homebrewandbeer.com

Hi everyone,
I am up to my 4th brew (all just straight out of the tin - nothing fancy yet).
I am fearful that my most recent ( Brigalow Apple Cider) is stuffed. It is now 12 days in the fermenter, hydrometer shows about 1.004. The thing is there is no frothy residue or anything. Also i don't think it bubbled at all. Unfortunately i was away for abit and have pretty much neglected it. I added 3 litres of "preservative free" juice to the otherwise standard kit and followd all other instructions exactly.

Should i bottle or am i just wasting my time???

Thanks
Corneliusdog

Corny,

At 1004 it sounds like it's done. It may have brewed quick. I've had a brew that finished in about 48 hours. Is this why you are worried ? Cause you didn't see it bubbling ?

I'd bottle it/keg it and forge on.

thanks evo,

basically i am worried because it looks pretty much the same as it did 11 days ago.

all my other brews have had that frothy residue stuck to the side.

then again this is my first cider so i am not sure if they do that.

thanks for the advice,

corneliusdog

Should be fine. Do a search and you'll find some other similar threads from people who think their beer hasn't fermented.

But Evo is right. At 1004 it sure sounds like it's done.

As you'll see in the other posts, don't look bubbling in the airlock (or lack thereof) as a sign that the beer/cider is or isn't fermenting.

Cheers,

Oliver

I had the same thing happend with a Brigalow Apple Cider and it didnt look like it had fermented at all. No "froth" and it didnt seem to change at all. I was a bit dubious when I bottled it as I wasnt sure of the smell and havent been brave enough to taste it yet. It doesnt seem to be carbonating that well in the bottle so I might wait a little longer. (Im using PET bottles and you can squeeze them and feel how "tight" they are to tell about the carbonation). Mind you, the last of the bottles from the fermentor seem to be carbonating better than the first ones. Something to do with a bit more sediment in them maybe?

I will keep you up to date on how it tastes. I might try some this weekend if Im brave enough!

I WISH I had the problem of not being able to see my cider fermenting. Got one on the go at the mo, woke up this morning to check on my babies, and a big, brown swamp monster seemed to be growing out the top of my airlock. Fun stuff to clean up.

So from my little experience with cider, it DOES ferment with a big crusty head.

I've done a few ciders, the missus likes 'em on a hot day.

The brigalow kit didn't create as much "foam" as the Blackrock kit I normally use. However it tastes fine, maybe a little dry, needed some lactose to sweeten it up a bit.
I added 6L of 100% apple juice to my last cider and it's a ripper, came out at about 7%, should keep her happy!

I've only mage one Brigalow Cider and it tasted foul. Have had no problems brewing beer or the Black Rock cider (touch wood) but the Brigalow Cider smelt good and tasted like burnt urine.

Good luck but from my experience, I'd flush it NOW and start again with another brand kit

I would be interested to know how you can compere a taste to 'burnt urine' do you cook a lot with that?

Ross,

An Alice Springs man has surely urinated into a campfire

Yeah, I've done that before. But I found I burnt my tongue on the smoking embers and couldn't get a real good taste of it.

Why would you piss in a camp fire?

By the way Evo, I clogged my air lock the other day during a high end primary fermentation and launched it to the moon, followed by a fountain of wort.

Dogger

Well actually no, I can't say I have pissed in a camp fire, and if I did, you can be sure my billy wouldn't be there to collect the burnt urine.
(I have nearly been pissed and in a fire a few times though!)

Dogger, one way of putting the fire out, after all if the only liquid you have with you is beer you need to filter it before wasting it on a fire

See Grab

I come from the land of plenty o water.

Mind you, I once saw my missus trying that, damn near broke a rib.

It is truly one of the great things about being a guy, right up there with writing your name in the snow.

Dogger

snow, now there's a foreign concept to someone from Perth.

Only time we see snow is on TV

Or on holiday

Grab

See what you are missing

Land has turned white again today
Will make an effort on your behalf.

26 C on Tuesday, 4 cm of the white crap today, no wonder my golf game sucks, and here I was blaming the sticks.

Dogger

aah Yes Dogger,

but look at our endless beaches and the variety of "wildlife" they house!

So good on a summers day to sit in the beer garden at your favourite pub and watch the wildlife walk by!

I've seen some wildlife which is truely far better in winter clothing

Dental Floss would be scary.

Dogger