Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption
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paolo
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Cider!As it's coming up to cider making season, I wondered if anybody had any advice for making it last longer.
For the last couple of years I have been making a 5 gallon barrel of the stuff, from my own apples, (various varieties) which always tastes good, however it always goes off before it's all gone, (something growing on the surface), I use a regular barrel, so I guess there would be CO2 present on the surface.
I fancy making 10 gallons this year, but not if it's going to go off.
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Erikht
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Bottle it and keep cold, or put it in 1 gallon jars and keep them cold (fridge-cold).
10 gallons is not that much. 1 pint beer bottles or champagne bottles would do fine. Would give you a little sparklin' cider as well.
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Jamanda
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Pressure barrel? It would be Oxygen that would cause the problem, not CO2.
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sean
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Hmmph. I think you may have an acetobacter problem in your barrel, in which case it's a pig to get rid of and a new barrel may be the best answer.
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match
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Re: Cider! | paolo wrote: | I use a regular barrel, so I guess there would be CO2 present on the surface.
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Assuming you mean a non-pressurised barrel, this will keep fine only as long as the cider is in it while still 'active' and it can keep a layer of carbon dioxide on the top.
As soon as you open it (or take some out a tap at the bottom) the change in pressure will draw in air from the outside, complete with oxygen and other bugs.
Your best bet is to use a pressure barrel, and make sure the cider goes in 'active' and even add a bit of sugar to get it to carbonate. If you drink it slowly, you need to 're-add' carbon dioxide (through the valve at the top with a soda-stream canister) to keep up the CO2 and keep out the bugs.
I tend to do as Erikht does and bottle it - I use 1 pint beer bottles or 1 litre fizzy drinks bottles - they keep well in convenient to drink sizes, and if one goes bad you don't lose the whole batch!
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James
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If its a wooden barrel, I'm not sure. You've probably got a living culture of something in the wood.
Other than that, I had the same problem until last year, when I did the following:
as soon as you've pressed the juice, add sulphite (equivalent to 1 campden tablet per gallon). Let it sit for 24 hours, then rack it off.
Add pectic enzyme if you want to. If so, let it sit for another 24 hours. There should be enough sulphite still in it to protect it.
Then add a good champagne yeast. Strain EC1118, which is the most common champagne yeast strain, produces a low but significant level of sulphite itself which helps it out-compete wild yeasts. It ferments to dryness and produces a clean, crisp drink.
Ferment under ailock.
Once clear, rack and add sulphite again prior to aging. Then you can store in bulk or bottle as needed. I bulk age prior to bottling.
I've only recently drunk my last bottle from last year. Far from being worried about it going off, it was the best of the years cider
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fatbloke
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Ok, so if it's a wooden barrel, then you'd need to search for "wooden barrel cleaning" or hygiene.
You might have a bit of a problem getting sulphur wicks though........ they're not that common.
If it's plastic, then it should, theoretically, be a case of cleaning the inside with a proprietary home brewing sanitiser.
Then, when the apples are juiced, allow the juice to oxidise some so that it's got a reasonably dark colour, then add the appropriate amount of campden tablets for the quantity of juice and leave it for a couple of days.
Then make the batch/follow the recipe as normal.
If you have enough containers etc, when the ferment has finished, rack the cider off the yeast (and no I wouldn't use EC-1118 as it tends to strip out a hell of a lot of flavours/aroma during the ferment, use something kinder to "general fruit" (as opposed to grapes), like Lalvin K1V-1116 - it's a good one to use as it helps retain fruit flavour profiles and the "K" in the nonclamenture indicates "Killer" or that it's a dominant yeast that will spread throughout the ferment quickly and help reduce/prevent any "wild" yeasts that might have been present (though if you sulphite the juice with campden tablets you should have killed off most of those).
Then once it's off the lees, give the barrel a good sanitising to and put the cider back into it to age, I'd also add a couple of pounds of cheap honey, this will start to re-ferment, but as long as it's a pressure barrel or if it's wood, make sure that you secure the stopper/bung enough, the CO2 produced by the re-fermentation will carbonate the cider giving it some natural fizz!
Then just age it till ready.....
regards
fatbloke
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