Cider - different reactions

I am making cider again from apples claimed from a lady at the tip who was throwing them away Exclamation

So - the apples were washed, the worst bruises removed and then they were squished (fence post and bucket method) before going into the press. The resulting juice is 4 demi-johns 3/4s full. When I made cider last year I got a film mould so this year I have added 1 campden tablet/dj to the juice. The juice sat for 24 hours to allow the worst of the sediment to settle out and I then racked it off into clean djs adding cider yeast, no sugar. The djs are now in the office sitting in the heated propagator. 2 of the 4 djs are fizzing and frothing like good'uns, the other two, nothing. Are they just a bit slower (furthest from the radiator)? or should I be adding a spoonful of sugar to start them up? I don't want to waste the precious juice after all the effort of squishing and pressing.

Help!

gil

Try making a new yeast starter to add to the non-fizzing DJs. There may have been some Campden tablet still active.

James

Maybe also shake them up a bit before you add the new starter- the agitation will drive off any residual sulphite and dissolve a little more oxygen for the new yeast to live off.

BahamaMama

Thanks for the suggestions.

Can you just clarify what you mean by yeast starter - is that more yeast?

Tavascarow

gil wrote:

Try making a new yeast starter to add to the non-fizzing DJs. There may have been some Campden tablet still active.

Why not just syphon some of the working must into the stuck ones?

James

Tavascarrow's got a good point- you could just mix it all up in a big brewing bin then put it back into demijohns.

A yeast starter is when you re-hydrate dried yeast before adding it to your fermentable liquid. I normally do this by filling a big glass about 1/3 full with apple juice (from a carton so it's sterile), then topping up with an equal amount of water, sprinkling the yeast on top, then covering the glass with a paper towel. After about half an hour, I give it swirl around then leave it for another half hour to an hour, by which time there should be a frothing head.

The advantages of yeast starter:
1) you know that the yeast is alive before you add it.
2) the stress of waking up a dried yeast in a recently sulphited, high sugar environment can be very bad for yeast. A lot of the yeast cells will just give up and die, resulting in a failed fermentation or a very slow start.

The dilute apple juice gives a gentle, non-stressfull environment for the yeast to wake up in and start multiplying.

BahamaMama

That sounds like the answer - thanks for all the input.

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