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This thread and a $4/gallon sale for Mott's apple juice inspired me to get some cheap cider going over the weekend. 4.5 gallons juice, 4 cans of thawed concentrate, 1/2 teaspoon DAP, 1 packet of SafCider yeast. Haven't tried this yeast before, but I'm curious if there's significant variation in flavor. Sucks that it's $5 for a packet instead of $1 for Red Star, but hobo science must know.
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Apr 22, 2019 19:51
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| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 09:25 |
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KillerJunglist posted:Wow, I didn't notice this thread until just now. What's your preferred cider yeast?
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May 1, 2019 21:56
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SniperWoreConverse posted:Unlike my other batches this one is not foaming up at all. Just steadily pumping out gas. It's crazy how different yeasts can behave. I used an ale yeast in the past for cider and it made my apartment smell like sulfur farts for two weeks. The champagne yeast I'm using now is practically odorless and has barely moved my airlock, but I took a gravity sample yesterday and it's nearly finished. It also tastes surprisingly great! Whichever goon said to use juice concentrate to instead of white sugar was onto something. Even using champagne yeast, it has retained a lot of apple flavor. I think it should come out to about 6.2%, which is about what I was going for.
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May 3, 2019 20:12
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Took gravity readings and I think I'm ready to bottle. The Safcider is really good, FG 1.004. I guess it's not the hobo option since it costs more than a dollar, but I'm going to wash it and use it again and see what happens. The Red Star Premier Blanc is still a little fizzy, but the gravity has stayed at 1.008 for over a week. I might leave it in the bucket for another week, but it is about to get hot here and I think it may be safer to get it in bottles. I'm a little bit concerned about bottle bombs, but I think that the fermentable sugars have been converted by now. It's been a little over two weeks since I pitched the yeast; I think it ought to be okay. Also I didn't notice any bubbling in the airlocks for either batch, which was somewhat distressing at the time but seems like it turned out to be fine. I fermented 5 gallon batches in 6.5 gallon buckets, so maybe most of the CO2 stayed in the headspace. There was no foam during fermentation, and neither yeast gave off a sulfur fart smell like some ale yeast ciders have. I haven't worked with wine yeast very much, but it does really behave differently than the ale yeasts that I'm used to.
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May 10, 2019 17:00
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I bottled up my cider over the weekend and primed them for bottle conditioning. I haven't done that for cider before so naturally I'm assuming that I have a ton of bottle bombs in my closet. I shouldn't, though: I didn't backsweeten, I measured my priming sugar, and I confirmed that the fermentation was finished with multiple gravity readings. ... gently caress, I might have made good cider on the cheap and not proper hobo cider. I'm definitely going to have to scavenge crabapples from my neighbors' yards this fall to make amends.
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May 21, 2019 22:56
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The sulfur smell is very dependent on yeast, too. The Safcider yeast and Red Star Premier Blanc (formerly Pasteur Champagne) didn't give off any for me, but the Red Star Premier Classique (formerly Montrachet) has been farting up my apartment for the last couple of days. It should go away soon.KillerJunglist posted:Are bottle bombs common for everyone? I haven't had a bottle explode on me since I started brewing about 6 years ago. I stick to one ounce priming sugar per gallon and it's worked pretty well. The only bottle bomb I've ever had was from a homebrewed saison that was given to me. I've never made one myself, but since I am trying something new with bottle conditioned cider I naturally assume the worst.  I used less corn sugar than that and the gravity readings were level 1.004 for over a week so I should be safe.marijuanamancer posted:you guys bottle your poo poo? i just drink it all about 3 days after closing it up. think you guys are doing this hobo wine thing wrong You're right.  I want to make some open-fermented scrumpy this fall to make up for it and bottle it in 3 liter Faygo bottles.
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May 22, 2019 16:43
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If you have some gross cider, try dryhopping it. Try dryhopping your good cider, too.
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Jun 10, 2019 22:49
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Hopping a mead seems like a great way to ruin it.
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Jun 10, 2019 23:38
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The French Army posted:Hey SWC can you post your tea mead recipe? I'm going to be getting quite a bit of honey in the near future and would like to try it. How much honey are we talking? Have you made Liquid Gold?
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Jun 26, 2019 22:19
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Did you sanitize everything that has come in contact with the fermenting wine?
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Jul 10, 2019 00:28
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SniperWoreConverse posted:It'll be fine, the extreme fermentation power will outcompete any contaminant I guess if it's going to taste like anus vinegar it doesn't matter anyway.
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Jul 10, 2019 00:48
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autism ZX spectrum posted:Every time I pull the airlock I've got a container of sanitizing solution handy and clean everything including the countertops I'll be working on. I'm a little anal retentive in that regard. Honestly though there is for sure some wiggle room because the acidity due to alcohol content kills the really bad pathogens like botulism and if the thing goes moldy it'll be immediately apparent. The amount of offgassing going on right now is probably doing a pretty good job of keeping everything sealed. You're doing it right! There's nothing in there that would hurt you if anything did go wrong; I've just heard countless anecdotes of people messing up a batch of something because they spaced out and forgot to sanitize their wine thief or something like that. SniperWoreConverse posted:Ol' Zebulon Extra -- made the ~traditional way gently caress I keep forgetting that this isn't the make good, drinkable things thread. Have you considered making pruno the hard way?
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Jul 10, 2019 18:33
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autism ZX spectrum posted:The yeast never took off. I didn't try yeast nutrient yet, but I might. I think I put too much campden in. What kind of yeast did you use to begin with? I briefly scanned your earlier posts and didn't notice. Also, I think in general it's a good idea to add yeast nutrient to anything that isn't beer. I use about a teaspoon of DAP per 5 gallon batch of cider or apfelwein; it works well and it isn't expensive. Of course, you're straying away from the hobo anus wine theme of the thread. The hobo move would be to siphon off whatever you've got, get blotto, and hop a boxcar.
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Oct 9, 2019 17:11
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Yeah, yeast shouldn't be the issue then. If you're going to pitch more, adding some DAP with it would probably help things along.
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Oct 10, 2019 17:05
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SniperWoreConverse posted:i have never used yeast nutes and pretty much always overpitched extra yeast. Honey doesn't have enough natural yeast nutrients on its own for healthy fermentation, so you're probably better off adding some nutes than extra yeast. I know that mead is ancient and predates yeast nutrients, but unless you're following a viking recipe with period equipment, who cares. Sentinel posted:Is there any good input or information anywhere about the correct frozen concentrate ratio to use? Depends on how strong you want it, and I'd recommend reconstituting the concentrate according to the directions on the can. Regular apple juice will ferment to about 6.5% ABV, so unless you're looking to make apfelwein you don't need to fortify it with extra fermentables. And if you're making apfelwein, use dark brown sugar for color and flavor.
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Dec 30, 2020 16:30
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Right on, I know that this isn't your first mead rodeo, just trying to help troubleshoot. I wonder if some of the adjuncts in your previous batches had some nutes to help things along? Regardless, it might be worth experimenting with in future batches. Nutes cost like $3 and don't impart any off flavors, and presumably anything that helps the fermentation process go faster is the correct hobo decision.
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Dec 30, 2020 16:49
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Sentinel posted:Well i racked my first batch and then had to throw it out. Seems like wild yeasts got in there and out-competed your good yeasts. Make sure all of your equipment and fermentation vessel is sanitized on your next batch, and possibly consider pitching a bit more yeast or adding yeast nutrients when you do.
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Jan 12, 2021 22:23
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| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 09:25 |
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Sentinel posted:I guess another question I had is is it necessary to have a secondary fermentation vessal? You probably don't need to rack, and you definitely shouldn't top off after racking if you do. That's going to make poo poo splash around like crazy, and the only time you want to do that is when you initially pitch your yeast. One of the things to remember when brewing is that you are far, far more likely to ruin a batch by loving with it too much than by leaving it alone.
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Jan 16, 2021 01:40
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