Pitching Cider

Okay, this was a longer starter time than I usually do. Normally a starter gets 24 hours to get rocking, but if it ain't rocking, don't pitch it.



So much for the theory that the smack pack was sufficient to pitch into five gallons. Hah! It was scarcely sufficient for ONE gallon.

Well, in fairness, my basement floor is pretty fucking cold. Which is a good thing, because a cold, long ferment scrubs less of the apple character from the cider. Still, 72 hours is a long damn time to wait for it to get going.



Hopefully the cool basement temps will prevent airlocks from blowing. When a ferment gets out of hand, things get messy. And the heat generated by the yeast warms the must beyond healthy levels.

But my first batch of cider, the one that wone a blue ribbon, was fermented against this same cold floor. So I'll be patient. I'll even forgive airlocks being thrown into the space under the stairs where I put the carboys if I get half as good a cider.



I added grape tannin while I was at it. This is a trick I learned years ago. Traditional hard ciders are made with a substantial portion of crab apples to increase the bite. Tannin is the shit in wine that tastes bitter. You don't want too much of it, but you need some. The dessert apples Louisburg Cider Mill uses have plenty of acid but are way lacking in tannin.

I've heard people say you can overdo the tannin, but with the cider juice I've used, I haven't found that to be true. I use upwards of two tablespoons to five gallons. I boil it in a small amount of water to dissolve it thoroughly, then dump it in. Curiously, it enhances the perception of apple character, even though it's grape tannin.