Kegging cider

[wobbler]

I've just started the kegging caper ( Why oh why did I wait so long to start ) and have kegged my first Black Rock cider and the quality is not that good.

It's cloudy and very gassy. There's always air bubbles in the line to the tap.
I have a T piece in the gas line as I use the same regulator for my beer.


Does anyone out there keg cider and if so, what type of cider do you use and can you provide the process you use from the type of cider to the pouring.

Cheers,

[rwh]

Should be the same process. How did you gas it? Those symptoms sound like an overcarbonated beverage. The cure for that is generally to disconnect the keg from the gas, and burp it every half an hour or so until it gets down to a lower carbonation level and will pour correctly.

Either that, or just gas it up in the first place using your pouring pressure, over a few days.

[wobbler]

Carbonated the same as my beer, got the keg cold then gassed to about 230kpi for two days then lowered the gas to pouring pressure.


Will try burping the keg and see what happens.


Thanks for the advice.

Wobbler

[danthebeerman]

I just tapped my first cider.
I used Black Rock Cider
Malt
Dextrose
Lactose
Apple schnapps
10 gm hallertau hops
it slow gased from the 10/8/07 till today and poured very nice and tastes great.
i slow gas at more pouring pressure of about 50psi.

just thought i'd let you know

dan

[Tipsy]

Sort of on topic.

I have made 1 all juice cider and it was dry as a the proverbial.

I was thinking of making another and chilling it half way through fermentation (to retain some sweetness) and then kegging and force carbing it.

Has anyone tried this? How did it go?

[KEG]

it'd still slowly ferment i'd think. lactose?

you could kill the yeast with some sodium met - but you'd need a TINY amount. for a 19L batch, maybe 1/2 a metric teaspoon TOPS.

have a look at these:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_metabisulfite
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campden_tablet

[Kevnlis]

Sort of on topic.

I have made 1 all juice cider and it was dry as a the proverbial.

I was thinking of making another and chilling it half way through fermentation (to retain some sweetness) and then kegging and force carbing it.

Has anyone tried this? How did it go?

That is actually a damn good idea! If I had kegs I would give it a go and let you know

[wobbler]

thanks Dantheman,

I'm due to keg another cider in a week, will try gassing to normal pouring pressure to carbonate it.

How log did you leave it at 50kpi before taking the taste plunge ?.

Wobbler

[Trough Lolly]

Waste of a good beer keg, puttin' cider in it!
It's like cooking fish in a frypan...you'll never get the smell out!

As for dry ciders, the key is in the recipe, not just the fermentation. 100% juice ciders are dry because of the abundent simple sugars that the yeast happily ferments. Using certain yeasts, eg, Champagne yeast, will result in a very dry cider as well.

What's needed is some more dextrinous sugars that the yeast are more likely to leave in the final product. A common fix is 50g of lactose for every 5 litres and that should result in a medium-sweet cider. Some dry malt extract and lactose will give a much better result...

Cheers,
TL

[danthebeerman]

thanks Dantheman,

I'm due to keg another cider in a week, will try gassing to normal pouring pressure to carbonate it.

How log did you leave it at 50kpi before taking the taste plunge ?.

Wobbler

it was slow gased for about a month.
KEG questions lactose. That what the recipe says and it worked. it has some kick to it too.

[KEG]

hey dan, i was talking to Tipsy when i made that post

[danthebeerman]

hey dan, i was talking to Tipsy when i made that post

cheers.

[Tipsy]

hey dan, i was talking to Tipsy when i made that post

I must have missed your post Keg, glad it came back up.

I'm now thinking of brewing a small amount of cider, crash chill and top up with more apple juice until the sweetness is about right and then force carb.

As for getting the smell out of the keg afterwards, I was thinking of putting the old seals and o'rings back in (they smell like pepsi)