomorrow to check on it after work and head back out for yeast if need be.Sign here______________________________
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at that gravity, the champagne yeast won't throw out any funky flavors, it'll just finish the job.
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frydogbrews said:
at that gravity, the champagne yeast won't throw out any funky flavors, it'll just finish the job.
Good deal. I think I'm down to a pack of S-05 and 2 packs of old Montrachet. I'll have to pick a pack up.Sign here______________________________ -
Well, I finally hit it with 2 minutes of O2 and pitched a rehydrated pack of 1118. No activity. No gravity drop after 2-3 days. Is it possible that the 20 gravity points left are unfermentable?Sign here______________________________
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jeepinjeepin said:
Well, I finally hit it with 2 minutes of O2 and pitched a rehydrated pack of 1118. No activity. No gravity drop after 2-3 days. Is it possible that the 20 gravity points left are unfermentable?
Its possible. How does it look/taste?
If its still sweet tasting, then I would expect you can ferment it down.
If you get a package of 1118 going in a small starter of 1.060+ juice you can pitch at high krausen, if that doenst kick fermentation back into gear, nothing will.The only thing between me and a train wreck is blind luck..... - Kenny -
I might be grabbing another pack of 1118 then.Sign here______________________________
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I haven't tasted it. I can't say whether it is still sweet or not.Sign here______________________________
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Never hurts to have yeast on hand. I'd pick up a few packs of stuff.
Give it a taste when you get home and decide if you need to give it a go.The only thing between me and a train wreck is blind luck..... - Kenny -
I try to keep S-05 and Notty. I don't normally keep wine yeast.Sign here______________________________
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jeepinjeepin said:
I try to keep S-05 and Notty. I don't normally keep wine yeast.
yeah, me too actually. (well substitute s-04 for notty and it's accurate) but I haven't been brewing monsters recently, hence no need for the wine yeast.The only thing between me and a train wreck is blind luck..... - Kenny -
jeepinjeepin said:
Well, I finally hit it with 2 minutes of O2 and pitched a rehydrated pack of 1118. No activity. No gravity drop after 2-3 days. Is it possible that the 20 gravity points left are unfermentable?
not possible in this scenario.
with some weird, super ripe fruit or something, maybe, but not with canned juice. aerate and pitch 2 packs of 1118 -
That's kinda what I was thinking. I'm gonna spin up a starter like Lake said and hit it with more O2.Sign here______________________________
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you shouldn't need to do that. i had a 19% pure cyser (5 gallons apple juice and 15 pounds of honey) stall out and i had to pitch 2 packs, twice, but the second time it rocketed off.
oddly, vintners pretty much never use starters, and will look at you really funny if you bring it up.
won't hurt of course, but not necessary. if you only want to use one pack though, it would help. -
Rehydrate only? What temperature? The 104-109F on the pack seems high.Sign here______________________________
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no rehydrate, just dump in dry. seriously.
its what vintners do and its what i have been doing for several years after many conversations with many different vintners. -
the higher temps will help the yeast keep from going dormant in the high booze bath. so pitch in the preferred range.
since the primary fermentation is done you are at very little risk of off flavors from hot fermentation.
If it takes off like a bat out of hell you can slowly drop temps. just dont go too fast or you risk another stallThe only thing between me and a train wreck is blind luck..... - Kenny -
you're still thinking like a brewer though Lake. Wine yeast is much better at functioning in high alcohol as well as cold temps. It's freaky like that.
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What temp should I run the 1118 at?Sign here______________________________
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anything below 70 or so but 60 is probably around perfect. truly, that yeast doesn't much care.
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The only thing between me and a train wreck is blind luck..... - Kenny
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I am getting real curious about what this is going to taste like .....
How long are you planning to age it?Never attribute to malice, that which can adequately be explained by stupidity. -
ceannt said:
I am getting real curious about what this is going to taste like .....
How long are you planning to age it?
Until it tastes good. Somebody want to buy me a 5 gallon oak barrel?Sign here______________________________ -
ceannt said:
I am getting real curious about what this is going to taste like .....
How long are you planning to age it?
minimum of two years before you even crack one open. seriously.
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frydogbrews said:ceannt said:
I am getting real curious about what this is going to taste like .....
How long are you planning to age it?
minimum of two years before you even crack one open. seriously.
With all the $$$ that went into the concentrate I can't afford to drink it until its awesome.Sign here______________________________ -
jeepinjeepin said:frydogbrews said:ceannt said:
I am getting real curious about what this is going to taste like .....
How long are you planning to age it?
minimum of two years before you even crack one open. seriously.
With all the $$$ that went into the concentrate I can't afford to drink it until its awesome.
i would actually bulk age the thing for a solid year anyway. then bottle and wait another year. then sample. will probably be crazy awesome at around year 4 or 5 -
jeepinjeepin said:frydogbrews said:ceannt said:
I am getting real curious about what this is going to taste like .....
How long are you planning to age it?
minimum of two years before you even crack one open. seriously.
With all the $$$ that went into the concentrate I can't afford to drink it until its awesome.
Just for reference, how much dough did you pour into this thing?The only thing between me and a train wreck is blind luck..... - Kenny -
Lakewood said:jeepinjeepin said:frydogbrews said:ceannt said:
I am getting real curious about what this is going to taste like .....
How long are you planning to age it?
minimum of two years before you even crack one open. seriously.
With all the $$$ that went into the concentrate I can't afford to drink it until its awesome.
Just for reference, how much dough did you pour into this thing?
Seconded.
"On it. I hate software." ~Cpt Snarklepants -
I don't really want to think about it.Sign here______________________________
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The only thing between me and a train wreck is blind luck..... - Kenny
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Its been like 12 years since I bought juice concentrate at a store, so I literally have no idea of even the ball park figure here. So I'll just assume that you could have bought a moderately price compact car from a dealership for the amount you spent on this hooch.The only thing between me and a train wreck is blind luck..... - Kenny
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Probably approaching a hondo.Sign here______________________________
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Ugh. I'll stick to beer.The only thing between me and a train wreck is blind luck..... - Kenny
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Yeah, I didn't do the math before I started.Sign here______________________________
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The only thing between me and a train wreck is blind luck..... - Kenny
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I'm taking donations toward the cause.Sign here______________________________
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jeepinjeepin said:
I'm taking donations toward the cause.
I'll pledge my endearing gratitude. And wait patiently for a couple years to find out if its any good.The only thing between me and a train wreck is blind luck..... - Kenny -
Lakewood said:
Its been like 12 years since I bought juice concentrate at a store, so I literally have no idea of even the ball park figure here. So I'll just assume that you could have bought a moderately price compact car from a dealership for the amount you spent on this hooch.
Yeah I was thinking like 3k......Never attribute to malice, that which can adequately be explained by stupidity. -
The pinnacle of lame and awesome in one singular moment. -Lake
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how many cans is that?The pinnacle of lame and awesome in one singular moment. -Lake
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24 cans + (4) 1/2 gallons of juice + yeast and nutrientsSign here______________________________
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The pinnacle of lame and awesome in one singular moment. -Lake
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Do cider makers typically wait years to drink cider? Seems like a long time for anything. I'll stick to beer, I'm way too impatient.
CiderBomb! How far will it go?