Stinky cyser

[Scadsobees]

Hi
I started a cyser a while back, it was .5 gallon of (cheap) apple juice, 1 crushed cinnamon stick, about 2.5 lbs of honey, and D47, water to a gallon.

It got overly hot for about a day and was throwing some outrageous fumes. Ever since then it has been a little funky. Now it is cleared, and is much better, but still has a rubber/bitter smell and taste to it, with a taste like cinnamon gone bad. I can taste the apple and cinnamon, though. It isn't really drinkable.

It is only a gallon, so I'm not to crushed if I have to dump it, but what is the likely hood that it will improve with age to the point of being drinkable if I bottle it?

Thanks!! Rick

 

[Oskaar]

Hey Bees,

I'd let it sit for a while. From your description you had a hot day or two and your cyser was throwing some fusels and higher alcohols, maybe some off-flavors from the yeast due to thermal shock.

Can you post your exact recipe, what the approximate temperature of the cyser peaked at, and when during the fermentation the temperature spiked please, that would help to narrow it down.

Cheers,

Oskaar

 

[Scadsobees]

2 qts apple juice (no additives)
1 cinnamon stick crushed
2.5 lbs wildflower honey
d47
water to 1 gal

It wasn't showing any sign of starting, I think partly because it wasn't warm when I mixed the must.

So the next evening (24 hrs later) I put it in an uncovered electric roaster pan on low (it starts at about 80 deg) uncovered so it wouldn't get so hot. Apparently it was warmer than I thought, because when I got up the next morning it was bubbling to beat the band and smelled like Old Faithful gone bad. Sulferous.

I don't know how warm it got, but I think more than 100 F.

After that first episode it never got above 70 F. But it never smelled too nice, either.

 

[Oskaar]

Sounds like you toasted the yeasties. I'd go ahead and let it sit for a while. I've found that stuff like this can lessen with age, although in this case it may not go away completely.

You may try doing some stirring a couple of times a week to help release some of the aroma compounds that are pent up in the stuff and see if that helps at all. I'd say you'll want this stuff to sit for a year minimum and give it a check, but I would stir it monthly with the lid off. I've found that mead is a lot more forgiving than wine when it comes to oxidation so when I'm stirring my meads either in primary or on the lees I don't worry about the oxidation too much.

Hope that helps,

Oskaar