Acetification of Cyder

I got a worried phone call from a worried amateur cyder maker the other day. They had found my phone number via my website (this is encouraging news for the visibility of the site). They were worried about whether to leave a gap of air at the top of the cyder's maturation tank. They should of course NOT leave an air gap. Whilst this is not a problem whilst the cyder is vigorously fermenting, all air should be excluded when the cyder has stopped fermenting and it being left to mature.

It is preferable to fill up the gap with water rather than leave it to aerate and acidify the cyder so turning it to vinegar. Of course adding water will weaken the cyder. Some people may actually do this to reduce the strength of a cyder. They only needed to add 2 litres to a 30 litre tank so the impact on the strength and taste of the cyder would be minimal.

Making cyder at Checkley Brook