Flat Cider

grabman · Post by **grabman** » Wednesday Sep 29, 2004 11:43 pm

I've just tried a bottle of BlackRock Cider that I bottled 17 days ago, it's dead flat. When making I reduced dextrose to 750gm to reduce alcohol content. Bottles were primed with carb drops. SG was 1030 and FG was 1006. My question is is the batch still to young or have I stuffed it by attempting to reduce alcohol level?

Post by **Oliver** » Thursday Sep 30, 2004 11:06 am

Hi grabman,

See the post below called Flat beer - HELP!. It will probably answer your question. However, if you want to know anything else please let us know.

Cheers,

Oliver

grabman · Post by **grabman** » Thursday Sep 30, 2004 6:23 pm

I've read the Flat Beer thread, however was curious if cider was a different situation and whether the reduced initial dextrose would have affected the outcome.

Dogger Dan · Post by **Dogger Dan** » Friday Oct 01, 2004 12:25 pm

Not likely that the dex would have any issue, it should have finished fermenting before you put it in the bottle otherwise you just made a grenade.

As an aside I once had a guy walk in the shop and asked me to test his brew. "No worries" I said, "Tell me about it" " Well" he says " I brewed it up according to the instructions, I just forgot to to add the 1 kilo of dex during the initial fermentation so I added it when I primed the bottles. Thats OK right?"

Everything was bottled in glass. Things you see in this life amaze me. Talk about Darwinian Theory and Natural Selection

Dogger

grabman · Post by **grabman** » Friday Oct 01, 2004 5:44 pm

mmmm a definite case of put it down slowly and run like hell!!!!!!!!

Post by **Oliver** » Friday Oct 01, 2004 9:07 pm

I've got to agree with Dogger (again). I wouldn't have thought the dextrose would have affected carbonation. Give it another week or so in a warm place.

Cheers,

Oliver

sago · Post by **sago** » Tuesday Oct 26, 2004 7:31 pm

My much anticipated cider was sampled recently(2 litre plastic bottle) and whilst tasting very palatable was as flat as a James Hardie Compassion graph.I used Coopers brewing sugar in the fermenter just as I would for a beer and primed the bottles with 2.6 measures of sugar.Adjusted for the two litre bottle so all should have been well.
Just to be sure I drank another 2 litres on Friday night and this was also flat but tasted great.There was little or no sediment in the bottom of the bottle .
Taste is everything so i really can live without the bubbles.
Just won't attempt to brew any Champagne.
By the way it is bloody strong!!!!!!!!

thehipone · Post by **thehipone** » Wednesday Oct 27, 2004 5:31 pm

sago,

well, if you put it into 2L plastice bottles it could have been an issue with not having a good seal.

However, since you say there wasnt any sediment, your yeast are either (a) not even in the bottle or (b) dead.

Did you filter the cider in any way?

How high is the ABV? If youre up around 10% I guess you could have killed your yeast.

sago · Post by **sago** » Thursday Oct 28, 2004 3:07 pm

I think I calculated it to be around 8% from memory.
Concur that the beasty yeasties might have been spent before bottling.
Have made cider previously and used the 2 litre pet bottles and that was gassy enough but tasted dry.This brew tastes good as I used the lactose and apples that Oliver recommended in his recipes.
I can't remember how long it sat in the fermenter though so I could have been a bit slack and not bottled straight after primary fermentation.Maybe the yeast spent its passion ,then rolled over and had a sleep???