methanol ?

[flute]

hello this is my first post here

i have watched videos on you youtube to make wine and hard cider

with basic kitchen supplies sugar+instant yeast+juice and im about to make

hard cider and wine with 100% supermarket juice and a regular baking instant yeast

but im concern about the methanol will it be a problem and how to know if there is any thank you.

 

[CGish]

flute,

Methanol is only a problem if you distill your cider. That is illegal here in the U.S., so it is not discussed on this forum. If your question is on that process, you will need to seek another venue for your questions.

If you are just making cider from apple juice, then the amount of methanol is so low it is not a concern. A much bigger problem will be your use of bread (instant) yeast. You will get less alcohol and more persistent yeast flavor from bread yeast. If you have access to either wine yeast (cheap) or brewing yeast (a little more expensive), you can make a much better product.

One final note - if you are underage and attempting to ferment this way because it is the only products you can get your hands on, just ... don't. I'll leave it at that.

Good Luck,
Cody

 

[flute]

flute,

Methanol is only a problem if you distill your cider. That is illegal here in the U.S., so it is not discussed on this forum. If your question is on that process, you will need to seek another venue for your questions.

If you are just making cider from apple juice, then the amount of methanol is so low it is not a concern. A much bigger problem will be your use of bread (instant) yeast. You will get less alcohol and more persistent yeast flavor from bread yeast. If you have access to either wine yeast (cheap) or brewing yeast (a little more expensive), you can make a much better product.

One final note - if you are underage and attempting to ferment this way because it is the only products you can get your hands on, just ... don't. I'll leave it at that.

Good Luck,
Cody

Dear CGish thank you for your reply

the thing is that i am in a Gcc country and i cant get my hands on special alcohol yeast in here

so im using the instant baking yeast i don't care to much about the taste but my only concern is about the methanol thank you for the information.

 

[sour_grapes]

Agree with CGish: you need not be concerned about methanol from normal fermentation.

Good luck!

 

[flute]

Thank you all for your replies im less concern now thanks to you

but may i know why should i fear the methanol only on distillation

the process is yeast eats sugar producing mostly ethanol and other alcohols

when its distilled the methanol witch evaporate on lower temperature than ethy alcohol comes first off the distiller

so im getting the same quantity of methanol in my fermented drink but in Diluted form right?

 

[vacuumpumpman]

Flute -
Can you order any wine yeast at all ?

Do you know any other winemakers that you can get some of their yeast from ?

 

[flute]

Flute -
Can you order any wine yeast at all ?

Do you know any other winemakers that you can get some of their yeast from ?

My dear friend i wish i could i am living in the GCC area the boarders wont let it

go through if i ordered some and the alcohol is forbidden here so

 

[CGish]

My dear friend i wish i could i am living in the GCC area the boarders wont let it

go through if i ordered some and the alcohol is forbidden here so

flute,

Three thing you can try:

1. Can you get fresh grapes out of the field? Buy fresh grapes direct from a farmer? Unwashed grape skins will have yeast on them. If you bought a pound or two and fermented a small batch from the whole, crushed grapes with their yeast you might be able to collect a wild strain of yeast that would work. The down side is that you have no control over the yeast strain so you might have to do this several times before you get a strain that will work. Reply #3 on this thread may be of interest to you if you try this.

2. Look up how to use a small dish (petri dish) and sugar solution to collect wild yeast. This is subject to the same limitation as the fresh grape solution. It works best if you have a microscope and some limited lab equipment to separate strains in the petri dish. There are a number of pages on the internet about this process. Here is one page that lays out some of these techniques.

3. This may be the most practical for you. Make your cider with bread yeast. Let it ferment out completely. When it is done, put it in the coldest part of the refrigerator and let it set for three to four days. This will encourage the yeast to settle out of the cider and help lessen the bready flavor of the baking yeast. I do not know if you will be able to bottle and carbonate your cider with this method. I suspect that the bread yeast may be completely exhausted and carbonation would take a long time. However, it will work for a still cider.

I see you still have some questions about methanol. This link should help answer many of your questions.

One last thought: if alcohol is illegal in your country, what will happen if you get caught making this? I would look carefully at the law and its consequences before making your cider. Does the law forbid making your own alcohol? Possession of alcohol? Sale of alcohol? Please make sure you understand the law, its limitations, and its consequences before you proceed.

Good Luck,
Cody