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White specks in hard cider bottles

Cider
#1

I’ve seen a bunch of posts about white specks in carboys. Basically, people seemed to think, don’t worry.

These were not in the carboy, but they are in the bottles.

I’ve also seen advice to fill the carboy really full, which I did not do. (Didn’t know better at the time.) Used Red Star Pasteur Champagne yeast. Sanitized everything pretty well.

So now I got little white specks in the bottles (didn’t see them in the carboy or the primary fermentation bucket). I filtered them out and drank some. Not too horrible, no bad effects.

See here?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24168943@N00/12110474974/

What do y’all think? Should I worry? Should I worry about serving some to other people?

(Needless to say, I am a newbie to making hard cider…)

Thanks.

#2

Is this still or sparkling cider? It looks like yeast from the bottom of a bottle conditioned cider.

#3

Used champagne yeast, put a little sugar in the bottles. Has a few bubbles in it. So I suppose, sparkling, more or less.

Would champagne yeast float to the top? These specks do.

#4

My money is on that when you poured the cider out of the bottle you agitated the sediment on the bottom of the bottle. Its no different than any other yeast and would require time for it to settle to the bottom again. That is why you are seeing it in the glass. Try pouring your bottle gently and leaving a little in the bottle to prevent agitating the yeast sediment at the bottom.

#5

Josh, I guess you don’t think it’s anything to worry about? Not nasty?

P.S. The glass in the photo was poured gently, leaving the bottom in the bottle. Opened 3 bottles so far: 2 had specs, one didn’t. The specs floated to the top and stayed there. But I’m happy if it’s yeast, I can just filter it out.

#6

If its yeast there is nothing to worry about. If its an infection you’ll know with time and there is nothing you can do about it. Is it possible that those bottles weren’t clean?

#7

Were washed and sanitized using onestep.

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