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Cider Digest #0253
Subject: DME and haziness
Date: Mon, 15 Feb 93 16:50:56 -0800
From: arthur@chiba.esd.sgi.com (Arthur R. Evans)
diaspar.HQ.Ileaf.COM!cjh writes:
> I have three batches of Correnty's Special Blend getting very close to
> bottling. Two were raised to ~1.070 SG (one sugar, one mixed sugar and
> Granny Smith juice concentrate) and have been clear for some weeks; the
> other got ~.5# dry malt extract (simmered in CSB to dissolve) and is still
> hazy.
If you cooked the cider with the DME, and not the other batches,
your haze could be caused by pectin in the juice being "set" by
the heat.
I think winemaking/beermaking stores sell an enzyme that helps
break down pectin--if you can find some, you might try that on
a small amount of the cider and see if it clears, by way of an
experiment. The haze also might settle out by itself after a
prolonged period of cold storage; some beer hazes are like that.
Anyway, if it does turn out to be a pectin haze, you should be able
to avoid it by boiling the DME in some water, and cooling it before
combining it with the uncooked cider. However, this does mean
adding water to your recipe, which may not be what you want at
all (and it makes achieving your target SG a bit trickier).
On the other hand, the haze could be caused by proteins from the
DME. Normally, these coagulate during the boil and precipitate
out--but if you don't bring the wort to a full boil, they might
stay in suspension and cloud the final product.
Of course, if nothing will get rid of that haze, you're in
trouble. Whatever you do, don't drink that hazy cider! Y'all
just pack up those bottles and send them to:
Hazy Cider Disposal Facility
c/o Arthur Evans
2505 Mardell Way
Mountain View, CA 94043
We'll make sure that they're properly dealt with. ;-)
-ae
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Date: Tue, 16 Feb 1993 11:49:46 EST
From: Jay Hersh <hersh@expo.lcs.mit.edu>
Subject: This years NE Style batch
well Paul Correnty has done it again.
After months in the ferementer I bottled my NE Style
batch (5 gallons of Paul's blend, some cane sugar, left
to ferment with wild yeasts) and must say it's wonderful.
Not as dry as past batches, it has a slight pleasant
sweetness that balances well. It is slightly carbonated now,
but will likely carbonate a little more slowly in the bottle.
So for the 2nd year in a row I have had great success letting
the wild yeasts do their stuff. Patience is a virtue in regard to
this approach.
JaH
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Date: Tue, 16 Feb 93 10:07:14 -0800
From: jeffw@FICUS.CS.UCLA.EDU (Jeff Weidner)
Subject: I've got a batch going, and a few newbie questions.
Well, I finally did it. I actually started some cider this weekend.
I've got about a gallon and a third going in the pantry right now.
It's been about 40 hours since I pitched in the yeast and there's just
about 1/4 - 1/2 inch of bubbly froth at the top of each jar. I've got
a thermometer in the pantry with the jars and it reads about 65F.
I'd like to end up with a dry cider.
The notes I kept of my method are included at the bottom. I've got a
few questions (and my newbie guesses at their answers in parens):
Is 65F an ok temperature to make cider?
Is Epernay ok for making cider? (The guy at the wine shop
said it would be better than the plain old champagne yeast I had
in my hand at the store).
Should I add sugar, frozen concentrate, or maybe honey?.
(Does Epernay like more sugar?)
If I add sugar or concentrate, when should I? (I was going to
add it right before I seal the bottles).
How long is the primary fermentation going to last? I've heard
people say from about 3 days to a couple of weeks. Is it obvious
when this stage finishes? (I assume the bubbles stop.)
Does the cider clear during primary fermentation?
What do I do next? (I think they call this step "racking". Siphon
off the liquid at the top of each vessel into storage bottles.
Maybe add some sugar, and then seal the bottles and wait.)
How much air should I leave at the top of each storage bottle?
How long do you wait? Is there a way to know when it's ready?
Am I likely to get much carbonation?
The guy at the wine-making supply recommended throwing in a little
pectin extract. When should I do this? And why?
Here are the notes I took while I was starting it going:
I mixed together the following juices which I purchased at Trader Joes:
Gallon of Apple Juice - Unfiltered, No preservatives
Quart of Pippin Cider - Unfiltered, No preservatives
Quart of Granny Smith - Unfiltered, No preservatives
(If it makes any difference, I think the apples used to make
these juices were all from either Washington or California).
Then at about 6pm on Sun, Feb. 14, 1993 I added about a quarter
package of Red Star Epernay using the following procedure:
added to a few tablespoons of water at about 95F
waited about 3 minutes
this was added to above juice.
Put in the glass jugs that the juice came in and filled up to the
narrow part of the neck. Left caps off. Covered openings with two
layers of paper napkins (and fastened with rubber-bands).
Let it sit in a pantry that is about 65F. (to get away from light,
drafts, and try to protect it from sudden, drastic temp changes).
Sorry about the length, but I'd like to have something drinkable when
I'm done with all this.
Thanks,
Jeff
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