Cider

[hirns]

In my planned experiment, yes I'm definitely using pet bottles. I was planning to use my hydrometer and add juice to bring it back up to 1010 in a demijohn (small batch experiment). I too like the dry cider, this experiment is to see if extra flavour can be added without additional sweetness as is the case if you add some juice whilst drinking. The answer probably lies more in the yeast, but I've tried champagne, cider, US.05 with Berri Apple juice or Apple and Pear and they always seem to ferment to 1005 or less and the flavour is lost.

[earle]

Bottled mine yesterday. Had a taste or two while I was doing it (helps bottling be less of a chore). Tastes quite ok out of the fermenter, will see how it is once carbonated and colder.

[Gill]

I decided to make a cider from about 9L juice, I think 1/2kg of caster sugar, 1.25kg strawberries (did nothing) and water to a total 15L.

Problem is, its finished now and tasted terrible, or rather, doesn't taste. Its extremely flavorless (just an aftertaste that reminds me of fermentation, yeasty I suppose), and smells kind of like a bland fart (not just an expression, but a fairly accurate description, and a comical one at that).
Also, it didn't carbonate (I was a bit lazy, and added 80g of honey a day before bottling, I think most of it fermented out before bottling).

I'm thinking of adding some juice to each one, recapping and leaving it for another 2 weeks.
Assuming the juice is about 10% sugar (from the label), the usual 6g or priming sugar = 60g juice, close enough to 60 mils. So two shots of juice in each 750ml bottle.

Anyone recommend another course of action?

EDIT: toss it seems like a reasonable call, but I'll go down with the ship like a good captain this time

[jello]

What yeast did you use? Did it finish, or did the yeast just stop? Hydrometer readings?

[Gill]

1049 down to 1003, had been there a few days before adding finings, and sat longer again before bottling. So yes, finished.
Yeast was the "ginger beer yeast" from craftbrewer (https://www.craftbrewer.com.au/shop/details.asp?PID=975). Very cheap, probably caused the bad smell.

I know I can't fix that at this stage, but at least getting some carbonation would be good, and using the juice over sugar seems like an idea to me.

[earle]

Cider seems to take longer than beer to carbonate. How long has it been in the bottle?

[Gill]

About 2 weeks, I would have expected at least some by now?

[jello]

I didn't really notice significant carbonation in my cider until about 7 weeks.

What really concerns me is the smell. I think i know what i'd be doing with this brew.

I'm looking at the strawberries as a culprit.

[bullfrog]

Yeah, my first thought was that you didn't sanitise the strawberries. The twice that I've ever used fruit, I've covered them in water with a crushed campden tablet overnight before use to kill off all the wild yeasts. I'm thinking that maybe your fermentation wasn't completed at the hands of your ginger beer yeast, mate.

[Gill]

its not a strong smell, its quite bland, just not very nice. I boiled the strawberries for at least 5 mins for that reason, not enough?

[bullfrog]

Boiling the strawberries wasn't a bad idea and may have been enough to kill any beasties. You'd probably have got more flavour from them if you'd cut them in halves or quarters, I'd imagine.

I think that you may have got yourself a yeast that's good for chewing through thick goop that is heavily laden with artificial sweetener, ie. ginger beer kits, so it was too attenuative for something like a cider with strawberries in it.

Either way, there's not much chance of it getting much better. Perhaps just add some juice to it when serving.

[Gill]

Yeah, its not too bad with a fair bit of juice, but sort of defeats the purpose. Next time I will try a stronger fruit like raspberries or something, and without added water. Also more lactose, or possibly a cider kit.. Are they any good?

But the way, I boiled them, threw then in the blender, then put the juice through a sieve into the fermenter.

[bullfrog]

I'd not only get rid of the water but get rid of the sugar, too. 22L of apple juice from Aldi is going to run you about the same cost as a kit (or maybe less) and it ferments out to over 5% as is, so you don't need any extra fermentables (unless you're trying to make an apple wine, of course.) Also try using US05 as your yeast next time. Readily available at a good price just about everywhere and it won't attenuate to a ridiculous degree so you still retain flavour and some sweetness.

[Gill]

I opened all the bottles and added a few mils of juice, as much as would fit in the top of the bottle. A few weeks later and they are much better. I have just opened a bottle, still not good, but drinkable. I'm happy enough with it now


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