Help - Cider infection?- Strong ester smell problem

[mik82]

Hi
I'm normally a beer brewer but my mate's brewing a batch of cider. We used a load of Bramley apples and got about 60l of juice. We treated it with campden tablets in the recommended ratio and then split it into two batches - one using a champagne yeast, the other a cider yeast. About two weeks ago it was smelling nice and appley and had completed primary fermentation. However we didn't have the time to transfer to secondary. Now both batches have a whitish film over the top of them and smell strongly of esters - a pear drop/nail varnish remover type smell.

I've taken a sample out to taste and it's OK apart from the strong esters which I'm concerned might cause a nasty hangover.

Does anyone have any idea what's going on here? I possibly wasn't as strict with the sanitisation as when I've brewed beer and I'm concerned it's become infected with something, producing the white film and esters.

[Mitchamitri]

Yes - I believe unfortunately you can't do anything about it part from rack it and move it to a cold location and hope itll smooth out.

Its a chemical reaction you always get and is present at some level in all cider. I have had it happen in TC but not in any real cider I have made.

According to lomax and Pooleys "Cider making on a small scale" its caused by:

1) Leaving the cider sat on its waste for too long before racking

2) Fermentation at too warm a temperature

Of course, you gets lots of waste from high sugar juice so its common(ish) in TC.

Sorry not to give you a smiley answer

[Kristoff]

I've taken a sample out to taste and it's OK apart from the strong esters

Hi Mik, that's quite normal for natural cider, after fermentation, mine stank F***kin awful, but after it had been racked for two weeks, it was fine, and when I bottled it you could of easly started drinking it, but i'm leaving it in the shed until at least Xmas. The longer you leave it the better it gets.

[Mitchamitri]

Thats a good point - if your cider is young it could smell of ANYTHING and still turn out ok - I would rack off for safety though.

I have one lot (last of the season) that smells of a combination of ammonia and sulphur - my Dad - who is seasoned campaigner on all things cider - had a sniff and said "Perfick!"

[Kristoff]

I have one lot (last of the season) that smells of a combination of ammonia and sulphur - my Dad - who is seasoned campaigner on all things cider - had a sniff and said "Perfick!"

Every one I have done has been like that, that 'lovely' scumpy smell.

[Duffbeer]

Hi
I'm normally a beer brewer but my mate's brewing a batch of cider. We used a load of Bramley apples and got about 60l of juice. We treated it with campden tablets in the recommended ratio and then split it into two batches - one using a champagne yeast, the other a cider yeast. About two weeks ago it was smelling nice and appley and had completed primary fermentation. However we didn't have the time to transfer to secondary. Now both batches have a whitish film over the top of them and smell strongly of esters - a pear drop/nail varnish remover type smell.

I've taken a sample out to taste and it's OK apart from the strong esters which I'm concerned might cause a nasty hangover.

Does anyone have any idea what's going on here? I possibly wasn't as strict with the sanitisation as when I've brewed beer and I'm concerned it's become infected with something, producing the white film and esters.

The smell you describe is that of amyl acetate, which is the early signs of acetification caused by airborn spoilage bacteria and more than likely due to not tranfering to secondary at the later stages of fermentation.
The end result will be vinegar, unfortunately there's no cure and you should ensure good sanitation of utensils that have been in contact before using them on other brews.

[Mitchamitri]

It really is worth getting the Cider Making on a Small Scale book off amazon - it helps you to identify issues like this and be aware of them up front. Cider making is a simple process but even the most experienced can get it not-quite-right every so often!