Questions about the malo-lactic cider fermentation stage

Further questions from a cider maker in Owestry - the malo-lactic or secondary fermentation of cider.

Happy New Year.
Hi Ed .
More questions I am afraid.
My Cider was racked off 5 weeks ago and screwed down . I am I no hurry to drink it. I will probably be end April when I will want to bottle it ,but it still produces gas which on your advice I let out twice a week or so.
Will this diminish ? My worry is if it does not will it be safe to bottle, am going to use old beer bottles with a crown top my worry is that they may blow up. Am I worrying about nothing .
Best wishes

The reason your cider is still producing gas (CO2) is that it is going through malo-lactic or secondary fermentation (the primary stage of fermentation for your cider has finished, as we discussed in November). The malo-lactic fermentation stage still produces CO2 but a lot less than the first fermentation stage. This secondary stage effects the very complex flavours with in cyder balancing the acid and tannins. This is the maturation stage of the cider.

The CO2 production certainly will diminish with time. It should well have finished by the end of April. It will probably ease off in a month or so if you racked of 5 weeks ago. Mine usually takes two to three months (but my cider is kept in out buildings and does not finish the first fermentation until March).

You are right not to bottle it at this stage in old beer bottles as the pressure may build up to explosive levels. So wait until April until you bottle or wait until the CO2 production has diminished.

If you wanted to try making a champagne style cider this is the perfect time. You need proper champagne bottles (which were invented in England for cider years before champagne was ever produced) and cork and cages.

http://www.brewuk.co.uk/store/bottling/corks-caps-labels/champagne-cages-25-s.html

http://www.brewuk.co.uk/store/bottling/corks-caps-labels/champagne-stoppers-25-s.html

Add one spoon of sugar to each bottle, siphon in the cider into the bottle and cork it up. This will produce a lovely fizzy chanpagne style cider. However I usually leave them in bottle like this for a full year before drinking. It is worth the wait.

Hope this helps.

Cheers Ed




Herefordshire Cider at Checkley Brook