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Speedy Cider?


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#1 harryfrog

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Posted 03 November 2011 - 11:37 AM

My brew buddy and I have about 20 gallons of cider that just finished fermentation after about a 14 day ferment. The last batch I made (2 years ago) I let bulk age throughout the winter, racking periodically (as suggested in the FAQs). He would like (if possible) to have some cider ready for Thanksgiving. I see a couple problems that I need to overcome before then: 1. Eliminating the sulfur smell in the cider (I have noticed this in the EC1118 batch, the D47 batch and the WL English Cider batch). The wine yeast batches had an apple OG of 1.060, the WL English Cider I added corn sugar to 1.080 OG.2. Clarifying the cider (the yeast has mostly flocced, but there is a definate haze)3. Back-sweetening. I tested the EC1118 batch last night and oh-man is it tart. I didn't drop the hydrometer in it but i'm guessing FG is below 1.000 based on tartness. Is there a way to speed the production, or should I just rack off the yeast and bulk age it? I also want to hear some thoughts on backsweetening cider. Thanks.

#2 Genesee Ted

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Posted 03 November 2011 - 11:59 AM

Thanksgiving next year!~ I am by no means the resident cider expert, but I make a few batches a year generally and I have never had one ready that quickly. The first batch I ever made I was in college and the goal was to get quick booze cheaply. I could get cider for $2 a gallon so that seemed like a good idea. I tried to follow a typical beer fermentation schedule, but it was still cloudy and sulphury. I drank it anyway, but that was the last time I tried that. Just be patient is my advice.

#3 dmtaylor

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Posted 05 November 2011 - 05:01 AM

Sulfur usually disappears completely in 3 to 4 weeks. Since your cider is already 2 weeks old, this should be gone by Thanksgiving, or if it isn't completely gone, it will be very faint. The best clarifying agent is gelatin. Dissolve 1 tablespoon of gelatin per 5 gallons in hot water, and swirl it into your cider. After 48 hours, no more haze. It's as simple as that. Amazing stuff. As for backsweetening, I haven't bottled my ciders yet (8 batches) but I plan to use lactose for most of them. It's not a very sweet sugar but I'm sure it will take the edge off. Some of my ciders are VERY tart this year because I purposely used a lot of tart apples, so they'll need something. The other thing I want to try is apple juice concentrate (like Tree Top or Minute Maid or whatever). The amount I plan to try is 1 can per 5 gallons. This will also require addition of sorbate and/or sulfite to stabilize and minimize refermentation in the bottles. Of course, if you drink it all on Thanksgiving, this shouldn't be much of an issue.

#4 EWW

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Posted 05 November 2011 - 08:07 AM

It'll be a whole lot better if you don't rush it, but...Sulpher doesn't always go away on it's own. Read this and try the penny testhttps://www.brews-bros.xyz/index.php?/topic/34170-interesting-read-on-sulphur-production-in-wine-ferments/page__pid__564502__unlockUserAgent__1


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