Crazy old Cider - Good to Drink?

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BrownBottle

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Hey Guys - So on Semptember 14th I started brewing some cider. A couple months later I moved to the bottling bucket...and there it stayed.

Fast forward to now...7 months after I began the process. Is there any chance that the cider is still good? Could it be dangerous?

Thanks!
-Matt
 
Was the bucket sealed / airlocked?

If so, I'd suspect it would be fine. Have you tasted it?
 
Yes sir. It was sealed and I have an air lock. When I pour into a glass the airlock bubbles so I know it's working correctly.

I haven't tasted it yet. I've been too scared lol. Do you think a little sip will be fine? Is there anything I should look for or anything that could be hazardous to my health? This is/was my first brew.
 
Do you know what the alcohol content is?

I have no idea about danger to health. However, a fully fermented cider at 5% or so ABV should be good for a few months at room temp (some people age cider in secondary fermenters for a month or so). If it were me I would taste it and spit it out if it has a foul taste or aroma, but that's me, maybe someone with actual knowledge of what might be living in there could say whether this is a good idea or not...
 
Lumo said:
Do you know what the alcohol content is?

I have no idea about danger to health. However, a fully fermented cider at 5% or so ABV should be good for a few months at room temp (some people age cider in secondary fermenters for a month or so). If it were me I would taste it and spit it out if it has a foul taste or aroma, but that's me, maybe someone with actual knowledge of what might be living in there could say whether this is a good idea or not...
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what the alcohol content is but I went ahead and tasted it anyways.

It's defintely alcoholic. Theres a hefty burn. There might be a slight vinegary taste but I'm not sure if thats just my imagination :) .
 
People bulk age apple wine for many months. Granted that is usually in the neighborhood of 10-12% ABV and not usually in a bottling bucket. If it tastes like it has alcohol in it and there's nothing growing on the surface go for it.

Even if it did turn to vinegar, it's still fine to consume. You can drink it if you don't mind a little vinegar flavor or use it in cooking or salad dressings.
 
BrownBottle said:
Hey Guys - So on Semptember 14th I started brewing some cider. A couple months later I moved to the bottling bucket...and there it stayed.

Fast forward to now...7 months after I began the process. Is there any chance that the cider is still good? Could it be dangerous?

Thanks!
-Matt
Click to expand...

Your cider is fine drink it. The longer it sits the better it gets in taste.
 
Thanks guys. I popped the top off to see if anything wierd was growing on it. Nothing. However (and this will sound stupid) the color was extremely dark..much darker than when I pour into a glass. I'm assuming this is because of the quantity of cider. Can someone tell me if this looks right?

Note: The white on top is just air bubbles.

cider.jpg
 
BrownBottle said:
Hey Guys - So on Semptember 14th I started brewing some cider. A couple months later I moved to the bottling bucket...and there it stayed.

Fast forward to now...7 months after I began the process. Is there any chance that the cider is still good? Could it be dangerous?

Thanks!
-Matt
Click to expand...

Let us know how it is
 
According to this book (my mom bought for me ~6 years ago) ACV will cure just about anything that ale's ya ;)

Personally, my first batch (5g) just went into 1 gallon jugs....quickly... I felt great, really liked it. Not sure if there's pro biotics or any of that BS but I don't feel bad at all about drinking that. The caramel apple stuff (sweeter), I dunno. If it gets too vinegary it's unpleasant, but I really enjoyed mine. & made some BBQ sauce out of the last .25 gallons.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks for all the feedback! I'm going to back sweeten it tomorrow (not sure with what yet...any suggestions?) and then bottle it Wednesday or Thursday.
 
BrownBottle said:
Thanks for all the feedback! I'm going to back sweeten it tomorrow (not sure with what yet...any suggestions?) and then bottle it Wednesday or Thursday.
Click to expand...

I did the same thing but with a batch that I had sitting around the same length of time. But by that point I think the yeast had started to decompose because it had a nice cider flavour at first but the finish tasted like it was sour and rotting. Not very pleasant. I dumped it down the drain.
 

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