Secondary, 1st batch

Sunday, November 28th, I decided that my first batch of cider, now nicknamed the Yeastie Beastie, was ready to be transfered to a secondary for some aging.  I had read dozens of opinions on when to transfer to the secondary.  Many said to wait until airlock activity had been reduced to once every 5 minutes or so, while others simply transfered after two weeks regardless of activity.  Also many never transfer to a secondary, for different reasons.  Some never transfer to reduce the risk of contamination, exposure to air, and some simply don't do it because it's easier and one less step.  On the other end of the spectrum, many people are very opinionated about why it's essential to transfer and to get the product off of the yeast sediment.  I obviously decided TO transfer, so that's what you'll see below.  My airlock activity was about once every 35-45 seconds and the batch had been in the primary for 19 days.

Many use large food grade buckets or brewing specific bottles for their secondary.  I looked into purchasing a 3 gallon bottle for this, but was advised against buying a 3 gallon bottle unless I plan on continuing to do 3 gallon batches.  Originally I had planned on doing 5 Gallons but because of fear of making a large volume of undrinkable crap, I chickened out and only made 3 gallons.  Since I will be doing 5 gallon batches in the future, I opted on using the original 1 gallon glass jars I already had (the jugs the juice came in), and buying a rubber stopper and airlock for each.  This will allow me to do small test batches in the future if I want to work on perfecting a recipe.  The Primary can have extra air space, because of all the fermentation, the air will be dissipated, however with the secondary, you need to ensure that you have minimal air space in the container.  I added some fresh juice to alleviate this as you'll see.

Onto the Transfer!

As always, Cleanliness is the MOST  IMPORTANT thing to consider.  Using the B-Brite Sanitizer, I sanitized the glass jugs (previously I had removed the labels by letting the jugs soak in my bathtub for a half hour and lightly scrubbing with a brush to get all of the adhesive off), the stoppers, and the airlocks and then placed them on a sanitized surface.

After everything was sanitized, I moved everything over to my makeshift station (aka living room table....) to start the process.

You can see the jug of fresh juice ready to add.

I then decided to take a Gravity Reading to see where it's at.  On 11/19 I did a reading and it was 1.031.  I was hoping for something around 1.01 but was pleasantly surprised to find that it was 1.000!  Meaning it was a lot further along than I had expected.  On the forum I frequent, www.homebrewtalk.com, meaning people using the same juice and sugar ratio fermented out to a gravity reading of .990 or lower.  The aroma was very yeasty, almost like a fresh loaf of bread, still had vodka-like vapors that were somewhat overpowering, and still cloudy, though I'm assuming after letting it age off of the yeast, it will clear up a bit.

So now that I had taken the gravity, and had a glass ready to accept the sample :) I was ready to transfer the cider from the primary to the secondaries.  I purchased a Brew Bucket WITH a Spigot to make this process extremely easy.  I'm glad I did, because this was so simple, and for only a few bucks more, you'd be silly not to.  I simply placed a Jug underneath the spigot and turned it open and let the cider pour.  I spaced it out equally between the 3 gallons to ensure that I'd be adding the same amount of fresh juice to each jug.

After adding the fresh juice to about 1 1/2 inches left of air space, I assembled the airlocks into the stoppers and put in filtered water in the airlocks (many people use cheap vodka in the airlocks to ensure that there's no bacteria growth.  I may do this in the future.).

That's it, Transfer to the secondary complete.  Now, to taste:

Still has some aging to do, but it's coming along very nicely!

Now It's time to clean the primary........I wasn't too sure about what to expect.  I've heard the terminology 'yeast cake' for what's in the bottom of the fermenter and was a little scared to see it.  It wasn't bat at all and rinsed out without any problem.  I then proceeded to clean the primary bucket and sanitize it.

Happy Brewing!

First Gravity Reading, using a hydrometer.

Last night I took my first gravity reading of the Cider.  As mentioned in the first post, when I conjured up this batch of cider, I didn't have a hydrometer at the time and therefore failed to get an OG (Original Gravity) reading  on the batch.

So last night 9 PM, about 10 full days after the fermentation began, I took my first reading with the hydrometer.

Detailed instructions follow on how to take a hydrometer reading as well as some helpful hints to make it easier.  Record keeping is essential to happy brewing :)

First off, you can buy a test tube shaped container for using your hydrometer, or you can use a wine thief, or you can use the container the hydrometer came in, like I did.

Step 1(this will keep you from wasting your brew and make your next gravity reading easier):  For the first time using the container, you'll need to figure out how much volume you'll need to get it close to the top so you can get a good reading.  To do this, place your hydrometer in the empty container, then fill the container until it's at a good level.  I filled it so the liquid level was about a half inch from the top.
After filling it to this point, remove the hydrometer and make this lower level with a marker.  This will let you know in the future how much liquid to put in it.

Step 2:  Use a Thermometer to find the temperature.  This is crucial to having an accurate reading from your hydrometer.  Hydrometers are calibrated for a certain temperature (look at your instructions or box to see what yours is calibrated at).  Take the temperature and record it.  Remove thermometer.

Step 3:  Place hydrometer in tube/container.  Spin the hydrometer to remove any bubbles that may be in the bottom of the container that would interfere with an accurate reading.  Let the hydrometer slow and level out, while making sure that the container is on a level surface.  Record the reading that you see, the top of the liquid level.

Step 4:  Redo Step 3 to make sure you got the same reading.

Step 5:  Refer to manufacturer instructions on correcting reading for temperature.  In my case my reading was 1.030, with my hydrometer calibrated at 60 degrees.  My cider was 70 degrees, my correction was +.001, so my actual reading is 1.031.

Step 6:  Taste your sample!  Celebrate or cry.

I've been doing a lot of taste testing in preparation for my beer brewing.  I picked up a sample pack of Boulevard Brewery beer, my Kansas City hometown brewery.  Tonight was Pale Ale:

First Brew

Hello!

This blog is to follow my journey in Home Brewing.  I'll be uploading pictures, sharing the projects i'm working on, talking about equipment and the process of brewing, and hopefully above else be sharing my success stories of the brews I make.  And for those of you in the area, you may even be enjoying the fruits of my labor :)

I'm currently in the process of brewing a 3 Gallon batch of Hard Cider.  I started this batch on the evening of November 9th, around 8 PM.

I picked up a 5 Gallon (actual volume is 6.5)  True Brew Fermenting Bucket from my LHBS (Local Home Brew Store) Old West HomeBrew Supply .  I decided to buy a bucket with a Spigot, to make transferring the liquid easier.  Also this bucket has a lid, with a pre-drilled hole with a grommet for an Air-Lock.  I purchased a 3-Piece airlock, and a package of yeast.  As I quickly found out, yeast is 100% a personal preference when it comes to home brewing.  Certain recipes call for certain yeasts if you are trying to make a specific beer (or clone as they're called), but otherwise it's totally up to you, the brewer.    I of course had no idea what I was doing so I asked for a recommendation and was pointed towards Red Star brand, Pasteur Champagne; a Dry Champagne Yeast used primarily in white wine and champagne making.  I also purchased a sanitizer, B-Brite to sanitize EVERYTHING that came in contact with any part of the brewing process.

The next day I went to Whole Foods and picked up 5 Gallons of Organic Apple Juice.  The MOST IMPORTANT thing when making cider is that you use juice WITHOUT any preservatives.  A lot of commercial brand juices have preservatives in them to keep them from spoiling, or fermenting.  Which is the exact opposite of what you want the juice to do when you're making cider.  So you have to find juice that is 100% juice, no preservatives.  I also picked up Organic Brown and Organic Cane Sugar for adding to the cider.  The sugar is primarily for boosting the alcohol content and giving the yeast something to eat.  It does have some affect on the taste but very minimal, because the yeast will be eating 95% or more of it.

Essentially that's all that you NEED to get brewing hard cider, though I learned there are a lot of useful tools and equipment that will add more certainty to what you're doing.  I'll make a list of those later on.

Here's a list of what I used to start:

Hard Cider

-5 Gallon True Brew Fermenting Bucket with Spigot, with lid pre-drilled and grommeted for air lock

-3 Piece AirLock

-3 Gallons of Organic Apple Juice/Cider

-1 package of Red Star, Pasteur Champagne Wine Yeast

-3 lbs of Sugar (I blended brown sugar and cane sugar)

-Metal Spoon

-Pot to dissolve sugar in juice

-B-Brite Sanitizer

Step-By-Step Instructions of what I did:

First, it's imperative that everything that you're going to use for the brewing process is thoroughly sanitized, and remains sanitized throughout the process.  In order to do this, I used a sanitized plate and a bowl as 'sanitized surfaces' to place sanitized equipment on while I brewed.  Thoroughly sanitize based on the instructions listed on your sanitizer.  The B-Brite sanitizer is a Chlorine-Free & Bleach-Free powder that you simply add water to.  Disassemble all parts of your equipment; in my setup I sanitized the lid, the bucket, the spigot (unscrews into a nut, rubber washer, and the spigot), the airlock, the spoon for stirring, the pot I dissolved the sugar in.  The sanitation is critical because if anything is contaminated, it can kill the yeast and ruin your entire batch, and if a contamination doesn't kill your brew, it can leave weird flavors that will be fermenting along with your juice.

Next I heated 1 Gallon of juice in a pot over Medium Heat being careful to NOT boil the juice.  Add the Sugar that you'll be using.  My ratio was 1 Gallon of Juice to 1 lb of Sugar (I picked a random recipe off the internet, you can use however much sugar that you want, or omit it altogether though you'll have a very low Alcoholic Beverage at the end).  You'll dissolve ALL of the sugar in this one Gallon.  Continue stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved into the juice.  Lower the heat and let it sit while you prepare the next part.

Re-Assemble spigot (I actually sanitized the spigot first and reassembled it then I sanitized the bucket and ran the sanitizer through the spigot), put together airlock, and fill with water to the fill line.  Put airlock in Lid.

In your sanitized fermenting bucket, add the other gallons of room temperature juice to the empty bucket.

You will then add the hot juice with the dissolved sugar in it, into the fermenter.  Stir to blend the sugary mix with the non-sweetened juice until they are well blended.

Here's where I faked my way through it, SEE BELOW FOR WHAT I SHOULD HAVE DONE.  I didn't have a thermometer at the time, so i waited until I thought the juice was about 80-90 degrees, I tasted a sample (by spooning out a sample into a mug...with a sanitized spoon i might add) to see what I thought the temp was (I guess those years of drinking beverages of exacting temperatures at Starbucks came in handy).  Each yeast has it's own temperature, so be sure to follow the manufacturer's directions, and for goodness sake, buy a thermometer.  I bought an awesome floating one for $8.

Now you'll Pitch (add) the yeast into the perfect warm growing environment that you just created.  After adding the yeast, give it a good stir to mix the yeast so it's not sitting on the surface.

To finish, you'll add your lid with the airlock in place.  Be sure that the lid is securely on, as air leaks can cause you to spend days staring at the airlock wondering why there's no activity...  Now take your fermenting bucket to a safe and warm place.  I placed a towel underneath just in case there is any leak from the spigot, and wrapped it with a towel to help maintain and regulate it's temperature.

The fermentation process is complete and you've just begun the waiting game!

Now here are a few things that I didn't do that I SHOULD HAVE.

First off, I should have had a thermometer to verify the temperature of the juice before adding the yeast.  This simple step could have caused me to ruin the entire batch; I lucked out and have happy yeast right now.

Secondly, I didn't buy a Hydrometer.  This is not an essential tool, but makes it a lot more fun and allows you to duplicate things that you like in the future.  Without it, all recipes you do are a total guessing game.  The hydrometer measures the gravity (think Density) of liquid.  Besides giving you a scientific calculation to measure by, it allows you to estimate the ABV (Alcohol by Volume) that you'll have in the end, and it gives you a 'control' so you know when fermentation is almost complete.  Because I purchased mine ($7) AFTER the fermentation process began, I'm going to eye-ball when the fermentation is done and hope for the best.

When taking a Hydrometer Reading, it should be done after all the liquid is mixed, the non-sweetened and the sweetened mix, but BEFORE you pitch the yeast.  I'll be doing this next time.

*Notes about the Airlock*

The airlock is very important.  It allows you to have your fermenting bucket sealed, yet still let all the gas that is being produced (carbon dioxide) out without letting any oxygen in.  There are a handful of types of airlocks available yet they all function primarily the same way.  The 3-Piece one I'm using is half-filled with water.  The Carbon Dioxide goes up a tube, gets redirected by the dome sitting on top of the tube and bubbles through the water.  The water prevents oxygen from seeping into the fermenter.

*Terminology*

The Fermenter is also called the Primary, because it's the first step.  The next container is the appropriately labeled the Secondary.

So that's where I'm currently at.  I also washed the 1 Gallon jugs and plan using those for the secondary containers, but there will be a post about that.  So now sit back, open a commercially brewed beer or hard cider and be patient.  Time is the most important tool to have with brewing.  You should see some activity in your airlock within 24 hours, but it can vary greatly depending on yeast, fermenting temperature, and how happy your yeast is.

Happy Brewing.  Comments and Questions Welcome!

Cheyenne Cañon Brewing  

(I thought it would be fun to make a brewing name now, so when I put a label on the beer it's more official!)