This was my first time making cider and I want to know if anyone else has had this issue. I purchased 5 gallons of UV pasteurized local cider. I left it in my downstairs fridge apparently too long and the bottles started fermenting on their own. After going to a local brew supply store, they told me just make a starter with packaged yeast (I bought Nottingham) and follow normal procedure. I did not add a Camden tablet because he didn’t recommend it and I wasnt sure if it was too late because it was cold fermenting in the fridge for a week before I got a chance to grab the rest of my supp!ies. The guy at the store said the packaged yeast should over take the wild yeast anyways. I have the following recipe fermenting in my basement which is about 60-65 degrees Fahrenheit.
Recipe
5 gallons (partially) fermented cider.
1 package Nottingham ale yeast
2 cups brown sugar
5 gallon carboy with airlock
My questions are 1) should I worry about the mixture of two yeasts 2) is there anything I should add at this point to ensure controlled fermentation
[quote=“mandrews387”]This was my first time making cider and I want to know if anyone else has had this issue. I purchased 5 gallons of UV pasteurized local cider. I left it in my downstairs fridge apparently too long and the bottles started fermenting on their own. After going to a local brew supply store, they told me just make a starter with packaged yeast (I bought Nottingham) and follow normal procedure. I did not add a Camden tablet because he didn’t recommend it and I wasnt sure if it was too late because it was cold fermenting in the fridge for a week before I got a chance to grab the rest of my supp!ies. The guy at the store said the packaged yeast should over take the wild yeast anyways. I have the following recipe fermenting in my basement which is about 60-65 degrees Fahrenheit.
5 gallons (partially) fermented cider.
1 package Nottingham ale yeast
2 cups brown sugar
5 gallon carboy with airlock
My questions are 1) should I worry about the mixture of two yeasts 2) is there anything I should add at this point to ensure controlled fermentation
Thanks from a newbie[/quote]
If it was fermenting for a week already on the wild yeast the packaged yeast won’t have much left to do except make a sale for the guy at the store.
lots of fermentations are done with multiple strains of yeast.
no.
Many cider makers just use wild yeast and make good cider.
What was the gravity at the start and what was it right before you added the Nottingham? A starter with dry yeast is not the best plan.
The starting gravity was 1.060 on the original cider and barely moved after being in the fridg TO 1.050. Also I forgot to add that one of the gallons was fresh and not ferrmented also at a standard 1.060. I made my nottingham yeast starter from this. Well I am about 18 hours in and fermentation has begun so I will update as things progress. I’m really hoping for 6-8% abv when all said and done. I really wanted to rack seperately and experiment with different flavors, carbonation, ect. However I think in will ride this batch out as a test and get a 2 batch started properly. Thanks for the advice!
You’ll probably end up close to 8%. I did a coconut cider with Munton’s yeast that went from 1.060 to .998. There is so much simple sugars in cider that even a low attenuating ale yeast will take it down to near 0.
Even with a five gallon batch one pack of dry yeast without a starter would be plenty.
just an update. I pitched the yeast friday night (however the cider temperature was still pretty cold) and airlock activity started sometime saturday afternoon. 72 hours after initial activity the gravity has moved to 1.030 so its moving along nicely and it bubbles about once every 3 seconds. There was a sulfide smell to begin but that has subsided. So all is well and I appreciate the advice once again. Probably wont be the last questions I have lol
