When to degass cider?

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u/Fabulous-Pen9525 Intermediate May 08 '26 edited May 08 '26

Sorry, but I don't know how to answer that. Ive always carbonated my cider and never had a need to degas.

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u/ThatGarenJungleOG May 08 '26

Degassing is where you help the brew release gasses throughout fermentation, you dont want to drink those gasses its not like the carbonation gasses. You can probably end up with nice cider without doing it, but its a step many people do during fermentation weather or not they carbonate at the end of

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u/Fabulous-Pen9525 Intermediate May 08 '26 edited May 09 '26

OP,

I've been brewing beer since 2008 and am aware of what "degassing" is. 😎

However, degassing has never been a subject of conversation, tutorial, blogs, in-person sessions, etc. as it relates to removing "harmful CO2".

Am I an expert? NO, but I can tell you that there is nothing wrong or bad about CO2 produced during fermentation. It is free CO2 and many, many people fermentation under pressure and use that CO2 for the finished beer. Also, this is how bottle conditioning works.

Where did you hear/learn that fermentation CO2 is bad? Just curious.

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u/ThatGarenJungleOG May 08 '26

Citysteading brews. Their spoon of unusually large size or whatever. You can buy degassing sticks so it must play some role. Not saying its necessary but it is a thing for sure

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u/Fabulous-Pen9525 Intermediate May 08 '26

Well, I cannot speak to their methods, other than I think they are misinformed.

3

u/Lookingfor68 Advanced May 08 '26

Looks more like they're selling something unnecessary to the newbies. That's just shitty.

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u/ThatGarenJungleOG May 08 '26

Fair enough, they seem very well read, very popular channel, but thanks very much for the input

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u/Both-Salad24 May 08 '26

In their video from 3 years ago they even say 'Just let it sit for a few weeks', do they have a newer video where they say otherwise?

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u/ThatGarenJungleOG May 08 '26

Not sure i may be mixing up videos tbh, i think i remember the cider being red, could be the rasberry cider one perhaps

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u/HikingBikingViking May 09 '26

Yeah, those degassing tools are great for wine.

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u/ThatGarenJungleOG May 09 '26

Yeah i did some more research on it and it seems very niche for cider, mostly as a fining tool (crap sticks to bubbles so take out the bubbles and it floats down). But with wine as i understand it, ut helps lower the acidity helpingout the yeast at higher percentages? Also that wine often doesnt want any fizz, or is there more to it?

3

u/benisavillain13 May 08 '26

You do not need to degas. There is no harmful co2 vs beverage co2. Degassing has a better chance of introducing unwanted oxygen in your brews than helping the yeast.

Think of it this way, bottle conditioning is literally letting the yeast produce co2 to carbonate the beverage.

Co2 from yeast is one of the cleanest forms of co2 there is. I often harvest it to purge my containers. I ferment under pressure too, literally forcing the gas to remain in solution.

City Steading are geared towards new people but they truly don’t have a clue what they’re doing. It’s telling that the only people who try their beverages are them. The actively go out of there way not to share them.

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u/Lookingfor68 Advanced May 08 '26

What is this carbonation from fermentation thing you speak of? Have you never bottle conditioned anything? It literally pressurizes from fermentation in the sealed bottle.

I have been making cider from apples from my family orchard for 20 years, and never once "degassed". That's not really something you need to do. Whomever told you you "must do this" is either wrong, selling something, or stupid.

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u/ThatGarenJungleOG May 08 '26

Yeah i was wrong but may have mixed up videos in my head

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u/DistinctMiasma BJCP May 09 '26

That’s not the case. The CO2 produced during primary fermentation is the same as that produced during bottle conditioning or force-carbing. All degassing is going to do is oxidize your cider.

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u/ThatGarenJungleOG May 09 '26

Ive come to agree with this, the co2 is the same, there are other gasses however but it seems they go away naturally anyway. It does have a role however (i currently think) as a fining helper, but personally i dont care about fining so, yeah for me its useless in a cider

0

u/Both-Salad24 May 08 '26

You seem pretty set on this and I love City Steading, but there's multiple people here with plenty of experience telling you this is not necessary. If you want to do it, just go ahead and do it?

You want to avoid oxidation so make sure the surface stays as still as possible while you stir the liquid below. A couple of minutes is enough.

Any non-pleasant by product of primary fermentation will off gas on its own, but that still is in fact carbonation. There's no Magic carbonation yeast process thats different from normal fermentation. You carbonate by fermenting a small amount sugar.

1

u/ThatGarenJungleOG May 08 '26

No im not set on it, im just trying to understand so giving some pushback based on what i think i know so far. I definitely wont do it unless i know when (not) to do it, especially if others are making nice cider without doing it.

Yeah i remember, thank you

1

u/Both-Salad24 May 08 '26

Sorry if I came on a bit strong, brewing is so much fun and yes there's stuff that is actually necessary to be thoughtful of to be successful but there's also só much unnecessary or even factually wrong info out there. As long as you are happy with your brew and you dont poison anyone with it: do what you think is right and what works for you.

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u/ThatGarenJungleOG May 08 '26

Nah all good friend. Yeah just trying to learn best i can tbh, i find going the extra mile in a hobby makes it more satisfying when you can be bothered. Seems its more a thing for still wines / meads and helping fining etc i probably wont bother with it as i quite like haze / cloudy and wont be strong enough to give excess co2 flavor

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u/Fabulous-Pen9525 Intermediate May 08 '26

Hello, OP

Are you planning to drink the cider, uncarbonated?

Also, what do you mean by "it's been on for 6 days"?

Cheers!

1

u/ThatGarenJungleOG May 08 '26

Probably uncarbonated yeah, havent fully decided, why do you ask?

I put the apple juice and yeast and stuff in the demijohn 6 days ago

Thanks :)

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u/Fabulous-Pen9525 Intermediate May 08 '26

Okay...got it.

Unless you are fermenting under pressure, the cider isn’t carbonated, thus no need to degas.

Many people like still hard cider, but I do not, so I keg and force carbonate.

Cider takes time...give it 4+ weeks for the yeast to do their thing and make a crystal clear nectar. I typically go 6-8 weeks.

Finally, use an inexpensive hydrometer to check your gravity before and after adding yeast, keeping sanitation in mind. The test cider cannot go back in your fermentation vessel.

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u/ThatGarenJungleOG May 08 '26

Ive been learning how to brew from city steading and they degass their ciders, its good for the brew isnt it?

Its not carbonated but it does get a buildup of gasses. Afaik degassing wands arent for once youve carbonated, theyre for during the fermentation process.

Thanks

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u/Both-Salad24 May 08 '26

That is, in fact, carbonation. The exact same thing happens when you bottle-carbonate, there's no difference.

(Also never in my life have I heard of or seen a 'degassing wand'...I just use a sanitized ladle if necessary at all)

1

u/ThatGarenJungleOG May 08 '26

Oh fair play, maybe im misremembering.

You can find them online, like spoon/paddle things. Some even for being attached to a drill for large batches

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u/PM_me_ur_launch_code May 08 '26

If you're demijohn has an airlock there's no need to degas. And if you're sticking a paddle on a drill and spinning it in already fermented cider you're introducing oxygen and likely to oxidize your cider.

If you're fermenting under pressure and you want in carbonated cider, use a spunding valve to let it degas over time.

It doesn't sound like you're fermenting under pressure, or if you're using a glass demijohn you really shouldn't be. Use an airlock or a pressure capable fermenter with a spunding valve.

1

u/skratchx Advanced May 08 '26

"Degassing" is generally much more common with wine. You'd never see a degassing wand in the context of beer-making.

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u/Fabulous-Pen9525 Intermediate May 08 '26

Pro Tip: Adding 1 lb of corn sugar to 5 gallons apple juice raises the ABV potential by 1%. Thus, 2 lbs = 2% increase, 3 lbs = 3%, etc.

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u/thrashster May 08 '26

Did you come from wine making? I have never degassed a cider, it's generally not needed.

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u/ThatGarenJungleOG May 08 '26

No, ive just been watching citysteading brews to learn, its my second ever brew and my first isnt even done yet

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u/thrashster May 08 '26

Cool. Welcome to the hobby. Like others have said time is your friend for ciders. Just let it sit in the fermenter undisturbed for a few weeks. I've done many using both real cider from the mill and apple juice from Costco and time (and proper sanitary procedures) is generally the biggest factor for quality.

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u/ThatGarenJungleOG May 08 '26

Thanks, having a blast already and havent even had a sip :)

Cool ill make sure to take it slow, thanks

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u/dan_scott_ May 08 '26

Degassing is thing with mead; could be this place you learned at is run by someone with a background fermenting mead or something. For cider though it is EXTREMELY unusual, at least on the homebrew level.

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u/ThatGarenJungleOG May 08 '26

Okay thanks, ill leave it out

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u/skratchx Advanced May 08 '26 edited May 08 '26

I agree with everyone in this thread that you do not need to degas your cider. But here's some context why you might degas a wine or a mead, and why I still think you do not need to degas your cider:

Unlike beer wort, grape or honey must (the pre-fermentation product) has poor buffering potential to mitigate pH drop during fermentation. There is an actual risk of the pH crashing from carbonic acid. The low pH and increasing concentration of dissolved CO2, combined with high OG for wines and meads, can stress the yeast, leading to formation of hydrogen sulfide.
Many styles of wine need to be completely still / uncarbonated. So degassing those is important to meet the expectations for the style.
You often need to add staggered nutrients to wines and meads. Adding powder to a carbonated liquid will violently force CO2 out of solution, and you can get a geyser on your hands. Or on your ceiling. Or everywhere.
Apple juice, like grape and honey musts, also has poor buffering potential. However, because of the lower OG, you do not need to degas.
Fermentation does produce some stinky byproducts, including sulfur-containing gases. Most of the comments here gloss over that and only focus on CO2. However, these just naturally leave the fermented product as it conditions. For example, lager yeasts are known for smelling like egg farts for a portion of the fermentation. But no one degasses beer.

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u/ThatGarenJungleOG May 08 '26

Thank you so much, just the detail i needed. Appreciate you

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u/Both-Salad24 May 08 '26

I have only degassed before bottling if I was in any kind of hurry to bottle, otherwise it will degas on its own just fine.

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u/Harvey22WMRF May 08 '26

I don’t degass mine because I ferment in the bottle which requires some yeast to still be in there. I usually even add a little ec1118 while bottling.

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u/ThatGarenJungleOG May 08 '26

Fair play, why do you add more when bottling?

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u/Harvey22WMRF May 08 '26

Just cuz I’m paranoid there won’t be any in there to ferment it further, maybe silly idk.

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u/ThatGarenJungleOG May 08 '26

Makes sense

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u/Harvey22WMRF May 08 '26

Yeah, that’s a scenario where the yeast MUST taste good cuz it’s all up in that bottle.

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