Selfsufficientish.com

Hey all,


I bought myself 25l fermentation vessel to make cider just to realise that I might not get enough apples to fill it up. As I can't leave it half-empty then can I supplement the space with apple juice bought from a shop? I have campden tablets and wine yeast to start the fermention.



Cheers for your answers.


E-P

Hey there,

When you say fermentation vessel are you talking about a plastic brew bucket? If so, you don't need to fill that up. In fact, because the initial fermentation will be a bit hectic, it's good to only fill it about 75% so you don't get a sticky mess on the floor if it bubbles over. Same applies if you're using a demijohn. After the primary fermentation has finished, you can then syphon it off the sediment into another vessel for longer storage (here a glass demijohn is best) and at this point you want to fill it right up to the neck, topping up with either water, apple juice, or cider to minimize contact with oxygen.