Long term lurker, first time poster. I'm on my second year of making cider and this forum has been insanely helpful (thanks everyone!). I bottled a batch of my cider ~1 month ago. It is acidic (3.5 pH) and back-sweetened a bit but did not stabilize. There is some browning, ropey residue forming at the bottom of the bottle (no air pocket here) and am wondering if it is just sediment collecting, some additional fermenting with the back-sweetening, or a bigger issue making it unsafe or spoiled. Any insights would be much appreciated.
Post-bottling Residue
- Thread starter pdbolt
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If I had to guess, it's sediment that gets re-suspended when handling and moving the bottles.
When storing (aging) your bottled ciders (or other fermented, then bottled, beverages), usually under cool conditions, they'll get clearer over time due to residual yeast and other suspended solids slowly precipitating (dropping out). They're consumable and not dangerous to your health. It's more of an esthetic value to have (crystal) clear beverages.*
Be very gentle when handling, opening, and dispensing from them, to prevent that remixing from happening.
When pouring out, do it slowly in one steady stream, without tilting back or "glugging." That way the sediment will not mix and stays low in the bottle.
Toward the end of your slow and controlled pour you may see a narrow stream of that sediment slowly moving toward the neck. Before it reaches the opening, right before it would pour into the glass, tilt the bottle back, quickly, in one smooth motion.
The result: clear cider in your glass! And a little bit (~1/4") of cloudy cider left behind on the bottom of the bottle.
The cloudy cider that's left in the bottle is also drinkable, may have some extra flavor, which can be an acquired taste.*
* Alas, not everyone's digestive system reacts positively to drinking the yeast/sediment or even "cloudy" beverages.
When storing (aging) your bottled ciders (or other fermented, then bottled, beverages), usually under cool conditions, they'll get clearer over time due to residual yeast and other suspended solids slowly precipitating (dropping out). They're consumable and not dangerous to your health. It's more of an esthetic value to have (crystal) clear beverages.*
Be very gentle when handling, opening, and dispensing from them, to prevent that remixing from happening.
When pouring out, do it slowly in one steady stream, without tilting back or "glugging." That way the sediment will not mix and stays low in the bottle.
Toward the end of your slow and controlled pour you may see a narrow stream of that sediment slowly moving toward the neck. Before it reaches the opening, right before it would pour into the glass, tilt the bottle back, quickly, in one smooth motion.
The result: clear cider in your glass! And a little bit (~1/4") of cloudy cider left behind on the bottom of the bottle.
The cloudy cider that's left in the bottle is also drinkable, may have some extra flavor, which can be an acquired taste.*
* Alas, not everyone's digestive system reacts positively to drinking the yeast/sediment or even "cloudy" beverages.
If I had to guess, it's sediment that gets re-suspended when handling and moving the bottles.
When storing (aging) your bottled ciders (or other fermented, then bottled, beverages), usually under cool conditions, they'll get clearer over time due to residual yeast and other suspended solids slowly precipitating (dropping out). They're consumable and not dangerous to your health. It's more of an esthetic value to have (crystal) clear beverages.*
Be very gentle when handling, opening, and dispensing from them, to prevent that remixing from happening.
When pouring out, do it slowly in one steady stream, without tilting back or "glugging." That way the sediment will not mix and stays low in the bottle.
Toward the end of your slow and controlled pour you may see a narrow stream of that sediment slowly moving toward the neck. Before it reaches the opening, right before it would pour into the glass, tilt the bottle back, quickly, in one smooth motion.
The result: clear cider in your glass! And a little bit (~1/4") of cloudy cider left behind on the bottom of the bottle.
The cloudy cider that's left in the bottle is also drinkable, may have some extra flavor, which can be an acquired taste.*
* Alas, not everyone's digestive system reacts positively to drinking the yeast/sediment or even "cloudy" beverages.
Super helpful, thank you!
If fermentation restarted I'd think the OP would be sweeping glass shards by now, not looking at a small plume of sediment:
@pdbolt
Have you opened and drank one of those bottles yet?
That depends on how long it sits and at what temp. Not stabilizing then backsweetening leads to new fermentation unless the yeast is dead or really cold. Keep an eye on that rope. If it develops wispy arms that's not good.
fluketamer
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drink the dregs after the pour - dont throw it out. i often do and am surprised at how good it tastes. - basically just like the beer,. i have a hard time tasting the yeast in the sediment which makes me think i could just pour stouts without a homebrew pour or drink them straight from the bottle (gasp)
Polished one off over the weekend. Tasted great and no other issues, so think it's just sediment. I'm not super anal about filtering.
Good to hear your cider turned out well! You must be doing most things right to get there.
Most homebrewers aren't. It takes special equipment and process to filter without oxidizing your alcoholic beverages.
Gravity and time will crash out pretty much anything suspended. And bottle dregs are part of the charm.
It becomes a small art in itself to serve crystal clear homebrew from bottles, and doing so will make you proud of your accomplishments!
BTW, among the best (farmhouse) Ciders (with a capital 'C', yeah!) I've ever drank were in Somerset County, U.K. Straight from the farms, filling up jugs. None were very clear, and some were very brut. Part of their success are the apple varieties they grow, climate, terroir, many use natural yeasts, and they've been at it for centuries.
Here in the U.S. very good ciders can be had and made too. And they've become more popular lately. We have quite a few experienced cider makers on our forum, read their posts and contributions.
fluketamer
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docs draft original is really goodGood to hear your cider turned out well! You must be doing most things right to get there.
Most homebrewers aren't. It takes special equipment and process to filter without oxidizing your alcoholic beverages.
Gravity and time will crash out pretty much anything suspended. And bottle dregs are part of the charm.
It becomes a small art in itself to serve crystal clear homebrew from bottles, and doing so will make you proud of your accomplishments!
BTW, among the best (farmhouse) Ciders (with a capital 'C', yeah!) I've ever drank were in Somerset County, U.K. Straight from the farms, filling up jugs. None were very clear, and some were very brut. Part of their success are the apple varieties they grow, climate, terroir, many use natural yeasts, and they've been at it for centuries.
Here in the U.S. very good ciders can be had and made too. And they've become more popular lately. We have quite a few experienced cider makers on our forum, read their posts and contributions.
bad seed is ok but i find the carbonation varies from can to can and sometimes its flat.
wolffers is the best. all varieties
