My first brew

Mike77

I completed my primary fermentation I think I had two consecutive days at 1.000 so I bottled my cider. For secondary but the temp got cold while I was working away. I brought it in to the warm as you suggested for about 4-5 days and then put it back into a cool area. I tried one last nite and as soon as I opened the bottle all I could smell was yeast and it tasted it of it. I also noticed that although the screw lids were tight I was also able to put another turn to a turn and a half tighter. Could this have ruined the whole batch if air got in or has the cold in the beginning then the kinda loose tops just be making it real slow. Do I need to add some more sugar to each bottle then reseal. To get a good tasting cider. Sorry for all the questions but am just worried I have ruined my first batch and that its now no good

Mike77

Sorry forgot to say its been in bottles for about 3 weeks now from the start of secondary.

HBO_Staff

The first thing to check is that the lids are fully sealed, it must now be airtight and the lids should be screwed on as tight as possible. If using the PET plastic bottles they will feel hard to the touch as the carbonation starts. if the bottles were not sealed then any CO2 created will have escaped. It's hard to say whether the bottles need re-priming, you could try ensuring they are sealed and then see if they begin to carbonate in a warm room. The carbonation and clearing could take a while, if you do add a little more priming sugar make sure they are stored somewhere out of the way in case they are over-primed, if they leak fro too much pressure it will make a mess