Secondary my cider?

[Beezy]

It's almost 3 weeks now and the yeast is compacting nicely on the bottom. Can I just leave on the cake for a while or should I do a secondary and then let it sit. I'd probably rather just leave it be if that's ok.

[Ron]

Secondary it to help clear it. It realy does make a difference with cider.

[Beezy]

How long do you let it sit before packaging? I understand there is no straight answer for that but do you just wait for it to clear, do it by taste or what?

[Ron]

I usaly go 2 months or longer if need be to clear, or you can just bottle it and let it clear in the bottle if your not picky about apperance.

[Beezy]

Cool I am just nervous about infections when it comes to leaving things sit that long. I was kinda targeting around Xmas to bottle. I have a whole week off then.

[Ron]

As long as your sanitation is good and you keep the airlock in place your golden. Cider is more or less in the wine catagorey of things it take awhile to mature.

[Milf Man]

I rarely secondary my ciders. Once fermentation is completely finished, I cold crash it hard, transfer to keg and call it good.

I let it sit undisturbed for a solid week before pulling the first pint. That first one is usually cloudy but the brew clears nicely after 2 or 3 pints.

Cheers,

MILF Man

[Ron]

I had no way to cold crash mine, so I just waited for it to drop out. My one attempt to clear it with geltain didn't work to well.

[Evan!]

I don't usually secondary...I just cold crash like Milfy. Beezy, if you have a way to crash it, I recommend that. Otherwise, the yeast is going to drop out regardless, it will just take longer. Infection risks go up with each transfer, of course, but typically my ciders don't get infected (even the unpasteurized ones) because the yeast ferments them out completely to ~1.000. If yours is higher, and is unpasteurized, you could always add some campden tablets or k-meta (same thing). In terms of time, that is up to you. I just tried a keg of cider that we pressed back in like February and it's yummy, but it lost its freshness. If you like the bright, fresh flavors of new cider, then drink it ASAP. If you wait, it will get more complex, but lose the freshness. But really, if you're worried about contamination, then I'd stick to as few transfers as possible.

[Beezy]

Good info. I can cold crash for a few days. I might just wait another week and do it then get it into bottles. I haven't even checked the gravity yet.

[Beezy]

I finally checked gravity. 1.002. It doesn't taste bad at all. I expected something nasty the way people talk. It's really tart. Reminds of a lambic. It's clearing already. Not sure if I will bottle next weekend. I have something else to bottle. Might just let it sit for 2 more weeks.