TÍTULO CUARTO De los órganos técnicos

When vigorous fermentation is underway, you should move the carboy to a cooler place if available. the ideal temperature is a consistent 40°F to 60°F (4°c to 16°c). at this

the carboy is still open. It needs to remain open until the fermentation has slowed—you’ll see strong streams of bubbles, but any frothing will have stopped. If you put the bung in before fermentation has slowed, the pressure building up inside the carboy will, at best, expel it. at worst, it will shatter the carboy. When the fermentation has slowed down, place the bored bung loosely in the mouth of the carboy. don’t add the airlock yet. the bung is a test. If, after a day, the bung remains in place without any frothing, you can push the bung fully into the mouth. If the bung is soon expelled or covered in froth, remove the bung, clean it, and wait a day to try again.

point in the process, you must be careful not to introduce air into the cider. Move the carboy with a minimal amount of sloshing or agitation.

FeedInG

the YeaSt

Insert the bored bung when fermentation has slowed.

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(Text)

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addInG the

aIrLOcK

after you have secured the bored bung, wait a day before adding the airlock. the fermentation process is still producing enough carbon dioxide to create positive pressure and prevent damaging air from entering the carboy through the hole in the bung.

point in the process, you must be careful not to introduce air into the cider. Move the carboy with a minimal amount of sloshing or agitation.

When you are ready to add the airlock, add water to the airlock and insert it into the bung. If the bubbles are rising rapidly in the airlock, remove it. It’s too soon. You can test the airlock again the next day. If the bubbles are regular but not rapid, leave the airlock in place.

FeedInG

the YeaSt

at this stage, you can consider feeding the yeast a bit. Use the minimum amount (or even less) that the package recommends and follow the instructions for adding the nutrients to the carboy. the key is to add the nutrients to the fermenting liquid very slowly. the nutrients are more soluble than carbon dioxide and

will drive some of the carbon dioxide out of solution in your carboy. If you just dump the nutrients in, expect a frothy volcano and be ready to mop your floor. If you add it gently and slowly, expect to see the liquid get a bit excited, then settle back down to a happy fermentation. When it has, replace the airlock.

Two common types of bored bungs and airlocks

Add the airlock to prevent oxidation.

Insert the bored bung when fermentation has slowed.

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MOVInG the

carBOY

addInG the aIrLOcK

addInG the

BOred BUnG

When vigorous fermentation is underway, you should move the carboy to a cooler place if available. the ideal temperature is a consistent 40°F to 60°F (4°c to 16°c). at this

the carboy is still open. It needs to remain open until the fermentation has slowed—you’ll see strong streams of bubbles, but any frothing will have stopped. If you put the bung in before fermentation has slowed, the pressure building up inside the carboy will, at best, expel it. at worst, it will shatter the carboy. When the fermentation has slowed down, place the bored bung loosely in the mouth of the carboy. don’t add the airlock yet. the bung is a test. If, after a day, the bung remains in place without any frothing, you can push the bung fully into the mouth. If the bung is soon expelled or covered in froth, remove the bung, clean it, and wait a day to try again.

point in the process, you must be careful not to introduce air into the cider. Move the carboy with a minimal amount of sloshing or agitation.

FeedInG

the YeaSt

Insert the bored bung when fermentation has slowed.

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(Text)

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addInG the

aIrLOcK

after you have secured the bored bung, wait a day before adding the airlock. the fermentation process is still producing enough carbon dioxide to create positive pressure and prevent damaging air from entering the carboy through the hole in the bung.

point in the process, you must be careful not to introduce air into the cider. Move the carboy with a minimal amount of sloshing or agitation.

When you are ready to add the airlock, add water to the airlock and insert it into the bung. If the bubbles are rising rapidly in the airlock, remove it. It’s too soon. You can test the airlock again the next day. If the bubbles are regular but not rapid, leave the airlock in place.

FeedInG

the YeaSt

at this stage, you can consider feeding the yeast a bit. Use the minimum amount (or even less) that the package recommends and follow the instructions for adding the nutrients to the carboy. the key is to add the nutrients to the fermenting liquid very slowly. the nutrients are more soluble than carbon dioxide and

will drive some of the carbon dioxide out of solution in your carboy. If you just dump the nutrients in, expect a frothy volcano and be ready to mop your floor. If you add it gently and slowly, expect to see the liquid get a bit excited, then settle back down to a happy fermentation. When it has, replace the airlock.

Two common types of bored bungs and airlocks

Add the airlock to prevent oxidation.

Insert the bored bung when fermentation has slowed.

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WaItInG

teStInG

Once the airlock is in place, you should leave the fermenting cider undisturbed. Just watch the progress. You will see the rapid fermentation slow and then, over the course of several weeks, come to a near stop.

When the fermentation has nearly stopped and you see only the occasional rising bubbles, it’s time to test the cider.

Working quickly to minimize the cider’s exposure to air, remove the bung and airlock from the carboy and start by smelling the cider. the cider should smell pleasant. If you detect rotten eggs, compost, decay, cabbage, or garlic, your cider may be in trouble. (See chapter 6 for some potential solutions.)

Use the plastic tubing to siphon a small amount of the cider for your evaluation. taste it. It may taste a little

Lees, which is made up of solids from the juice and expired yeast, will have built up at the bottom of the carboy during the fermentation process. even after the fermentation has finished, the lees will continue to fall to the bottom and the cider will become clearer.

harsh. that’s fine. the flavor typically mellows as the cider matures. then, using the litmus paper, test the ph of the cider. the ph level will have risen some during the fermentation process, but that change will not be clearly detectable on narrow-range litmus paper. (If it is noticeable, see chapter 6.) You can also test the specific gravity using the hydrometer to confirm that the fermentation is completed. Fully fermented cider will have a specific gravity of 1.00 or lower. replace the bung and airlock and wait until fermentation has stopped completely.

racKInG

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Lees, which is made up of solids from the juice and expired yeast, will have built up at the bottom of the carboy during the fermentation process. even after the fermentation has finished, the lees will continue to fall to the bottom and the cider will become clearer.

harsh. that’s fine. the flavor typically mellows as the cider matures. then, using the litmus paper, test the ph of the cider. the ph level will have risen some during the fermentation process, but that change will not be clearly detectable on narrow-range litmus paper. (If it is noticeable, see chapter 6.) You can also test the specific gravity using the hydrometer to confirm that the fermentation is completed. Fully fermented cider will have a specific gravity of 1.00 or lower. replace the bung and airlock and wait until fermentation has stopped completely.

When there are no bubbles visible, fermentation has stopped completely. If all has gone well with the fermenta- tion—there were no unpleasant odors or a dramatic increase in ph when you tested—you can leave the cider on its lees for a week or two without seeing any change beyond increasing clarity. If these flaws are apparent, see chapter 6 for some potential solutions. More time on the lees could exacer- bate the problems.

“racking” is simply transferring the cider from the carboy in which it fermented into the second carboy, where it will mature. You’ll do this by siphoning the cider through the plastic tubing, leaving the lees behind. this is also the time to add more sulfur dioxide, this time primarily to prevent oxidation and malolactic fermentation (in which a bacteria converts malic acid to lactic acid) or other bacterial activity.

• Full carboy • Campden tablets • Empty carboy • Plastic tubing • Utility tape • Scissors

• Glass for your first taste of cider • Extra clean container for excess

cider

• Dry cider, neutral white wine, or distilled water, as needed • Solid carboy bung

Equipment