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Cider season! And a Campden question (sopuli.xyz)
submitted 2 months ago by to c/homebrewing@sopuli.xyz
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The apple trees have been harvested, 46 kg apples pressed and 20 litres of juice almost done with filtration into the fermenter.

Also in the fermenter: 3 litres of beer wort featuring 1 kg of mostly Simpsons Premium English caramalt. And waiting for its time is a 1,5 l yeast starter with 1 dl sugar and 1 dl dark syrup, providing yet more alcohol and some complex nonfermenting sugars. Hoping to eke out some residual sweetness from the cara and the syrup in the final product.

Quick check regarding the use of Campden tablets. Added one per 5 l of apple juice at the press. Kind of a half dose compared to what the winemakers use. That was 10 in the morning. Is it likely my happy starter will handle the sulfite if I pitch 12 hours after adding the tablets? Or should I wait the recommended 24 hours?

The happy starter:

Steel fermenter with filter half-full of apple juice
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[–] [S] 1 point 2 months ago (3 children)

Thank you. I decided to pitch before going to bed for the night, so 14 hours after the Campden clock got started. The yeast in question is a peculiar breed - the 'sahti' fresh yeast that I'm fond of - let's call this an experiment to see how it deals with the situation. It's the morning after now, no pressure yet, but we'll see. I have enough for a second pitch in any case.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 months ago (2 children)

    is that the Suomen Hiiva baking yeast that's common for Sahti? or something else? I have no idea how that would do with sulfites. Let us know how it goes.

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  • [–] [S] 2 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    That's the stuff. Encyclopedic knowledge there on our favourite subject 😅

    It did start, but settled at a fairly slow rate of putting out CO2. It has been steady, though. It appears as if much of the pitched yeast has died, and at 16 °C, ~1,8 bar and no oxygen, it won't multiply.

    I looked at my notes from a year ago, then I was using a cider yeast and the active fermentation went on for like 10 days. So again it looks like a long fermentation at this rate. Patience shall be prescribed... And by the third time next year maybe I'll remember the 24 hour wait 😇

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