I am still currently letter the cider ferment in pick related but the instructions that came with the kit say that I need to transfer over the cider to resealable beer bottles after two weeks. I am almost at the two week deadline but I have no idea how to aquire resealable beer bottles.
The guide that came with the kit suggest getting self-closing swing tops or a bottle capper; niether of which I know where to get outside of ordering online but that would take too long and cost too much
Is there an alternative to having to transfer all the cider to single bottle and having them ferment in those?
There's enough hipster homebrewmen now that there should be a few homebrew or brew-in-store shops in the city, they'll have bottles If there's any sort of craft brew scene then there should also be a guy importing bottles and growlers to customize and sell to the breweries, he'll be happy to sell you a few plain bottles
All else fails I gueeeeeess you could use 2L pop bottles? They're rated for 100psi but I don't know if that persists after breaking the seal Also they might leach off-flavors into the brew if you leave them long enough
Blake Richardson
Brew-your-own places.
Or, like I did, Hacker-Pschorr bottles. Obviously cheaper to buy the bottles new, but they don't come with delicious beer in them.
Lincoln Cox
Aaaand,
if you want the cider to carbonate and condition naturally (sur lees), it has to remain under pressure without the possibility of contamination. The best way to do this is in the bottle it will be served from.
Ayden Hall
Is it alright to transfer it over to a mason jar or two? Don't know where I am going to find a hipster brewery in my area and I don't have the time to go all the way to NYC to look for one either
Julian Watson
Looks like jenkem
Brody Miller
>Fermenting an alcoholic beverage
Luis Wright
you're sure that isn't cum?
Zachary Young
More important than the arbitrary two weeks is the activity of the fermentation. If you bottle it when the fermentation is still vigorous you run the risk of exploding your bottles. Usually you would let it run to flat and then siphon it off to another container, add some more sugar, three or so tablespoons for a gallon, and then bottle it. That sugar would then ferment in the bottle and provide the carbonation.
For you, if you have three or four mason jars I think that would be a good way to go. Siphon it off, being careful not to get too much of the lees. You won't have too much aging potential with this method so just enjoy it.
Owen Bennett
Are you saying you live somewhere where there is no homebrewing supply store? I live in bumfuck backwater, but in a 45 minute drive I reach a store. If not, you're going to have to order on-line. You say "it takes too long," but you don't have to transfer at exactly 14 days. The world and flavor will not end because you went a few days over. If it really triggers you, siphon to another container for a secondary and wait until your bottling equipment arrives. Are you trying to make something to enjoy or just get drunk on cheaply? If the latter, siphon to mason jars and swill like a pig.
Joshua Davis
>2 weeks
your bottles are going to explode. Go to a homebrew shop and buy a capper, or another growler with polyseal lid. slowly transfer the cider and "bottle" it in that. sierra nevada bottles are good for reuse bottling.
you get better flavor from aging in bottles, but 2 weeks primary ferment is at the very best going to give you bottles that fizz over when you open them and make a huge mess.
also
Samuel Butler
Its already been fermenting in the bottle for about a week, the two week deadline when I am supposed to transfer the cider to bottles is this monday, the 30th. Then I am supposed to let it ferment in the bottles for another two weeks.
The extra fermentation in the bottle is good, but there's a window you have to hit.
Basically, when the air can't get out (in a sealed container) the extra CO2 become carbonic acid suspended in the liquid. Fancy name for carbonation. Do you like your alcoholic drinks fizzy? You have a thin window to rack/bottle, depending on how much sugar you added and what yeast you used, temperatures, etc. It runs on a scale from "flat" which for cider still tastes great, unlike flat soda, to "broken glass and beer stink all over my floor." Last year I had a few dozen bottles that you had to slowly ease the pressure out with a bottle opener for 2 minutes before the cap could come off without spills, and that was a 2 week ferment.
For your first brew, I highly suggest just getting a couple of 1/2 gallon growler jugs since you only have a gallon of must, and good polyseal caps, do your bottle conditioning in there and make sure to take it off the lees. The deposit on those is typically around $2 in the US and beer stores will give them away at that price.
Good luck my dude.
Noah Wood
I don't have a full home brewing Setup but recently ordered a kit from www.oztops.com.au
You buy shelf stable preservative free juice at the store then add yeast, dextrose, sugar, whatever else you want and screw one of these lids on and wait.
Apparently for the ease of use it makes a pretty decent drop.
On another note, I drank 2L of hard cider last night (not home made), went to bed at 10.30pm and woke up at 4am and puked. Now I've had diarrhoea all day, fucking sucks. Whyyyyyyy
It's the first time I've drunk this brand, it tastes great and has extremely good reviews online. Perhaps something in it doesn't like me.
Going to try and drink some more of it tonight, it's 8.2% abv so providing I don't vomit and shit again it should be an alright night
Adrian Hughes
>not homebrewing alcohol for the sole purpose of making vinegar
amateurs
Luis Morris
Way too much head space in that jug, 2 weeks is not nearly enough time as other anons pointed out, cider should be racked to a secondary to finish (my last 5 gal batch took several months to clear up, and spent nearly six in bottles), go around to bars and ask for bottles if you can't source them otherwise (like drink beer, duh), sanitize, sanitize, sanitize. Cider making is more like wine production than beer. It takes patience and time.
Michael Davis
Is four weeks not enough time either? I would be bottling then allowing them to ferment for another two weeks in bottles
Jaxson Price
Are you that guy with the dirty trailer full of weed plants and the retarded dog?
Carson Thomas
Looks like a pretty small amount.
Search around for one of these 5L novelty Grolsch bottles.
Jace Hill
I'm not sure I get the '>'. You know that's how alcohol is produced right? Through fermentation?
Parker Jenkins
I would recommend leaving the main jug for another two weeks before bottling.
Eli Robinson
You don't want it to ferment in the bottles, that's how you make bombs. Bottling is for aging and conditioning. Cider will continue to ferment for a while even after activity in the airlock has ceased, this will become evident when you rack it and it goes nuts again for a couple of days in the secondary. With that small amount 2 + weeks in the primary should be fine, you can (& should IMHO) rack it to a secondary with an airlock and leave it until it clears up, (i.e. you can read a newspaper through it), or drink it. But you absolutely should not bottle it that young. With that small amount I'd be inclined to just drink it after a couple of weeks; it should be pretty good depending on the quality of the cider going in. Just store it in the fridge with a bit of cheese cloth, towel or whatnot over the top. It'll last about a week or more but would find a better home in your belly. Then get on to the next batch. Again, it's not like beer where there's a strict time table; fully fermented cider tastes like kerosene before aging and conditioning, it takes about a year for it to really sing.
Chase Richardson
Why did you start brewing without all the shit you needed? You could also sterilize jars and do it moonshine style assuming your brew is still now
Jeremiah Gonzalez
Based on your image I assume you know that most jars don't have the strength to handle the pressure, and are joking.
James Davis
>assuming your brew is still
Reading comprehension, my dude
Kevin Watson
Eh, my bad.
>day drinking
Carter Flores
I also add wild honey to my cider when I pitch the yeast... so it's never really still for me.
Lucas Hughes
No problem haha
So do i.... it's called mead
Josiah Moore
>it's called mead
No, just a small percentage of honey to fresh pressed cider as an adjunct, to add more fermentable sugars (also use champagne yeast, which tends towards a drier finish).
Still very much cider.
Zachary Foster
Yeah, mead is an entirely different animal. Minimum of 1 gallon (12lbs) of honey per 5 gallons. You can put 3lbs of honey in a beer to make a honey ale or lager and that isn't even a braggot.
Cooper Clark
Adding 3 lbs of honey ramps up a 5 gallon batch by 3% abv. That can put an 8% beer at 11% and I've never seen a braggot weigh in more than 11%. I'm sure they're out there, but most are around 11%.
A minimum of 12 lbs of honey for 5 gallons is reasonable. Comes out a little over 10%.
Owen King
Usualy braggots are more about the composition. In other words 1/2 your fermentables will be from malt and 1/2 from honey. 3 lbs of honey and 3 lbs of malt for 5 gallons would be a weak beverage. No one would consider even that a braggot.
