by WWFSM on Sat Oct 19, 2013 9:24 am
So you used pasteurized apple juice? Is it possible there was something other than apple juice in it? Did you capture wild yeast or use a bought yeast? Are you using a hydro-meter-whatsit to tell how much alcohol is in it or going by feel and taste?
The first time I made cider, I thought I had made 60 litres of vinegar. It was terrible, so sour with a bitter undertone. But someone talked me into bottling it anyway. It stayed in the bottles for about a year, we tasted one bottle a month to see if it was getting better. If anything it was getting worse. But suddenly at month 13 - about the time I was going to put my foot down and declare this to be vinegar and insist we bottle it as Christmas gifts - the cider was suddenly drinkable. In fact, it was suddenly fantastic but really high alcoholic content. (I used fresh apples and didn't pasteurize the juice, relying only on wild yeast. Every batch since tasted great once the initial fermentation died down, but no where near as good at drinking time) No, no-one switched the bottles on me.
The moral is, all may not be lost at this stage...
Do you have any food loving friends? Anyone who likes to cook? Would home made ginger, apple cider vinegar go over well for holiday gifts? Also, vinegar is fantastic for cleaning! Would save money on your household budget to keep it and use it around the house.
Doing my best to be the change I want to see in the world, one meal at a time.
http://wholewheatfsm.blogspot.ca
Currently Culturing
Kombucha, perry, cider, wine (red and white), mead(s), miso, sourdough, & seasonal veg my garden gives me