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Cider Digest #0197
Subject: Cider Rookie
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 92 17:35:28 CDT
From: Darren Evans-Young <DARREN@UA1VM.UA.EDU>
Well, I'm about to try my 1st hard cider. Hey, gotta start somewhere.
I'm listing my recipe below. Anything I should change or add?
2.5 gallons apple cider
48 ounces 100% apple juice concentrate
1 pound brown sugar
1 quart Whitbread ale yeast starter
I'm not sure the amount of brown sugar is acceptable, this is just a guess.
In the Zymurgy article on cider, it talks about adding tannin for acidity.
Will lemon juice work? Seems like lemon juice would be ideal for adding
tartness to a cider.
Darren
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Date: Tue, 13 Oct 92 1:31:36 PDT
From: Buckaroo Banzai <u_banzai@mcl.mcl.ucsb.edu>
Subject: Problems starting cider fermenting
I recently bought a case of 4 gallons of Apple Cider, unpreserved, no sugar,
from Trader Joe's.
I took a gravity reading, and it was 1.050, and I said, "I can ferment this
just the way it is!"
I rehydrated a packet of ale yeast in 110F water for 10 minutes, then pitched
into a 1 gallon jug. I added a pinch of Yeast Nutrient, and put an airlock on.
As an afterthought I took a pH reading, and it was at 4.5 or below. (my paper
is 4.5-7.5 range, and it was very strongly on the 4.5 end)
After no activity in 24 hours, I tried adding some vigorously fermenting
beer wort to the cider. 5 hours later, nothing.
I'm wondering a few things:
1) Do I need to oxygenate the cider, as it was probably pasturized, and hence
has no dissolved O2 that my yeast wants for aerobic activity?
2) Do I need to buffer the cider so the pH is closer to 7. If so, what with?
3) Is there something else I should do to this off-the-shelf item to make my
cider get off the ground, and start fermenting.
Thanks for any help...
(I have 4 more gallons waiting to start...oh, joy!)
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