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Sorry, I meant adding kmeta to the cider. I already use StarSan for sanitizing the bottles. I usually add kmeta to my wines and meads before bottle to protect them as they age, but I didn't know how that would affect the bottle conditioning.

I have a batch of cider that's almost ready for bottling, and I'm going to carbonate it naturally by adding some apple juice concentrate right before filling the bottles. Do I add kmeta as well for protection or do I skip it to keep the yeast active?

You'll have a lot of sediment floating around in there from fermentation, which will drop out over time and settle on the bottom. So I wouldn't worry right now about the consistency. If you have some gel-like globs floating around, add some pectic enzyme to break those down.

A trick I learned from a local winemaker is to put a stopper under one side of the carboy so it sits at an angle. The sediment will collect in a corner of the bottom instead over over the whole surface.

Since you heated the watermelon, you may have extracted some pectin that has globbed together. I would stir like was suggested, but also try adding 1 tsp/gallon of pectic enzyme to break it down. I always add that to my fruit wines and it helps prevent hazing and extracts more juice and flavor...

If you do have an oil film on top, one thing you can do it put the wine in the fridge. The cold sometimes will solidify the oils and you can easily scoop them off the surface. Alternatively, you can put a metal spoon in the freezer for a few hours, and then dip it in the wine to cause the oils...

Fine sediment (fine lees) like that shouldn't cause off flavors. You can age for months on that (sur lie) to add certain flavors. The sediment is likely too fine to compact well on its own, so I would suggest adding some fining agent. It will bind the sediment together to make it easier to...

I put airlocks on everything below 1.020. As stated above, never seal anything still fermenting unless you like lots of clean up. If you only had a little left over, you could put it in a mason jar in the fridge to slow fermentation and use for topping up later. But for 2 gallons you should...

Guess I'll just have to wait it out at this point and degas a few times. Related question: I was planning to naturally carbonate this cider by adding some apple concentrate before bottling. How long can I put that off and not have to add more yeast?

Well I did add FermO, but only 1 addition since the ferment went so fast. Basement was about 70F during this time. So that was my question: should I have added more nutrient even past the 1/3rd break, or maybe added more up-front instead of breaking it into 3 steps?

I got a gallon of fresh pressed cider from my local orchard (UV pasteurized, but otherwise completely natural). I'm making a hard cider with it and was going to follow the TOSNA-3 schedule to add nutrients since I read cider wouldn't have all the nutrients needed for yeast (EC-1118). My OG was...

I made a batch if welch's white grape peach last year, and personally I would add a bit of acid blend. My wine was decent, but not peachy enough for me and it needed a slight acid boost the bring out the flavors. If I were making it again, I would add 1/4 tsp acid blend per gallon in primary...

Just to keep this thread updated for those interested, I am almost ready to bottle my 2 batches. The first is an orange mead made as above with some orange juice and zest added in secondary with some acid blend, then backsweetened with orange blossom honey. My other batch is an orange chai...

Easiest way is to adjust pre-ferment to make sure the yeast are happy, and then adjust during bulk aging to personal taste.

Nope, never had nibs before so I wouldn't know by taste. They're not old either. I toasted some in a dry pan for about 5min until I smelled a nice chocolatey aroma, then added them to some fresh brandy to make another tincture. Gonna taste twice a day as well to make sure I don't overextract...

I got a bag of LD Carlson cacao nibs ( https://images.app.goo.gl/Uw7ihzK3djqjCv1y9) from my LHBS. I made a tincture with about 1 cup of brandy and 1.5oz nibs, soaking for 4 days. However, it tastes nasty. Really bitter and not much chocolate flavor. Does anyone know if these nibs are raw or...

Depending on what's in the wine/mead, you sometimes only need the kieselsol to get it clear. No need to add the chito to something that's already clear.

I also do my degassing several times over the course of a week or so. Maybe 5min at a time with a drill and whip 3 times a week. I find that after the week, my wine is much more fully degassed compared to doing one 15min session

At a pH of 1, you're between lemon juice and battery acid, so I would be hesitant to trust that reading. Paper strips only work reliably with clear liquids. I would recalibrate your pH meter and test it again. As for the hydrometer, you still have a good deal of sugar in there, but if your must...

It really had no flavor or smell at all.