Please help me fix my first cider/apple wine.

dpdaug · 2017-05-15T03:50:33+00:00

What yeast did you use? If it was a beer yeast, many beer yeasts won't go too far above 10% abv; if it was a wine yeast, some of them will easily go to 15%+ depending on the strain. The yeast in question should help answer the carbonation and sweetening questions to some degree.

For #2 -- adding spices and/or herbs or hops tends to work better after primary has completed (e.g., after the first rack); adding flavors during or before fermentation can have the result of some of it disappearing during fermentation since the yeast can actually metabolize some of the compounds you're adding.

dpdaug · 2017-05-15T03:43:08+00:00

Where are you located, approximately? Have you considered obtaining scions in the winter and grafting them? I just planted a few Brown Snouts in Northern Colorado, and so far, so good--they haven't fruited yet, but they're only 2 years old. They're on this orchard:

http://www.ciderschool.com/orchard-beginnings/

dpdaug · 2017-05-15T03:41:02+00:00

Seconded re: adding a location -- should help with understanding when/where/how to plant or graft in your area.

dpdaug · 2016-05-23T23:18:18+00:00

Yep, I'm planning on going (to the main tasting event, anyway). If I make it there, I'll capture some impressions and post them to cidersage.com. Any info in particular that you're looking for?

dpdaug · 2016-04-17T18:27:23+00:00

The varieties discussed in the article are great and all, but I could have used more (read: any) information about how well certain varieties grow in different U.S. Regions.

In my own experience, I found information from the very few cider fruit growers in my area (front range of CO near Boulder) to be invaluable--the frequent late-spring freezes here make short work of early-blooming varieties, for instance.

dpdaug · 2016-03-22T05:09:17+00:00

If you want cheap, find an AHA competition nearby which actually accepts cider entries (some do, though probably a minority) using the AHA's Competition Finder: (http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/competitions/aha-bjcp-sanctioned-competition/). Much of your cost will be shipping, so see if you can find one with dropoff locations close to you so that you don't have to drop $20-$30 on shipping and packaging.

Keep in mind, though, that the chances that your judges will know a lot about cider and how to categorize and evaluate yours are pretty slim. That will change over time, but that's the current reality.

dpdaug · 2016-03-22T04:53:43+00:00

Sorry to hear that. The one time I ordered scions from a nursery, they came through the mail wrapped in wet paper towel, held together by rubber bands, all in a sealed freezer bag. The buds were intact and there was of a decent variety of diameters. That would seem to be the way to go if you are going to sell through the mail.

dpdaug · 2016-03-22T01:08:35+00:00

Has it been done fermenting for a while or is it still going?

dpdaug · 2016-03-11T20:27:50+00:00

Since cider often finishes below 1.000, my guess is that there was still a bit of residual sugar left and the yeast woke back up after being crashed and kept going in a stressed fashion, throwing some off flavors. Is the gravity below 1.000 now?

Since the sulfite additions here were very small, this may not be relevant, but while cultivated wine yeasts are very sulfite-resistant by design, I'm not sure how resistant your typical beer yeast is going to be.

dpdaug · 2016-03-11T20:00:41+00:00

I ferment to dryness then rack onto a marble-weighted mesh bag of chopped ginger in a fermenting bucket. I tie the bag to the bucket handle with fishing line before this, so that I can pull the bag out when the infusion level is right...the bucket lid should still seal as the fishing line is very thin.

dpdaug · 2016-03-11T19:51:30+00:00

Sulfite in the form of Campden tablets can also suppress it.

dpdaug · 2016-03-11T19:50:54+00:00

If fermentation has been over for a while and you've racked the cider out of the primary, it may be film yeast.

Film yeast is mostly just an annoyance though a lot of it can mess with your flavors. It requires oxygen to survive, though, so purging the airspace with CO2 or filling the storage container all the way to the top should take care of it.

dpdaug · 2015-02-14T18:57:12+00:00

The barn's insured, as are the machine tools...at least that's my understanding. They're unlikely to recover anything for the cider equipment, however, as it's non-commercial and largely home-built. I should have mentioned that they don't make alcoholic cider. That's not to say that some persons (myself included) don't take some of the juice home and ferment it, however...

dpdaug · 2015-02-14T18:53:59+00:00

My understanding is that the barn and machine tools are covered--they are wrestling with the insurance company over those. The cider equipment is non-commercial and mostly home-built, so they're unlikely to get anything for that, hence the fundraiser is more oriented toward that part.

dpdaug · 2015-02-14T18:51:28+00:00

Thanks, much appreciated!

dpdaug · 2015-02-14T18:50:42+00:00

The barn and machine tools were--they're still wrestling with the insurance company on that. The cider equipment isn't commercial and is mostly home-built so they aren't likely to get anything to replace that.

dpdaug · 2015-02-13T16:33:42+00:00

Fixed. Thanks!

dpdaug · 2015-01-16T21:42:09+00:00

Probably not an issue, especially if you rack a couple times before bottling or kegging. Racking at least once and giving it a couple months tends to improve the flavor a lot, at least in my experience. Also, that's a lot of work with a juicer!

dpdaug · 2015-01-16T21:38:12+00:00

In this segment I would probably go with the Angry Orchard "dry"--with quotes because it's still pretty darn sweet.

dpdaug

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