Cider not clearing

Gelatin won’t touch pectin haze. Pectinaise will break down the pectin and allow it to settle to the bottom of the carboy. Gelatin is great for particulates and yeast, but it unfortunately won’t do anything for you if it is pectin haze.

I would dissolve the pectinaise in some distilled water or a little cider (if you have a wine thief), and then carefully add it back to the main volume. No need to rack it. If you’re concerned about oxidation, you can dissolve it in club soda. Hopefully you won’t get a volcano, but there should be enough residual CO2 coming out of the club soda after it’s dissolved to purge whatever oxygen may have entered the headspace.

I have a tablet of sulphites in each gallon in there so maybe ok anyway?

Should be… you kind of need to work at it to really get oxidation in there. I’ve done much worse than pulling out a sample with a thief without noticing any oxidation. Good luck!

How long do you have to wait after adding pectinase and before bottling?
How long do you normally leave in secondary for? 2 months?

TBH, I’ve never added it after fermentation. But before, there’s been a noticeable different overnight. It makes some phenomenal pectin globs added before fermentation. I’d expect to see something within a few days, though. The pectin tends to clump together and sink.

I always set my pectin, yet I never use pectinase, never have, don’t even own any. I heat pasteurize before fermentation. At end of fermentation, my ciders are almost always hazy. Add gelatin. Wait 24 hours. Clear as a bell.

:smile:

Welcome back, Dave. :beers:

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I’ll typically add pectinase before fermentation as well, but have added it after a couple times (didn’t have any on hand before). It works fast in either situation, though I’ll give it at least a few days to let the resultant “sediment” fall out.

Time needed in secondary? Not really sure. At least a month, not more than two. Some on the board say six months to a year, but I tried a very long secondary once and didn’t see any value in it. YMMV.

Gelatin taking away some of the tannins or not too much?

Good question. There probably is some tannin reduction, though I guess I’m not certain.

Added 1 teaspoon of pectinase dissolved in a little juice from the wine thief.
Been 40 hours and still not clearing.

Has anyone mentioned cold crashing. I’ve only made three ciders and they all came out crystal clear by cold crashing.

Just going to have to bottle it cloudy I think :slight_smile:
Nothing after 7 days.
The ones with pectic enzyme are still cloudy, in fact it even looked like they started fermenting again? air locks have liquid all on one side.

The one with sparkalloid just has all the sparkalloid sediment at the bottom and still cloudy.

Tried cold crashing also but outside in freezing temperatures for a few hours.

Cold crash for longer than that. A minimum of 24 hrs, 48 would be better. It won’t freeze outside don’t do it with glass though

they are in glass secondaries though, the water in air locks immediately froze, it’s around 0-5 F outside so suspect it would freeze after just a few hours?

I buried some kegs of bock in the snow which insulates if from the air temp. The other day it was below zero here and I dug one out to check it and the beer wasn’t frozen not even the dip tube. I believe the snow temperature keeps it at just around 30 deg. Wouldn’t do it in glass though.

technically, freezing glass should have no issues as long as the liquid has room to expand if it freezes?!
And as there’s always headroom…

I froze all my cider and cyser solid this winter, some of that in a glass carboy. Brought it indoors to thaw. Turned out beautiful but it did take a couple days to thaw out. The glass is unharmed, at least as far as I can tell.

Has been 72hrs now outside where the temperature has fluctuated between -10 celsius and around 0 celsius.

Still hazy. I’m going to have to bottle cloudy I think and presume that when juice is heat pasteurised before fermentation, it will never clear.

Not for lack of trying. As long ad it tastes good enjoy it.