[Flowers Farm]

Hi There

I pressed some apples last Autumn, put the juice through a sieve and put in a sterilised container as per the instructions.

I then moved home and I didnt have the time to bottle.

I did however move the container to my new small holding.

My question is, what is likely to be in the container ?

Cider Vinegar ?

I do keep chickens so could I utilise this liquid for the chickens in anyway or shall I still bottle and give it a go ?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Mark

[Dan]

Is the container airtight or airlocked? If so you've got a chance, depending on what bacteria might have got in. If you'd added Campden tablets or similar even better.

If not it may be vinegar, or something worse. Without pasteurisation vinegar will go off.

A lot of poutry keepers put a small amount of apple cider vinegar in the chooks' water to protect against worms, most advice seems to be that it helps but isn't a substitute for worming:

http://poultrykeeperforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=26

HTH.

[suziequeue]

If you pasteurised it then it is likely to be apple juice.
 
If you added sugar and didn't pasteurise it could be cider...... (but the container would have propbably burst by now if it was)
 
If you did neither it's likely to be vinegar.
 
As Dan says - apple cider vinegar has its uses.
 
We have a bottle of cider from last autumn that OH is keeping to open once we move into the new house. I hope it lives up to expectations 
 
I would be interested to know what it turns out to be.... keep us posted     

[Sylvia]

Best thing is to taste it

[suziequeue]

Best thing is to taste it

.....or sniff it 

[Flowers Farm]

Ok I have tasted it and sniffed it

It certainly doesn't taste like cider, more like fermented apple juice.

Yes I did add Camden Tablets when i first made it.

I have sediment at the bottom of the 5 gallon container, question is what do I do next ?

Syphon off add sugar and bottle ?

Any ideas would be most appreciated.

[deepinthewoods]

i would humbly suggest that fermented apple juice can only be cider, if it is sweet then it may have some fermenting left to do. try necking a good half then report back.....hic.

[suziequeue]

I think my husband had some like this and he added more sugar and bottled it into demijohns with an airlock valve thingy on the top. Turned out very nice in the end.


I expect it will start to ferment again with the addition of more sugar.


Or - you could just blow the taste, neck it and get pi$$ed......... but I think the addition of more sugar and some more fermentation will increase the alcohol content.


Mind you - I am not a cider maker but my husband is so I've had him talking to me about it until I'm blue in the face for the last few years 

[MikeM]

as a general rule of thumb I like to check the gravity to find out what I've made. If it's cider, the gravity will make you fall over.

[suziequeue]

 


Good one.

[Mel Rice]

My cider is left (forgotten) in its demi-johns for almost a year. I taste it as I bottle it (because I need the jars for the next lot).....If its ok or even nice I bottle it and into the cellar if not down the drain....theres plenty more!!!!!