Question about hard cider...

Homesteading & Country Living Forum

Help Support Homesteading & Country Living Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Wingnut said:
Well, I wound up doing more yard work than anticipated, but that's okay, I'm clearing my property of ALL noxious and obnoxious weeds, including tumbleweeds and their scratchy irritating cousins... hard to believe how many can be found on a lousy half-acre, lol. Now, while I was tackling that weeding job and filling the trash bin (yet again), I got to thinking about protection... for the new carpet in the one perfect closet where I wanna do the fermenting. SheepDog said that yeast likes a warm dark place during fermentation, and I'm gonna go with that advice, but I don't want the fermenting gallons of sweet cider directly on the carpet in the chosen closet, aye? I'm kicking myself because I just donated a large cat litter box which would've been perfect for the job (once sterilized), it was oversized in terms of length & width, not depth, and it would've easily held all four fermenting jugs of cider with a little room to spare. :confused:

Meh, it was bad timing: when I donated the litter box to the shelter where I adopted the kittens, I was thinking that the jugs would go into one of the sheds, right? But if a warm dark place actually increases fermentation and makes my cider even harder, then that's what I want... so now I have to go to WallyWorld and find a plastic storage tray suitable for the purpose, one in which all four fermenting gallon jugs will rest comfortably and perhaps have room to spare. Shouldn't be too hard to find one that'll work, there's no way I place fermenting jugs of sweet cider directly onto the new carpet in that closet I've decided to use. That ain't gonna happen, not after I've read about "blowouts" and "overflow" and other BS. No thanks, I'd like to keep my carpet clean & dry & free of bugs, 10-4? That carpet cost $4K under Biden, PFFFFFFT. :mad:

So next time I'm in town, I'll find a plastic waterproof tray (or ciderproof tray) that'll keep everything groovy, no sticky mess on my new carpet, no future in that, lol. It just chaps my @$$ that I gave away the perfect plastic tray for the job, but the shelter can always use litter boxes, the ones they have must wear out over time... and my intentions were truly honorable, I just didn't know that I was gonna hafta put the goldurned gallon jugs of fermenting cider into a warm dark closet. Chalk that one up to ignorance on my part. If I'm gonna do this cider number, I intend to MAXIMIZE the alcoholic content of the cider... I don't wanna waste time on 'Sidewalk Sissy Cider' that takes a gallon or two just to get a buzz. I want hard cider that can double as carburetor cleaner and paint stripper, BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Damn. :oops:

OKAY, MOVING ON, TIME TO GO SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING ELSEWHERE AT THIS WEBSITE, AYE? :cool:
Click to expand...
Keep them in a bucket. I waited 6 weeks. I think it should have been longer judging from the hangover.
 
YOU HAVE TO HAVE AIR SPACE IN THE TOP OF THE JUGS OR IT'LL BLOW EVERYWHERE!
 
Well, they're NOT blowing everywhere, the jugs actually have some space now, like the yeast has been eating the sugar or something, lol. I just looked at the jugs a little while ago, and they seem to be happily bubbling away! I'll check again manana... if a loud boom occurs tonight, I'll take it as a sonic boom and not a cider jug explosion! Of course, all of the sonic booms from jets outta Holloman AFB have occurred in daylight hours... :rolleyes:

P.S. I just checked the jugs, and all four have space at the top... not a whole lot of space, but enough that the airlocks seem to be working properly and bubbling away! The jug with the liquid 'English Cider Yeast' has the least amount of space, but it still seems okay, while the jugs with the dry yeast have the yeast (?) floating at the top, even though I shook them well when I added the yeast. I went ahead and shook 'em again just a little, and the fermenting cider really started bubbling, lol. I hope I wind up with a batch of @$$-kickin' hard cider on my first try, that would be AWESOME! :cool:

Edit: I'll get some pics manana, I can't be bothered with it tonight, lol... I need to log out and watch a good movie, I'm still not hungry yet! More beer, a shot of holiday apple jack (or two), and perhaps even a bong hit of my excellent organic weed after this long day might put me in the mood to eat some munchies, lol... ;)
 
Last edited:
Wingnut said:
Just returning to this thread, my four gallon jugs of cider are all bubbling away, so now I just wait until the bubbling stops? How many weeks will that be? Or is the time frame shorter? I still haven't gone back to read up on the subject on the web... meh, life is what happens while you're making plans, lol. Frodo, that video didn't come through, what was it about and can I find it on the web? 🤔
Click to expand...
I am using an I phone instead of my desktop
I seem to be lacking knowledge in the ability to download and upload from youtube
A desk top is easy as click click
 
Okay, I checked the fermenting jugs of apple cider and there no longer seems to be any bubbling whatsoever... does that mean I need to add more yeast & sugar? Dang, I've been meaning to read up on this whole process, but I haven't done it yet... I thought y'all said it would bubble for weeks? Isn't one packet of yeast enough for a single gallon of sweet cider? Meh, maybe I'll look into it AFTER today's ride, I don't feel like wasting this good weather on indoor activity, lol. In fact, I gotta get started on breakfast, then check the fuel level in the bike after I eat. 😒
 
How long did it bubble?
Check the alchol content if it is not a stalled ferment it should be between 13/20 depending the yeast you used

Are the jugs being kept at around 72 degrees up to 80?

You may have a stalled ferment

2 cups warm water, 1/2 cu sugar
2 packs yeast. Let the yeast double in size hen pour into the jug

Yeast will hibernate if the are cold, they like it warm not hot Wrap an electric blanket around them if cold is the problem.
 
Frodo said:
How long did it bubble?
Check the alchol content if it is not a stalled ferment it should be between 13/20 depending the yeast you used

Are the jugs being kept at around 72 degrees up to 80?

You may have a stalled ferment

2 cups warm water, 1/2 cu sugar
2 packs yeast. Let the yeast double in size hen pour into the jug

Yeast will hibernate if the are cold, they like it warm not hot Wrap an electric blanket around them if cold is the problem.
Click to expand...
Yeah but to hot kills them DEAD so go easy on heat.
 
Naaah, the jugs have been in a climate-controlled closet with temps from 60-70* F, and nothing else temp-wise! I'll look into the whole deal later... maybe the 1/2 cup of sugar I added with each yeast packet (to each jug) had something to do with this? Have I miraculously discovered a way to brew STOUT HARD APPLE CIDER in one shot? If the cider is WEAK, it's gonna get a "second fermentation" with additional yeast & sugar, which I already have waiting in the wings, lol. Maybe the yeast just took a vacation on this fine day... :oops:
 
Wingnut said:
Naaah, the jugs have been in a climate-controlled closet with temps from 60-70* F, and nothing else temp-wise! I'll look into the whole deal later... maybe the 1/2 cup of sugar I added with each yeast packet (to each jug) had something to do with this? Have I miraculously discovered a way to brew STOUT HARD APPLE CIDER in one shot? If the cider is WEAK, it's gonna get a "second fermentation" with additional yeast & sugar, which I already have waiting in the wings, lol. Maybe the yeast just took a vacation on this fine day.
Click to expand...
You might ought to do a little research first. Maybe buy a book or two.
 
You store yeast in the fridge so the yeasty bugs stay asleep
Warming up a cup of water wakes them up
Adding sugar to that water feeds them
If your jugs get cold the happy lil yeastiest will go back to sleep

Another issue I did not see addressed is a sterile environment stuff has to be clean if a bad yeast gets introduced into your ferment the bad yeastie could take over a fig up your plans quick ff

I had this happen with some strawberries
The natural yeastiest killed off my wine yeastiest and those yeastiest tasted terrible I lost a 30 gallon ferment poured it out on the ground and let the critters have it
 
Frodo said:
See dancing question mark gif - Google Search
Click to expand...
Right click.
save as.
Attach files.
upload thing from wherever you saved it.
question-mark.gif
 
So I take it this project is over?

Go to. Homedistiller.org and do some reading
Some sage advice or maybe a warning
The guys there are very serious about what they do. They will go out of the way to help you out “””IF”””””. You have read about what you are asking first. If you expect to be spoon fed they will slap you like a momma bear does a cub.

Click around and find the forum button
Lotta knowledge behind that button

I
 
Last edited:
Well, I looked into the whole process, and so far I'm on track... two weeks have passed since I added the yeast, so I inspected the jugs closely with headlamp & reading glasses, and there are STILL tiny bubbles rising to the surface inside the jugs, though the bubbles are much smaller than what I saw early on, and there are fewer of them at greater intervals. So... I reckon I'll wait a few more days, then cap the 'English Cider' and throw it in the fridge for a week or two. The other jugs, well, I haven't decided yet, I *may* add more yeast and sugar and see what happens, solely in the interest of science (and heller partying, lol). I may cap ONE of those dry yeast jugs and throw it in the fridge, then pull a 'second fermentation' with added yeast & sugar in the remaining two jugs, that way I'll have several different outcomes to test. Whichever method creates the STRONGEST hard cider, THAT will be my method of choice, lol. Otherwise, the fermentation looks to still be occurring, but the bubbles are MUCH smaller and less frequent. I gently rocked the jugs to see if that would help, but I didn't rock 'em hard enough to disturb the sediment at the bottom. We shall see what happens... I seem to be on track and I don't think the ambient temp ever got low enough in that room to adversely affect the yeast. Cheers!!! :)
 
Look at your airlock, pretend it is a spirit level, if the bubble is not centered than it has pressure on the jug side it will continue to move up the gauge till the bubble hits the apex of the u in the gauge
Then it will let that bubble out then fall back to gather more yeast farts

Having fun yet?
 
Whooowheee!!! I'm drinking some of the 'English Cider' right now and that stuff is kickin' my @$$, lol... I've had two tall glasses and I have one heckuva buzz, though I had to add sugar because it wasn't quite sweet enough to my taste when I first sampled it. Meh, it'll do for now, I'm enjoying the heck out of this hard cider, though I'd better eat something later to make sure my stomach is settled, lol. Time to log out and watch some entertainment, the library was closed today when I dropped those books, and I'm already too buzzed to read, lol, so TV it is, AYE? Good stuff though, this hard cider, I just gotta dial in the whole process... I think I'm gonna add more sugar at the outset next time, I want my cider to be fairly sweet once it's done. Maybe I'll have to add sugar again, like I did with the two gallon jugs still in the 'War Room' when I went for a 'second fermentation.' But hell, I'm pretty buzzed right now off two tall glasses (call 'em 12-14 ounces apiece), another glass will probably do me until I mack dinner & crash, lol. CHEERS!!! 🍺
 
Wingnut said:
Whooowheee!!! I'm drinking some of the 'English Cider' right now and that stuff is kickin' my @$$, lol... I've had two tall glasses and I have one heckuva buzz, though I had to add sugar because it wasn't quite sweet enough to my taste when I first sampled it. Meh, it'll do for now, I'm enjoying the heck out of this hard cider, though I'd better eat something later to make sure my stomach is settled, lol. Time to log out and watch some entertainment, the library was closed today when I dropped those books, and I'm already too buzzed to read, lol, so TV it is, AYE? Good stuff though, this hard cider, I just gotta dial in the whole process... I think I'm gonna add more sugar at the outset next time, I want my cider to be fairly sweet once it's done. Maybe I'll have to add sugar again, like I did with the two gallon jugs still in the 'War Room' when I went for a 'second fermentation.' But hell, I'm pretty buzzed right now off two tall glasses (call 'em 12-14 ounces apiece), another glass will probably do me until I mack dinner & crash, lol. CHEERS!!! 🍺
Click to expand...
Go to the local feed store and buy some molssses in a gallon jug (horses)
Use that in place of the sugar or add brown sugar with the white to get a sweeter taste
Now that you made the cide
Go buy some frozen strawberries. Purée the strawberries pour into the ferment bucket
Pluck the damn stems and leaves off first
 
I must say, I'm enjoying the cider experiment, even though I'm not having any right now... I'm nursing a cold beer instead, but twice now I've gotten roaring drunk on that homemade hard cider, and it sure is a heady buzz! :oops:

And maybe it was just my imagination, but while I was taking a shower this morning (after another cider fest last night), I swore my hair was thicker and richer than before! Could a yeast-rich cider actually DO this? Make hair thicker? :rolleyes:

If so, we're into a bonanza here... I'll be marketing the stuff in no time, preying upon the insecurity of guys who are all gripped about losing their hair! "DRINK OUR CIDER & WATCH YOUR HAIR GROW! ONLY $49 PER GALLON!" ;)

We can go straight for the jugular (and wallet) by using names like 'MALE PATTERN BALDNESS HARD CIDER' or 'BILLIARD BALL APPLE JACK!' As smooth (and bald) as a billiard ball! The cats & I are gonna be MILLIONAIRES! :cool:

We're gonna be macking Filet Mignon every night, and lighting our postprandial bong hits with $100 bills! I'll swap 'The Mighty Camry' for a Lamborghini Aventador, and buy the biggest lifted disco truck I can find! We're gonna be FILTHY RICH!!! :thumbs:
When my friends & family ask how this all came to be, I'll tell 'em it was the homemade hard apple cider! :dancing:
 
Okay, time to revisit this thread, since I started four more gallon jugs of hard cider today... meant to do this earlier, but I realized I was low on sugar and I had to buy some at the store. I don't normally buy a whole lot of sugar, the main reason is for the hummingbird feeders in season, lol. But I scored a big ol' bag of it yesterday, enough to have plenty left over for the hummers this season... I went with 1 cup of sugar in one jug, and 1-1/2 cups in each of the rest, making the yeast and sugar mixture first in warm water. Makes it easier to pour into the jugs... I felt like I was back in high school chemistry class, decanting fluids and pouring solutions through funnels, lol. No worries about making the grade or passing the class... I may have shaved 5 minutes off my time, but it still took me roughly an hour to get all four jugs mixed and capped with the airlocks, and that was AFTER I laid out all the necessary equipment & ingredients. Not a problem, this isn't an Indy race, lol... hopefully this new batch is stronger than the last, I'm trying different yeast this time. We shall see how it goes, I'll check the "fermentation closet" in the War Room manana, just to make sure each jug hasn't blown its top, lol. The airlocks should prevent any loud explosion from waking me at zero-friggin'-dark-thirty... :oops:

IMG_8038.JPG

WOOHOO!!! DOUBLE LIVE GONZO HARD APPLE CIDER IS ON THE WAY, BUOYS & GULLS!!! :dancing:
 
Wingnut said:
Okay, time to revisit this thread, since I started four more gallon jugs of hard cider today... meant to do this earlier, but I realized I was low on sugar and I had to buy some at the store. I don't normally buy a whole lot of sugar, the main reason is for the hummingbird feeders in season, lol. But I scored a big ol' bag of it yesterday, enough to have plenty left over for the hummers this season... I went with 1 cup of sugar in one jug, and 1-1/2 cups in each of the rest, making the yeast and sugar mixture first in warm water. Makes it easier to pour into the jugs... I felt like I was back in high school chemistry class, decanting fluids and pouring solutions through funnels, lol. No worries about making the grade or passing the class... I may have shaved 5 minutes off my time, but it still took me roughly an hour to get all four jugs mixed and capped with the airlocks, and that was AFTER I laid out all the necessary equipment & ingredients. Not a problem, this isn't an Indy race, lol... hopefully this new batch is stronger than the last, I'm trying different yeast this time. We shall see how it goes, I'll check the "fermentation closet" in the War Room manana, just to make sure each jug hasn't blown its top, lol. The airlocks should prevent any loud explosion from waking me at zero-friggin'-dark-thirty... :oops:

View attachment 105381
WOOHOO!!! DOUBLE LIVE GONZO HARD APPLE CIDER IS ON THE WAY, BUOYS & GULLS!!! :dancing:
Click to expand...
Cool air gaps! We always used one of those punching balloons
 
Okay, my cider jugs are merrily bubbling away, and the aroma of yeast "cooking off" in the jugs has permeated the 'War Room' where the fermentation closet is located. Gotta keep the jugs in a warm dark place (around 70-75* F), as Frodo mentioned before. I'm hoping this batch will be extra strong with two packets of yeast in each jug, lol... I'm just wondering if I should've added a whole cup of sugar to each jug, instead of just 1/2 cup? Might try that next time. At least the yeast is doing its job and the brew is bubbling... even the regular apple juice, so I'm looking forward to trying that version. Like I said yesterday in another thread, if I can get a gallon of hard cider or fermented juice for $10 or less a pop, I'm gonna do this fermentation number more often, just as a way of "sticking it to the man" (i.e. corporate brewmeister douchebags and their cr@ppy overpriced products). 😒
 
More yeast will not n
Make a higher a content
Research the different yeast types
To get and understanding of the highest content you can reach with out distilling

On a different note, what goes into a still is what you are making
We just make it on a larger scale like 30 gallons at a time, then cook that down to 10 gallons and backseat for a future run
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top