Second Racking Post Fining

Our Second Decanting

The Bentonite fining agent clarified our cider nicely.  Based on my research, I thought I may need to add a positively charged fining agent to further clarify the cider, as Bentonite is negatively charged; but after a few weeks, the cider has such a lovely rich amber glow, clarity and delightful flavor that really requires no further processing.  In this case, less is most definitely more.

Beautifully clarified, with Bentonite at the bottom:

Today's objectives were to:

1.)  Use hydrometer to calculate alcohol content
2.)  Siphon cider and decant to a clean carboy
3.)  Adjust flavor

Using the Hydrometer to Calculate Alcohol Content

I read that the hydrometer is to the wine/cider maker what the compass is to the mariner.

The hydrometer measures the weight (gravity) of a liquid in relation to the weight of water. Because the relation of the gravity to water is specified, the resulting measure is called a specific gravity.

A hydrometer will float higher in a heavy liquid (such as one with sugar dissolved in it) and dips lower in a light liquid (such as in water or alcohol). By knowing how much sugar you started and ended with, you can calculate the resulting alcohol content.

Based on a hydrometer reading that began with 1.070 in September and today's drop to just a shade below 1.000, our projected alcohol content will be around 9%. 

Here's how it works out:

1.070 - 1.000 = .070 (drop) x the K Factor (ranges from 125-130 for cider making - we chose 128)

The result is 8.96, or roughly 9%.

Siphon Cider & Decant to A Clean Carboy

Bernie fashioned a device to keep the siphon tube from disturbing the Bentonite.

The siphoning process begins.

Adjusting the Flavor

After all four of us tasted the cider, we determined it would be even more delicious with the addition of Bernie's super premium Pete's Mountain collected flower honey.

So I imagine that we should refer to the cider as "Cyser" from this point on, because now it is truly a combination of apple cider & mead.

The addition of honey may have the consequence of reinvigorating the fermentation process.  This, in conjunction with moving the carboy to a warmer location, could quite possibly boost the alcohol content. 

It simply means we need to keep a close eye on the cyser's metamorphosis...and taste it frequently!


Although I haven't tried these recipes, this looked like a nice place to start:  Cyser Recipes.

Time to Decant

Step 1 in Clarifying

Two weeks have passed and rather than take daily photos of bubbling cider fermenting, I thought we would allow it a little privacy to mature and tell you about the next steps we took toward clarifying the cider.

Two days ago, Bernie & Elaine came over to decant the 5 gallon carboy into a different, freshly sterilized carboy.  This allowed us to throw away the sediment which could lend bitter notes and unpleasantness to the cider (left carboy). 

After decanting the original carboy, we added 1/2 teaspoon/gallon (2.5 teaspoons) of pectinase to help the sediment drop.  We also topped off the carboy with fresh pressed cider that had been treated with a campden tablet.

Step 2 in Clarifying

Today (October 4) we decanted the carboy for a second time.  This is the carboy before its second decanting.  While it is a lovely color, it is still very sediment-heavy.

 So, we siphoned the cider into a clean carboy.

And waited for the second carboy to fill.

After decanting the cider, we decided to sweeten it with honey from Bernie's own carefully tended beehives (Pete's Mountain Honey).  We're aiming for our cider to be 4% sweetened by natural honey.

As we were adding the honey, the fermentation process went wild and bubbling in the airlock resumed at an even faster pace.  You can see the process starting with white frothy bubbles in the carboy below.

In retrospect, I wish I had waited a couple of weeks to make the cider, because today's freshly picked apples had a sweeter, juicier quality than just two weeks ago.

Esopus Spitzenberg

I'm with Thomas Jefferson.  This is one of my favorite fresh off the tree eating apples.  It is deliciously sweet with a nice hard flesh that is beautiful golden yellow inside.  We harvested some from the tree top today and they were sun-warmed and very sweet.

In my orchard, the pollinators for this apple are the Winter Banana and the Calville Blanc.

 

 

 

 

Golden Russet

Even sweeter this week, the Golden Russet is probably the most flavorful apple in our orchard.