Fermenting apple cider

[staceyshoe]

I have some preservative free apple cider that I'd like to ferment to a nice bubbly drink. I tried setting some out like what is mentioned in Wild Fermentations. I checked it daily. On day 3 (possibly 4), there was a nice bubbliness, but it was clearly very spoiled. The rest of the jug is still sitting in the frig. Any ideas how to ferment this enough for bubbles without it getting nasty?

[Brookesmom]

I would love to know too- I have some and don't want to waste it.

I bet you could put water kefir grains in it... I'm wondering how to make a slightly "hard" cider. I guess I might have to buy yeast from the microbrew store for that, huh?

-Kelly

[saratc]

I would use water kefir grains. Since cider is so sweet to begin with, you probably will end up with slightly hard cider. Water kefir grains in straight or even 50% diluted grape juice ends up like wine, so I think the sugar content in the cider would be enough to make a hard cider with kefir grains.

In terms of fermenting Wild Fermentation style, the book and Katz's methods rely on the conditions being right for the ferment to get going before the bad bacteria gets to the brew. If you want to make sure it doesn't spoil without using kefir grains, I would stir a teaspoon of whey in the cider to make sure it gets going with some good bacteria and yeasts and only leave it uncovered for a day to capture wild yeasts, and then brew with a lid on for another couple of days or so. Just make sure the lid is not terribly airtight so it can leak gas as it ferments.

[sbdmom]

raw apple cider

Hi
I bought some raw apple cider at the market..It has since fermented on its own. Is it safe to drink ? It just tastes and smell a bit alcoholic.. but not funky & theres no mold.

At this point should I add some whey and give it a few more days ?

Thanks
Sbdmom

[saratc]

If it smells and tastes okay, I'm sure it's just fermented naturally. Produce naturally tends to attract wild yeasts, which you can sometimes see on fruits like apples as a white powdery looking dust. Apple cider, even before it ferments is supposed to have a small percentage of alcohol content. So I'm sure your cider is fine to drink as is.

[staceyshoe]

Thank you so much for sharing this info! I don't have any water kefir grains. Would my milk kefir grains work?

[cobluegirl]

you could use your milk grains but they wouldn't convert back to milk again...

[staceyshoe]

Originally Posted by cobluegirl

you could use your milk grains but they wouldn't convert back to milk again...

That's good to know. I remembered reading something here about converting milk grains a while back, but I couldn't remember whether it worked or not. I always have extras so I'll use those. Can't wait to try this!