Cider fermentation after racking has stopped

[Doug Lynch]

Hi All,

This year, I decided to rack my cider early to slow down the fermentation speed. I am aiming to get an off-dry cider this year and am following the method of using stabilization racking to slow down the speed. The cider was at SG 1.062 to start. I pitched liquid cider yeast and racked after 11 days with the SG at 1.030. I have a very cold basement (in the 40's F in the winter- that's like 5-10 C for normal people). Now, five weeks later, the SG is still at 1.030 and there is no visible fermentation action. So, I'm thinking I just wait until the spring when things warm up down there and start monitoring then. I'm assuming it will start up again, but maybe at a slow rate. Any opinions on this topic? 

[Claude Jolicoeur]

Yes, your racking seems to have succeeded beyond all expectations! I do however suspect some measurement error and probably that the SG has decreased (albeit slightly) during the last 5 weeks and that your measurement didn't catch it. I would take a new measure in about a month to see how it goes.

Most likely the fermentationm will pick-up more vigor as the temperature rises in spring.

[Doug Lynch]

Thanks for your response, Claude. I suspect you are right on the measurement error- I'm using a standard glass hydrometer- nothing fancy. I own your book and am following your explanation of the process. Your book is excellent, by the way. The charts and tables in the section detailing this process are really useful and I am trying to model my own recordkeeping on your example. I will keep doing monitoring from time to time per your example. Best regards from VT!  -Doug

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[Frantisek Algoldor Apfelbeck]

Hi Dough,
I wonder if your lot started to ferment again? Did you kept the sediment aside? I didn't have this issue before but I know that other cider makers, when the cider seems to get stuck, use sometimes the pied de cuve (the yeast sediment left after the soutirage/racking). It is suppose to be quite efficient.

Best of luck,

František

[gareth chapman]

For a fermentation that has dropped 32 points in 11 days at that temperature, I'd be surprised if you've stopped it stone dead.
Take a test jar and take it into the warm and see how it goes in accelerated conditions.
I can't emphasise enough how valuable running small volume test jars are for predicting fermentations. I use test jars for everything that I want to have some control over.
At least as Claude says take another reading as it warms up.

[Doug Lynch]

Thanks for the response, Frantisek. I have two batches. One of them shows visible bubbling at this point and a slight drop in SG (down now to about 1.022). The other batch is not bubbling and no discernible drop in SG (but I'm using a pretty imprecise hydrometer). However, I noticed fizzing when I drew out the cider to test. I'm pretty sure there is some fermentation happening, albeit slowly. I'm going to continue to monitor every so often as the weather warms. My basement is still a relatively cool environment. 

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[PHC Cidrerie]

Hi Doug, It depents on how many times you have racked, It's normal for fermentation to stagnate during colder periods.

This year I keeved & then racked 15 times as I don't filter - my cider was suspended @ 1030 for over 30 days but then picked up slowly so racked again a couple of times until I hit 1022 which is when I bottled for a "Demi - Sec".

from the press to the bottle took over 7 months - so no worries.

Just make sure there's no air getting in.

Good luck

Stuart

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[Doug Lynch]

Thanks for the response, Stuart. I have a question about your demi-sec cider. Are you expecting that it will continue to ferment a bit in the bottle and will give you a petillant cider? Or do you think it is done and you will have a still cider? My hope is to get a product that is off-dry, or even a touch sweet, but with a bit of carbonation. 

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[PHC Cidrerie]

Hi Doug, it will continue to ferment in the bottle slowly with the residual yeast until spent, so I expect it to finish with enough residual sweetness.

To achieve this you need to rack it multiple times to slow fermentation…..- unless you filter it or pasteurise it in the bottle after secondary fermentation.

I’m a keen believer that filtering removes the goodness & taste and pasteurising doesn’t keep well for aging.

If you bottle above 1022 then you run the risk of bottle bombs, smaller bottles like beer bottles maybe around 1020 would be a better target.

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