Cider racked for the first time

I’ve just racked off the first batch of cider into a clean fermenter. It’s already clearing well and, while obviously a bit sweet, rough and sharp, a small taste shows that it’s progressing well.

The fermenter will now be kept at room temperature (no heating) for at least a fortnight until the sugar has fully fermented out.

Then it will be racked again and, depending on how clear it is, either kegged or transferred to a fermenter again for further settling.

Bear in mind that this is a fast fermented cider with a final strength of between seven and eight per cent. It’s already been fermented at 21C to help things along and should be ready for Christmas (allowing time for conditioning).

If it was my full-strength scrumpy, made with sparkling wine yeast, then it would be fermented at room temperature for several months.

It would still have at least one racking during this time, but it’s a longer process and you still have to condition it as well. It’s well worth the wait, though.