I'm trying to do my first attempt at a hard apple cider. I have a gallon carboy of mead going now and that appears to be running great.
Here are my ingredients and steps. I mixed it up last night, and as of 12hr later I have no activity at all.
The apple juice is pasteurized with the only additive being absorbic acid for vitamin C. The yeast is 71B-1122
1) I put 2x Camden tablets into a bag, crushed with hammer, poured into the pitcher and topped it off with as hot of water as I could get out of the tap.
2) dumped a small cup, stopper, airlock parts, funnel, measuring spoon, and hydrometer + hydrometer case into the pitcher to sanitize.
3) crush two more tablets, fill the carboy half full of hot water, add tablets to the carboy and shake to dissolve, top off completely with hot water.
4) Take the hydrometer container out of the mix, poor off the sanitizer, shake off excess, fill 3/4 full of apple juice, read SG of 1.050
5) dump out the carboy, let air dry a bit on it's side, shake off the funnel, dump the rest of the juice in the carboy
6) take the small cup out, put about 1/2 cup of distilled water in it, nuke in the microwave for 30sec or until luke warm (barely warm to the touch), add half a packet of yeast + 1/4 tsp of yeast nutrient, stir until disolved, dump into the carboy.
7) sanitize hands, pull the stopper out, put the stopper on the carboy, plug hole with finger, shake what my mama gave me.
8) pull airlock parts out, shake off, assemble, fill with distilled water, place on stopper, set on table, let sit.
12 hours later I have no activity at all, no bubbles, no airlock activity, nothing. I know I had activity with my mead in much less time, I had bubbles the next morning easily.
The only difference is that I added the yeast straight to the mead, used a full packet instead of a half, and did not check my SG. I also added the YN a week or so later. Are my steps ok? did I kill my yeast by adding the YN with the 1/2 cup while it was activating and not straight to the carboy? Should I just wait a bit longer? Should I throw another packet? I didn't check the Ph, maybe the absorbic acid has the PH too high?
Thanks for the help. I'm kind of a noob when it comes to brewing and thought I'd start easier (meaning less steps) with a hard cider and a mead then try my hand a beer later.
Here are my ingredients and steps. I mixed it up last night, and as of 12hr later I have no activity at all.
The apple juice is pasteurized with the only additive being absorbic acid for vitamin C. The yeast is 71B-1122
1) I put 2x Camden tablets into a bag, crushed with hammer, poured into the pitcher and topped it off with as hot of water as I could get out of the tap.
2) dumped a small cup, stopper, airlock parts, funnel, measuring spoon, and hydrometer + hydrometer case into the pitcher to sanitize.
3) crush two more tablets, fill the carboy half full of hot water, add tablets to the carboy and shake to dissolve, top off completely with hot water.
4) Take the hydrometer container out of the mix, poor off the sanitizer, shake off excess, fill 3/4 full of apple juice, read SG of 1.050
5) dump out the carboy, let air dry a bit on it's side, shake off the funnel, dump the rest of the juice in the carboy
6) take the small cup out, put about 1/2 cup of distilled water in it, nuke in the microwave for 30sec or until luke warm (barely warm to the touch), add half a packet of yeast + 1/4 tsp of yeast nutrient, stir until disolved, dump into the carboy.
7) sanitize hands, pull the stopper out, put the stopper on the carboy, plug hole with finger, shake what my mama gave me.
8) pull airlock parts out, shake off, assemble, fill with distilled water, place on stopper, set on table, let sit.
12 hours later I have no activity at all, no bubbles, no airlock activity, nothing. I know I had activity with my mead in much less time, I had bubbles the next morning easily.
The only difference is that I added the yeast straight to the mead, used a full packet instead of a half, and did not check my SG. I also added the YN a week or so later. Are my steps ok? did I kill my yeast by adding the YN with the 1/2 cup while it was activating and not straight to the carboy? Should I just wait a bit longer? Should I throw another packet? I didn't check the Ph, maybe the absorbic acid has the PH too high?
Thanks for the help. I'm kind of a noob when it comes to brewing and thought I'd start easier (meaning less steps) with a hard cider and a mead then try my hand a beer later.