[dmtaylor]

Dave - would degassing help to dissipate the H2S ahead of kegging?

I think that would be a great idea.

[Stevie]

Great.

In doing my research, I refuse to believe that a cider takes months from juice to glass. I don't understand why it couldn't be ready as quickly as a beer if handled properly. Similarly to how some say a mead takes a year+ while Ken Schramm is knocking out gold medals <month.

I've been reading Drew's book and it is great, but I am finding it a bit lacking in some areas. If he covered hydrogen sulfide, it wasn't listed in the index or in the table of off flavors. But overall there is plenty of good info beyond add yeast and stir.

[blair.streit]

Great.

In doing my research, I refuse to believe that a cider takes months from juice to glass. I don't understand why it couldn't be ready as quickly as a beer if handled properly. Similarly to how some say a mead takes a year+ while Ken Schramm is knocking out gold medals <month.

I've been reading Drew's book and it is great, but I am finding it a bit lacking in some areas. If he covered hydrogen sulfide, it wasn't listed in the index or in the table of off flavors. But overall there is plenty of good info beyond add yeast and stir.

Dan Gordon talked about this on The Session when Gordon Biersch started getting into cider. I think the episode was January this year? He seemed unconvinced by some of the "common wisdom" he was faced with when getting into the business.

[pete b]

Great.

In doing my research, I refuse to believe that a cider takes months from juice to glass. I don't understand why it couldn't be ready as quickly as a beer if handled properly. Similarly to how some say a mead takes a year+ while Ken Schramm is knocking out gold medals <month.

I've been reading Drew's book and it is great, but I am finding it a bit lacking in some areas. If he covered hydrogen sulfide, it wasn't listed in the index or in the table of off flavors. But overall there is plenty of good info beyond add yeast and stir.

I agree you can make a quick one that tastes great, and that might be especially true if your looking to make a fairly sweet one and your willing to fuss with it a bit. At the same time an aged dry cider is nice too.  Every fall when I make cider I do at least one gallon that I simply put an airlock on a glass jug of freshly pressed cider and put it in my root cellar for a couple months, bottle it and leave it in the root cellar and drink over the winter. I have one bottle of that left. It's usually my favorite.
Don't forget that while Ken Schram makes apparently great quick meads he also waxes poetic about aged meads.

[dmtaylor]

Great.

In doing my research, I refuse to believe that a cider takes months from juice to glass. I don't understand why it couldn't be ready as quickly as a beer if handled properly. Similarly to how some say a mead takes a year+ while Ken Schramm is knocking out gold medals <month.

I've been reading Drew's book and it is great, but I am finding it a bit lacking in some areas. If he covered hydrogen sulfide, it wasn't listed in the index or in the table of off flavors. But overall there is plenty of good info beyond add yeast and stir.

Dan Gordon talked about this on The Session when Gordon Biersch started getting into cider. I think the episode was January this year? He seemed unconvinced by some of the "common wisdom" he was faced with when getting into the business.

Funny you should bring up the Dan Gordon interview about cider.  He and I apparently have nearly identical philosophies and processes when it comes to making cider.

Stevie, you can make your cider fast if you want.  It's just harder to control.  If you miss racking and gelatin by just a few hours, it can go from semisweet to dry as hell in no time at all.  If you like it dry, you're in luck.  Likewise, if you're kegging and not worried about bottle bombs, how fortunate.  For those of us who wish to bottle, though, low and slow is pretty much superior in my opinion.  Gives us more control and tends to tire out the yeast more, so they can't cause gushers or explosions as easily.  Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks, that's all.

I would, however, advocate everyone try fermenting at low temperatures, in the 50s Fahrenheit, for a change, and see if you like the final flavors better.  I do.

[Stevie]

This one is 3711 at 68. Down from 1.056 Tuesday to 1.022 today.

Going to figure out next steps in the AM. I think I'll crash with foil on the top as I think the continuing fermentation while crashing might blast the solid bung out. I'll hit it with gelatin when it is cold and the sorbate and sulfate in the keg.

Might mess with acid and tannin additions in a controlled small sample fashion while it carbonates. If I can't get liquid tanning locally, I'll use Drew's strong tea method.

Flavor is good but a bit of H2S in the nose. It was unbearable yesterday afternoon. I swirled the fermenter last night and a few times today and it is much better.

Edit - the ferm chamber is in my office BTW. I would get nose blind while working, but returning from the kitchen or bathroom was like walking into a curtain of eggs.