Primitive cider (again)

I just bottled my cider. Quite a bit later thsn I really intended to.
I may or may not have an infection. There was some whitish stuff on the top of the brew. Not fuzzy or mouldy looking though.
I haven't seen anything like it in my previous cider batches, but then, this is only the 2nd with kveik
No picture. Sorry.
I bottled anyway. I figure that in the worst case I end up with 6 litres of cider vinegar....
If it is an infection, then the most likely causes are:
- Using the trub from the previous batch by just pouring apple juice on it
- using kaffir lime leaves that were not boiled. Just dipped in hot water
- leaving the cider in the fermentor for too long (seems unlikely, but I know my fermenter doesn't seal that well as I have never seen any bubbles through the air lock)
- there have been fruit flies around. It's unlikely, but one may have entered the fermenter

We'll know quick enough.
Fermenter is being cleaned. Tap will be as well
I will know within a week if it carbed like the previous batch due to those PET bottles I am using.

[To be continued]
 
Time will tell Zambezi.
I know alot of Kviek is mixed strain yeast and bacteria so this can explain some differences in appearance ontop of beer but I'm guessing Lallamand Voss Kviek was used I'm sure they isolate their desired yeast from the mix.

You get a taste of it?
That will give you a good idea of how it's faring
 
Took a sample of my cider today and it seems to have attenuated 98% lol it'll be a dry cider for sure. I'll need to bottle condition, so I don't think I can add sweetness. Oh well, I like a dry cider. Wish I had some whole hops to add at bottling
 
Trialben said:
Time will tell Zambezi.
I know alot of Kviek is mixed strain yeast and bacteria so this can explain some differences in appearance ontop of beer but I'm guessing Lallamand Voss Kviek was used I'm sure they isolate their desired yeast from the mix.

You get a taste of it?
That will give you a good idea of how it's faring
Click to expand...
Problem is most if not all of the Kveiks being sold are isolates - single strains of yeast - where the Norwegian original would have had more in common with sourdough.
 
Sunfire96 said:
Took a sample of my cider today and it seems to have attenuated 98% lol it'll be a dry cider for sure. I'll need to bottle condition, so I don't think I can add sweetness. Oh well, I like a dry cider. Wish I had some whole hops to add at bottling
Click to expand...
How about adding sorbitol?
Or just some sugar in the glass when serving ;)
 
Trialben said:
Time will tell Zambezi.
I know alot of Kviek is mixed strain yeast and bacteria so this can explain some differences in appearance ontop of beer but I'm guessing Lallamand Voss Kviek was used I'm sure they isolate their desired yeast from the mix.

You get a taste of it?
That will give you a good idea of how it's faring
Click to expand...

It was Lallemand. Got Mangrove Jack as well, and figure that the same applies.
I didn't taste, but it smelled OK.
When I opened the coolbox it smelled a bit sour, but the stuff going in the bottles didn't.
We'll find out pretty soon ;)
 
Zambezi Special said:
It was Lallemand. Got Mangrove Jack as well, and figure that the same applies.
I didn't taste, but it smelled OK.
When I opened the coolbox it smelled a bit sour, but the stuff going in the bottles didn't.
We'll find out pretty soon ;)
Click to expand...
Yeah I get some tart at times off Kviek remember that stuff ain't gunna be clean its quite estery stuff .

While I'm at it 34/70 has cleared up more now more so than framgarden will have to get another taste of these too.
20210205_175949.jpg
 
Just checked and carbonation is going fine!
Couple more days and 1or 2 bottles can go to the fridge for testing.....
 
2 bottles were put in the fridge yesterday. And today, I couldn't resist opening one.
Normally, I like 2 full days in the fridge.
Good news :p:)
The cider is properly carbonated. Smells normal and tastes absolutely fine!
Can't taste the kaffir lime leaves though, maybe it would be better to put 1 into a glass when pouring.
I think this batch tastes a bit different than the previous, but I can't do a side by side test. I drink them too fast :cool:
It would be logical if they are somewhat different as it has been cooler, and I played with the "recipe"
Anyway, Cheers!
 
Zambezi Special said:
2 bottles were put in the fridge yesterday. And today, I couldn't resist opening one.
Normally, I like 2 full days in the fridge.
Good news :p:)
The cider is properly carbonated. Smells normal and tastes absolutely fine!
Can't taste the kaffir lime leaves though, maybe it would be better to put 1 into a glass when pouring.
I think this batch tastes a bit different than the previous, but I can't do a side by side test. I drink them too fast :cool:
It would be logical if they are somewhat different as it has been cooler, and I played with the "recipe"
Anyway, Cheers!
Click to expand...
It looks tasty in the pic you posted! Did it clarify a lot in the fridge? Looks pretty clear, so I'm curious what it looked like during fermentation? My batch is coming up on 2 weeks and I'm debating bottling or moving it to a secondary for more conditioning.
 
Right, couple more sips in.
Over the euphoria of not having 6 liter of cider vinegar....
I think this batch is a bit more fruity, even though temperature was lower.
Maybe because I let it ferment for longer?
Anyway, I like it, and there is just enough sweetness left for me (meaning, it's not bone dry, I don't have a sweet tooth)
 
Sunfire96 said:
It looks tasty in the pic you posted! Did it clarify a lot in the fridge? Looks pretty clear, so I'm curious what it looked like during fermentation? My batch is coming up on 2 weeks and I'm debating bottling or moving it to a secondary for more conditioning.
Click to expand...
I got my fermenter in a coolbox to try level out day/night temp fluctuations, so I don't know.
It was clear when bottling, except for nasty looking stuff on top (a bit like you can have when making sauerkraut).
And I better post my pic here as well ;)
IMG_20210209_171604.jpg
 
Started a new 4 litre batch.
This time in an oversized mason jar, so I can see what's happening :cool:

First observation: all yeast moved to the bottom after floating on the surface for a couple of minutes, but about an hour later it was all over the place.
Some at bottom, some at top and some in between ;)
And it is starting to get a bit cloudy
IMG_20210213_132155.jpg
 
3-4 hrs later, yeast activity is visible.
Big krausen within 12 hours. (That was 02 in the morning, and I only know because it sounded like a big storm coming in and I got up to place buckets where the roof leaks. The fun of building your own house in the rainy season :eek:)
Foam seems to be reducing a little now, about 30 hrs after pitching yeast
 
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Sunfire96 said:
Took a sample of my cider today and it seems to have attenuated 98% lol it'll be a dry cider for sure. I'll need to bottle condition, so I don't think I can add sweetness. Oh well, I like a dry cider. Wish I had some whole hops to add at bottling
Click to expand...

I had some ciders like that - I added the Sugar Syrup you get for cocktails to take the edge off it.
 
Bottled the cider after 3 weeks in primary. It's very opaque, not sure even cold conditioning will clear it, but c'est la vie. The final gravity was 1.000 and it's about 7% ABV. I'm going to add xylitol or stevia while drinking to find out how much sweetener to add next time. I've also thought about combining the cider with sweet juice or puree before drinking :)
 
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