Update:
Day 5
Well I started Saturday. Transferred the sweet cider and yeast into the bottle.
I elected to just seal the top with aluminum foil, the theory being that the positive pressure from fementation would keep the nasties out.
There were bubbles in it on Sat, but they were from the pouring action, not the yeast. Eventually, it settled down to be pretty much flat.
On Sunday morning, some patches of foam were starting to appear. These became much more prominent by Sunday evening.
Monday morning, the whole surface was covered in foam. Some large bubbles, like an inch across were present. As time went on, these didn’t seem to be so prevalent, and went away.
By Tuesday, a quite thick layer of yeast (3/4 inch) was starting to be apparent. It was bubbling very nicely.
Yesterday it seemed as though the bubbling was slowing down, but not by much. I took the bottled and rocked it to get everything inside swirling around, then let it set. Caught the distinct odor of hard cider.
Today it is bubbling at a good pace, but has dropped a bit from yesterday. The color is a yellowish/brown.
My plan is to wait till Sunday or Monday, and siphon it into a second jar. This will be a “settling” jar of sorts. If it settles well, then within 24 hours or so, I will bottle it.
I am curious. Can I harvest the yeast or will it all be dead? Also, I asked the gal at the store about how much sugar to add to the bottles (for carbonation) and she said about a half teaspoon each. These are the 15.2 ounce Grolsch bottles, so does that sound right?
I plan on doing it about half and half, adding sugar to half of them, the rest just plain.
My primary goals at this point are drinkability and clarity. The cider I got when I was a kid on the farm had only a slight color to it, but was otherwise crystal clear.
Cheers!
You are on track.
Whatever you do, don’t rush it.
Once you transfer it to the second (sanitized) jar, wait at least a few days for it to settle out. You can help it along by possibly doing a “cold crash” by setting it outside in a very cool place. This will help it to clear.
The yeast left in the jug can in fact be used, you would however need to “wash” it. Frankly, for the price (2 or 3 bucks) it is not worth the trouble to me.
A half teaspoon sounds about right to me, it will be a low carbonation brew which, for the style, will be fine. I suggest using corn sugar if possible, regular table sugar can add some really nasty flavors to brews.
BE SURE TO SANITIZE YOUR BOTTLES AND GASKETS !
If you want it to be as clear as possible, be patient. Typically, I wait for about 2 weeks once fermentation has started to ensure all the sugars are consumed and the brew has a chance to clear as much as possible.
Have you tasted it yet? At this point it is very close to what the finished product will taste like.
Happy Fermenting!
Cheers,
knewshound
Leave it to settle for longer than you would think necessary. My first batch I let sit for a month after racking. Then I used 1/4 cup of priming sugar for 5 gallons of cider.
That was bottled using the same Grosch bottles you used. I let them charge for 2 weeks.
The end result was a wonderfully clear, dry yet slightly sweet sparkling hard cider.
Best of luck. Apple cider is lots of fun to play with, and it's a great starter brew.
L