Hey all. Making a cider for the first time. From what i’ve read it seems im supposed to leave the cider in the primary fermentor for a month and then transfer it to the secondary fermentor without the yeast cake. My primary fermentor is a big plastic bucket and the secondary fermentor is a 5 gallon carboy. So heres the question: if I dont like leaving it in the plastic bucket all that time, whats the soonest i could take it out of there? Do i need the yeast that sitts at the bottom or is the organism inside the juice enough.
I’ve made a lot of cider, ferment it in buckets and leave it in there for a month before racking to a carboy. There are multiple ways to make cider but mine is to let it ferment completely before racking. Cider ferments slower than beer and takes more patience. No worries about the bucket.
Edit - I verify I’m at final gravity before racking. Identical hydrometer readings over 3 successive days is verification. Just be sure to push the bucket lid down thoroughly all the way around the bucket to get a good seal and you’ll be fine.
So do i wait one month or until it stops bubbling? Wont leave any bad plasticky taste?
1/ Zero plastic taste
2/ The airlock only shows the heaviest part of fermentation, not all of fermentation. As I said, cider ferments slowly and will keep doing so after airlock activity stops. Be patient dude.
Lol. Will do. Thanks.
I recommend transferring it after the first 7-10 days to slow down the fermentation. I usually transfer mine several times, every 7-10 days for a whole month. This helps the cider from going too dry. Otherwise it turns out more like champagne. I also ferment cool, around 55-60 F, for the same reason. I also usually add gelatin when specific gravity hits 1.010-1.015 to again prevent dryness, then refrigerate after that to finish. Patience is key with ciders. Give it a good 6 weeks to finish, or longer if you can stand it. Patience will be rewarded.
I imagine bottle conditioning is a bad plan with your method.
Not really. Drink it flat, like a real man. ;D
Meh. I like some fizz
Men are not defined by their co2 level preferences 