Cider Kit - Secondary Question

t1mm

Hi there,

I'm thinking of buying a cider kit and had a question I hope you might be able to help me with. I'm looking at buying a basic kit with one FV, and this cider kit:

http://www.thehomebrewcompany.ie/on-the-rocks-cider-peach-and-mango-40-pints-p-3875.html

I understand that after the fermentation is done, you add the "flavouring" sachet to the mix. Is there a major benefit to doing this in a secondary FV? Will I ruin it by adding this mix into the same FV where the fermentation occurred?

Any tips welcome. Hoping that my first attempt is at least drinkable so that I'll continue on the hobby!

Cheers

BeerNut

Should be fine adding it to the primary instead. It certainly won't ruin it.

t1mm

Thanks BeerNut. What's the function of the secondary FV in that case?

BeerNut

It's so that the cider isn't sitting on a cake of dead yeast for a long time, thereby lowering the risk of autolysis and generally making the end result cleaner. Also if you're adding an ingredient it mixes more throughly if that goes into the secondary first and the cider is siphoned in on top of it. But there are risks associated with secondary, oxidation in particular, and it's debatable whether the supposed benefits are worth it. Also homebrew manufacturers like you to buy more buckets.

t1mm

I'll go with the single bucket for my first run and see how things turn out. Thanks a million for the information BeerNut, I appreciate it Cheers!

frosty123

i have mine in a bucket for two weeks now and there's no sign of any any bubbles coming out of the airlocks ???

i have it in the garage maybe the temp is too low??

RasTa

Far too low out there in this weather. Although I wouldn't worry about bubbles. Take a gravity reading if you've a hydrometer

frosty123

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how many weeks before i bottle??

mordeith

frosty123 wrote: »

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how many weeks before i bottle??

You have to wait until initial fermentation is finished. Have you taken any readings as mentioned above?

frosty123

No, I'm afraid to open lid don't want to contaminate brew

mordeith

frosty123 wrote: »

No, I'm afraid to open lid don't want to contaminate brew

That won't happen unless you drop something in it. I've never had an infected brew and will open the lid at least twice to check readings. Some people don't even seal the lid completely (if they have no airlock in the lid)

t1mm

Kit is in the fermenter - fingers crossed! Stuck to the instructions and didn't muck around for my first brew, hopefully it turns out drinkable.

If I'm adding the flavouring sachet to the primary, I have a few questions if anyone has a spare minute:

1. Gentle stir is all I should be doing once the sachet is added I presume?
2. Can I batch prime, or does this require a secondary? I'll be using glass bottles.
3. After adding the flavour sachet, should I leave it another few days before bottling?

Thanks guys!

BeerNut

I'd be disinclined to stir it at all. I don't what the "flavour sachet" contains but it might be best to sprinkle it on and let it diffuse over a couple of days. 
Batch priming doesn't require secondary fermentation, but you do need two buckets for it: siphon from primary into your bottling bucket which has the priming solution in it, and then bottle from there.

t1mm

BeerNut wrote: »

I'd be disinclined to stir it at all. I don't what the "flavour sachet" contains but it might be best to sprinkle it on and let it diffuse over a couple of days. 
Batch priming doesn't require secondary fermentation, but you do need two buckets for it: siphon from primary into your bottling bucket which has the priming solution in it, and then bottle from there.

Nice one BeerNut. I'll sprinkle the sachet, leave it a couple of days, and then prime in bottles I think. Thanks again for your help!

t1mm

So I ended up batch priming with a mixture of sugar and the flavour sachet mixed into a warmed up sample of the cider. Poured this into a bottling bucket and siphoned the rest of the brew onto it before bottling.

I've put the bottles in the bath and will now wait patiently for them to carbonate or explode!

Cheers

BeerNut

Good luck! You'll be fine!

t1mm

Have drank most of this stuff at this point - went very well! Nice amount of carbonation, not quite as sweet as I would like it to be, and very clear in the bottle. I've since brewed 2 more cider kits. The blueberry one went just as well as the first one. I think I may have narrowly avoided bottle bombs with the second (pear) one, though.

I used the same amount of priming sugar, but I noticed that the cider was much cloudier when bottling, and since they've cleared a bit there's a lot of sediment settled at the bottom of the bottles. I guess I was a little haphazard moving the primary fermenter before siphoning into the bottling bucket. Lesson learned - I've been "burping" each of the bottles for about a week now in their cold storage area and things seem to have settled down.

Thanks for all of the advice along the way!