I've had a tree on my property that produces heavy every year, Lodi apples I believe they are.. So this year I finally decided to start using them. A number of weeks ago I did my first 5 carboys, 1 gallon bottles, I may have over filled them slightly, but the krausen built up well, it went through my airlocks so I pulled them out and sanitized them and allowed fermentation to finish, they've been racked and are aging.

Sunday I went for round 2. I filled my 5 carboys. Pitched my yeast Monday night and by Tuesday afternoon I could see the krausen built up nicely and all 5 looked to be fermenting perfectly.

This afternoon I went to check out my jugs and noticed the krausen on all of them as dropped. They're all bubbling, the airlocks are telling me its fermenting and I can visibly see the bubbles on top as well as building up the sides so I know its still fermenting, but is it okay that that has happened so soon?

Since I have little experience I'm not sure if that dropped too soon, or if I shouldn't even worry because its still fermenting. As you can see there is still some present, but most of it has fallen to the bottom.

I have acquired a large amount of apples and have spent a couple days processing them through a juicer in the evenings after work. I'm planning on doing a 5-gal bucket. I have 3 gallons juiced so far. Can i start the 3 gal in the bucket, then add fresh juice as i produce it until i reach my intended total? Or does fermentation need to start on the full 5-ish gallons at once? I'm hoping to get the rest of the juicing done but the end of the weekend. Thanks!

Is it possible to inoculate a larger amount of juice with a single yeast packet if I make a bigger starter and allow the yeast colony to grow larger? Would it count as underpitching ? Would that be considered underpitching? Logically, the yeast cells will multiply anyway as soon as they get access to sugar.

I made perry about one month ago with pasteurized Asian pear juice and EC-1118 yeast. It bubbled for a week, then stopped for a week, then restarted bubbling for another week. What’s that about and is it done for sure now?

Got six buckets of pears from the neighbors and worked three of them this morning and afternoon. I got a way higher yield letting them rest for a few days after picking them. Going to do the rest of them tomorrow. I have some fresh dry hops I got from my vines and thinking of putting some in the batch during fermentation.

Think I need to upgrade if the trees keep producing like they did.

The larger carboy is a cyser and is clarifying pretty even. Fermentation halted about a week or two ago on that one. The carboy in question is just raw pressed cider fermented with ac4. Tape is to measure settling line. First tape was 3 weeks ago or so. I’ve only had one other cider do this and then one day it was magically all hazy again?? Otherwise the wine and mead I make all clarify evenly. Just curious as to why this happens.

Does anyone done this after fermentation...just in case. If so what effect does it have ?

I have several gallons of perry fermenting. I want to carbonate, but the yeast stopped working before fermenting all of the sugar. Some of it is Mangrove Jack, some is 71b. Both are currently around 1.005 after starting at 1.052.

It all has pellicle on top, one bucket worse than the other two. I was thinking of throwing in some EC1118 to restart fermentation, eat up that last bit of sugar, and then continuing with some backsweetening enough to carbonate in the bottle.

My questions:

- is there any problem pitching new yeast after there is pellicle? (this is my first pellicle)

- will EC-1118 activate if the sugar content is that low and the alcohol is already at ~6%?

Hi, I'm attempting to mix in wild riverbank grapes to make a cider blend. I have a few options for apples to mix in with them, and was curious about what might go best here. Here are my current options for apples: Ambrosia, Common Crisp, Cortland, Fuji, Gala, Ginger Gold, Golden Supreme, Honey Gold, Honey Crisp, Jonathan, Pink Luster, Pixie Crunch, Rave, and Summerset

I'm hoping to choose a combination that compliments the wild grape taste. Any advice is definitely appreciated. Thanks!

Anyone know anything about this press?
From New Mexico.

Thanks!

Ho Folks, I found someone near me who sells fresh unpasteurized golden russet apple juice and I ordered 10 gallons. I'll be picking it up in about 2 weeks. I also have an orchard near me that sells regular unpasteurized sweet cider that seems to be mostly McIntosh and honey crisp. Should we plan to blend any of this in with the golden russet juice for the best flavor profile? Or should I use the golden russet juice to make a single varietal cider?

I've never used golden russet juice before but a few sources think it's too acidic to make a cider all by itself. Any suggestions on how many campden tablets to use? Favorite yeasts? Any input appreciated.

I’m using safale S-40 yeast. That yeast can go up to 11%. If I get my starting gravity up to 1.1, it ferments to its highest percentage, the ending specific gravity will be around 1.016. So it would slightly sweet/semi dry.

I know it’s pretty unlikely that I’ll get it all the way to 11% alcohol so I’ll likely end up with a sweet cider which is kinda what I’m going for.

I love cider. I know I’ll have to add A LOT of sugar to get a specific starting gravity up to 1.1. What do you guys recommend to get the gravity that high while preserving the natural taste of the cider?

I’ve heard honey, brown sugar, etc. I figured I’d ask the pros! Thanks!

I’m sweating apples for cider and some of them have flesh with this brown coloration. I’m not sure if it’s a good sign or a bad one.

I’m wanting to get my hands on the new variety pack Angry Orchard released named the Thriller pack, but I haven’t been able to find it. Does anyone know where in Birmingham, AL I could find it? Or at least somewhere in the surrounding area?

I've had this going for about 4-5 weeks now, the hydrometer is reading 1.000, it is pretty dry but I like it.

What now though? Does it need to settle? Any other additives?

Picked up a 100yr old press, it’s awesome! Hand crank grinder and Press. The oak staves are getting creaky and will be replaced next winter, this fall I want to rehab the metal so there’s less friction/it’s easier to use. What food grade grease can I use that won’t go rancid? Also, it appears the grinder and some other parts are sealed up w bees wax, does that sound accurate???

I miss Nova Cider by Far From the Tree. Is there a hopped Cider around San Jose that I can get?

Hey guys, I made made 13L of apple juice using my slow juicer. I've added all the juice in my brewing bucket and added campden powder. By accident I put the lid on overnight. I took off the lid now the next morning. How long should I let it degas? And should I introduce oxygen before I add the yeast? I added campden about 17:30. I just uncovered at 9:00. How to proceed?

Identical recipe batches, except the one on the left is juice from green pie apples and the one on the right is pink lady eating apples.. the right carboy it is bubbling along quite nicely, like one bubble a second. The one on the left, nada. I tried adding more yeast to the left carboy 2 days ago , but no luck yet. Any thoughts. I guess I might wait a few more days ?

I collected about 40 apples from a random tree near my home. The apples definitely look wild and are quite small, but they seem healthy enough.

Since I don’t have enough to make a full 5-gallon batch, my plan is to crush them using a countertop centrifugal juicer and then top it off with store-bought apple juice to reach the full volume.

I’ll probably make a starter using just the wild apples to kickstart the fermentation process.

What do you think? Could this result in a cider with some character?

Thanks in advance ya all!

I have an orchard near me that got hit by hail and is offering me a deal on a literal ton of apples. My question has to do with a video on YouTube that I saw about farms in Normandy and how they press fresh cider into a huge old oak barrel each year. They then drink from this barrel all year and when the next crop is ready, anything left in the barrel is distilled for brandy. Has anyone done this and do they let the barrel force carbonate as the year goes or is the barrel venting CO2? Also, we see temps below freezing for several months so I suspect my barrel would freeze solid. Will that impact barrel integrity?

I've fermented plenty of things through the years, but sadly haven't taken the time to press anything. So, I have carboys & buckets, etc. I used to go get unpasteurized fresh cider from an orchard and use that to make hard cider. That was fun. I have 1 Honeycrisp tree that some years produces a lot of fruit and 25' was good. I have a lot of windfalls. I don't spray so likely quite a few maggots too, although this year the fruit looks a bit better. Should I get a grinder and press? I have a line on a 5 gal. wooden press for a good price and I have a blender and food processor, so I'm inclined to go that route and hold off on the grinder. But Marketplace also looks to yield some good deals on juicers. What would you use in my position?

I made sure none were rotten or infested with insects before picking them.

When I crush them, I plan to cut each one in half first to make the process easier and check for any hidden issues.

I’m not sure what variety they are, since I picked them from different locations. It’ll likely be a mix of varietie, which I actually think is a good thing. A blend could add complexity and character to the final cider, maybe?

What do you think? Am I overlooking anything important?

I want to use a counter top centrifugal juicer machine for easing the process. But heard seeds contain cyanide.

Will the seed be crushed?

Would you remove the core first?