Sunday 13 February 2011

Rack and Roll...

As the ex-cooking oil 20litre HDPE containers are flexible, picking them up disturbs the sediment much more that it does with the more solid 30 litre fermenters. Luckily I picked up a 3rd from outside the same pub, which I cleaned and sterilised ready.
Fortunately the pump fits through the cap hole! - but a hand does not, nor can the eye see too well past the pipe etc., however with thinner walls I can just about see what's what from outside... but still had trouble getting the clear stuff out without too much sediment...
Hard to say whether it tastes of chips yet - bit different that's f'sure... it's very yeasty yet...



Note lack of airlock - I've just loosened the cap now and then to let the pressure out as the container has 'filled out'...
ooops, one of the Devons just fell off the boiler... knocked one of the bin lins flying but otherwise okay... glad he missed the tub of So2 as the lid's off! Bloomin' cats...
Right, now for the last... it should have settled a bit by now.
Think I'll give the pump a miss and just syphon it out though...

Cider Head on today!

1st up, the odd 5 litres of single variety crab - 'Prince of Wales' - very different and very pleasant! - despite quite a bit of floating yeast crud - SG of 1012, which is a surprise as it's sat on the kitchen worktop (photo below) since early January - it's neighbour, the odd 3 litres from 17 (17a), is pretty yukky and dry as toast (well nearly at SG1.000) - used for topping up 17 as it came from that batch.
Then 17 itself - SG 1.010 - still active as fermentation will have been much slower in the much cooler motor caravan. Difficult to pump out with the Whale submersible, but switching it off and on, got it down to a liftable amount - the height of the worktop then aiding the pump with sufficient syphon effect - very lively but good taste and shows promise. As noted above 17a then used for top up instead of water.
Next in line are the two ex chip-fat containers 18a and b... these two have only lived in the motor caravan (had a small heater on in here during the very cold snap) - hmm, just wondering what they gonna taste like...