Re: Keeving Question

Dave:

Gary Awdey has produced some nice instructions of getting a keeve
going. I don't have them handy but they can be summarized as such:
Since you are starting with a juice with a good proportion of
bittersweets I don't see where PME enzyme is necessary, and as we
discussed it isn't really available in the states anyway.Allow the juice
to rest in a cool spot, preferably <50F, around 40 is better. Add your
CaCl at a rate of about 9 grams per 5 gallons, a little more won't hurt.
Keep the carboy covered, a dry airlock or even a condom works well.
Watch for signs of keeving over the next few days. Gel should start to
form within a few days; the key point is when it coagulates and rises to
the top of the carboy. Siphon the clear juice under the gel into a
fresh carboy. Sometimes the cap just won't float up, in this case you
can do a 'bottom keeve' and siphon the juice off the top of the gel.
There are some pictures on my website
<http://www.lostmeadowvt.com/cider/keeve.htm>. I've had some problems
getting spontaneous ferments from the press this year, so you may want
to pitch a few grains of packaged wine yeast into the juice at the start
of the whole process. Ferment to clarified juice as you would any cider
or wine, but keep it cool. You may wish to rack it in midwinter if a
good yeast bed forms.

Good luck!

TerryB

> Hi Terry,
>
> Thanks again for the cider and the carboys. Since I have my mind set
> on doing French cider, I probably could not have found a better
> contact than you. I appreciate all the advice and support.
>
> A question about the keeving process: Apart from putting some calcium
> chloride in the cider you gave me, do I need to do anything else? I
> will be keeping the jugs in my cider room (soon to be finished) in my
> basement and I will try to keep the temperature there at around 50
> degrees once it gets colder). How long should it take for the keeving
> to happen, a month? two months?
>
> Thanks very much.
>
> Best,
>
> Dave