silly question?

[ViciousPenguin]

I've just started off a batch of blackrock cider. I've stuck in some lalvin champagne yeast and 3 litres of apple juice. I've got a king keg to put it into for secondary. I've got a 500g bag of demerera sugar to use to prime the keg. how much sugar should i put in and what would happen if i stuck the whole 500g in?

[Swiller]

I would say any more than 16g would be a waste of sugar.
Your pressure barrel will hold about 15psi of pressure so if
you put in much more it will just vent excess CO2 through the
release valve...... Hopefully!

Good luck.

J

[ViciousPenguin]

does or will it affect the ABV?

[GrowlingDogBeer]

You would normally keg a pressure barrel with about 85g of sugar for a 25 litre batch of ale. I don't know if cider is any different as I have never made it but 16g does not seem enough.

You mention you have used 3 litres of Apple Juice, but from the picture it looks as though you have 25 litres in the fermenter, so I am unsure of what else you have added to make this cider.

[ViciousPenguin]

You mention you have used 3 litres of Apple Juice, but from the picture it looks as though you have 25 litres in the fermenter, so I am unsure of what else you have added to make this cider.

bottled water filled it up, it doesnt quite go that far up i drained a little bit out after i took the picture.

will adding extra suger effect the final ABV?

[Swiller]

Really sorry typo error with 16g of sugar
I have no idea why I typed 16g (senior moment)
yep as Steve says.

[second2none]

I prime all my brews with:

10g sugar per 1L

And they always come out with a nice strong fizz.

Using 500g will blow ur the saftey valve on ur keg...
Humm I dont know if the gas would just come out of the liquid would squirt out like a fountain!

Giving the yeast more sugar to ferment will increase your ABV
Adding an extra 500g of priming sugar to ur 25L brew (assuming its all fermented) will give you an roughly an extra 1.2%
If you're wanting a stronger brew you should add more sugar to your primary bin.

The blue and brown boxes on this site are great for all these kind of calculations:
http://homedistiller.org/wash-sugar.htm

[Swiller]

Maybe reduce the brew length to increase abv.

[ViciousPenguin]

I prime all my brews with:

10g sugar per 1L

And they always come out with a nice strong fizz.

Using 500g will blow ur the saftey valve on ur keg...
Humm I dont know if the gas would just come out of the liquid would squirt out like a fountain!

Giving the yeast more sugar to ferment will increase your ABV
Adding an extra 500g of priming sugar to ur 25L brew (assuming its all fermented) will give you an roughly an extra 1.2%
If you're wanting a stronger brew you should add more sugar to your primary bin.

The blue and brown boxes on this site are great for all these kind of calculations:
http://homedistiller.org/wash-sugar.htm

ahh ok, so i should have put it in at the start. what about the added sugar content from the apple juice i put in, presumably that will help with a higer ABV? i've got around 25 litres in the fv, i expect there will be about 3 left behind once its transfered so I can assume 22 litres into the keg. going by your 10g a litre i should then add 220gs of sugar?

i get the impression the saftey valves on the kegs are not very good. has anyone tried something different? i remember when i was a lad my mum had a pressure cooker which had a weight sat on a valve. the amount of weight added was dependant on the pressure you wanted to acheive. is there something similar available? if not i might try and make one i've been eyeing up a pressure gauge for the keg too.....

@swiller do you mean reduce the amount of liquid? surley shortening the brew time will lessen the ABV? or is there some effect i am unaware of?

[Swiller]

Yes reducing the 'brew length' means
adding less water/liquid.

[ViciousPenguin]

Yes reducing the 'brew length' means
adding less water/liquid.

ok thats what i thought, and i understand thats the normal practice but i want more booze not less

[ViciousPenguin]

What SG should i be aiming for with Cider?

The original SG seems to be about 1046 and its hovering around 1010.

[Geezah]

1.000 to 1.006 is good.
1010 aint a bad g to bottle at, just be easy on the sugar

[jason123]

In your King keg, it would just release the extra gas when the pressure builds up enough to overcome the rubber band. I don't think you'll lose any liquid. It hasn't in any of mine and I have heard it blowing off before now.

beware though, it will make it difficult to pour a drink properly. Much better to prime with the recommended of level and top up with and S30 cylinder.

[ViciousPenguin]

well i went and stuck in 250g of demerera.

it has been sat for the last week on my heater pad with the temp sensor strapped to its side. i'm not suire how well its worked but it seems to think it has been kept at around 20c. i hope to let it sit for 2-3 months to fester in my basement.

i've got my eyes set on a brupaks special lager kit next, while the temperature in low enough for lager......

thanks for the help everyone.